Sensory radiculopathy

[seasider18]

For some time I have had a numbness in my left foot as soon as I had shoes on and started to walk outside. It was an annoyance but not a great problem. Since the end of October it worsened. For the past five weeks it changed to almost a complete loss of feeling in that foot and then a numbness started in the right foot and lower leg. The loss of feeling caused problems with coping with different surfaces when walking with many stumbles and one bad fall. I'm now at the stage where I cannot walk without holding on to my wife’s arm to keep myself steady and with a stick that I have used for some time because of an off and on knee problem

A visit to an orthopedic consultant just before it became as bad as it is now proved a complete waste of time as he said there are so many different types of neuropathy that they are impossible to diagnose and that if it came from my lower back surgery would probably make it worse.

A neurologist proved more interested and he did blood tests that did not find a cause although we are waiting on results of genetic testing for CMT. Nerve conduction tests showed that “neurographic findings are constant with a length dependent sensory motor axonal neuropathy” He suggests that it could be due to sensory radiculopathy and wants me to have a whole spine MRI scan. I was having a pacemaker fitted two weeks ago and he could not get the scan done in the three days left after the nerve conductions tests. Now eight weeks must elapse for the pacemaker to be checked before I can have the MRI.

I am convinced that it is spinal in origin as I have off and on had lower back pain. about three years ago when seeing a Physio for something else the exercises gave me back pain and she thought that I had spinal stenosis but later changed her mind. This is a condition I know nothing about and the Net seems to also associate it with pain and tingling that I don’t have. Any Forum readers with this condition who can tell me (good) news about it and successful treatments. Although I’m 80 I was until the start of the year quite fit and have always been a walker.

[seasider18]

I rather thought that it had when later noticing the right hand column. I had searched on SPINE and up came some posts on the subject but must have somehow got lost.

[ldwilliams]

Think it likely vascultis forum or similar that you need.

i have CIDP (along with COPD) and have similar problems to you

[seasider18]

Symptoms for conditions like this seem to cover a very wide range of possible conditions. I was surprised when I had a head MRI prior to my pacemaker being fitted that three others there for back and head scans were there because of numbness in feet. Sadly a lady in her mid 80's had already fallen and broken a hip due to her numbness. All I broke in my fall were my sunglasses and a bottle of wine I had just bought. I'm not a drunk but the neurologist mistakenly put in his letter to my GP that I drank five glasses of wine a day rather than in a week

[sassy59]

My husband has COPD and sarcoidosis seasider and copes pretty well on the whole. He has though, for the past 2 years, a supposed prolapsed disc in his spine which has caused tingling in his right foot, pain in the right buttock and cramping in his right calf muscle. He has had physio, to no effect, injections to no effect and ended up at Southampton Hospital with a spinal cord stimulator being implanted - sadly it seems to no effect. We are due to return to Southampton next month to see what, if anything can be done as surgery for him was ruled out.

I am not sure if it is the sarc that is causing a narrowing in the spine or something else but nothing seems to help and my husband is at his wits end. You may have posted on the incorrect forum but you have given me something to think about. I do wish you well. xx

[seasider18 in reply to sassy59]

How did your husband get on with his next appointment?

My neurologist stuck with axonal neuropathy or Idiopathic Neuropathy but had no treatment to offer apart from suggesting Lyrica that I don't want to take.

I had a spine CT scan that did not show any trapped nerves but a lot of wear and tear and disc problems. While waiting for a referral to a back specialist for myofascial disorders, that seems interesting I have had a couple of sessions with an osteopath and it has already helped to some degree.

[sassy59 in reply to seasider18]

Hi seasider, Pete had his appointment at Southampton and has to undergo further surgery because the stimulator lead has moved. This means Pete is not getting any relief at all and is in terrible pain. There is also the possibility of another lead being inserted to see if that helps. No idea when any of this will be done but we live in hope that it will be soon.

I do wish you well too and thank you for asking about Pete. xxxx

[seasider18]

I do hope that they are able to help your husband. Southampton are often at the forefront in new treatments.

For some reason quite a few in this group seemed to also be posting on back problems. I still have not found the right group

[sassy59 in reply to seasider18]

Look up Pain Management on google as there is a good group on there. Good luck to you.