i have heard this term thrown around as a possibility to explain some things going on in me but haven't been diagnosed with it and don't know what it is, could you please describe it for me?

Here's a link that explains it better than I could:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131

Hi MJD!
Wow I'd love this group to grow for sure!

Hello MJD i have had peripheral neuropathy for a couple of years now ,brought on by my diabetes.I too would love to see this group grow.

HI MJD..I think more people have this than we are aware..I was just diagnosed..and now I meet people who say they have it too..they are on lots of meds and I really dont want to do that as my stomach is very delicate and I cant handle most of them..On protonix now just to keep the acid reflux at bay..I also have fibro and arthritis in my spine but the dr says it is unrelated..I am not diabetic and can't find a cause yet.. the dr says "sometimes these things just happen" but I think I need a better answer than that .

I am surprised that there is so few on here suffering like us, forum seems dead.

Ihave had PIN (peripheral IDIOPATHIC neuropathy) for about ten years. I've had all kinds of tests, MRI, KTscan, EMG, all kinds of blood work, etc, etc.....and nothing was ever found that would cause my PIN. I don't have diabetes so that was ruled out.

When it first started I went to a podiatrist who made an appointment for me to have my toenails removed from my big toes! He said because it could be ingrown toenails causing my pain. When I got home I came to my senses, and called to cancel the surgery. I KNOW I didn't have ingrown toenails. One doctor told me it was called IDIOPATHIC because the IDIOT doctors don't know what's causing it, or how to cure it.

I tried some medications but didn't like the side effects. I have PIN only in my feet, and sometimes get a shooting pain in my ankles. I am trying to stay away from medications by sticking to a healthy diet. I take B12, D3, AlphaLipoicAcid, and a multi every day. I do the treadmill every day for about 30 min., only slowly to keep my feet from turning to stone.

I also do stretches for my legs to ward off cramping at night. Because of PIN I have balance issues for which I wear Birkenstock sandals with the toe hold. The toe hold gives me more control when walking.

Even though my PIN isn't as bad as some here, I can relate, and completely sympathize. No one really understands what we're going through. When I complain about my feet, most people will shrug it off as poor tired, aching feet. There's a site, psyccentral.com, where I have found a great deal of support. I think if you copy and paste this link it will take you straight to the PIN board: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html

Wishing you all a happy and painfree day.......