Pallesthesia in my foot - nerves healing, or worsening?

[ClaireWF1346]

I know people have reported tingling in their hands and feet but this is new to me today (7 months after starting to self inject). It sounds like pallesthesia from searching the internet. My left foot only.Just wondering if anyone can advise if this is nerves repairing or a sign of additional damage? I walked 8km today and it started when I got in the car afterwards (sciatica also flared up towards the end of my walk). Thanks to all in advance, as always ☺️

[deniseinmilden]

Welcome to the club!

Both pallesthesia (like a mobile phone vibrating sensation) and parasthesia (pins and needles) are both common neuropathies associated with B12 deficiency and especially the recovery period afterwards.

Probably your walk helped to stimulate your nerves and maybe depleted your resources slightly so in combination it set off the sensation.

More B12 and supporting supplements, plus time, is the answer.

Usually B12 issues are bilateral, but not always. I get a nasty stinging nettle sensation over my left shoulder blade area whenever my B12 isn't working properly, usually due to a shortage of some other vitamin or mineral, but my right is never affected, whereas it also troubles my forehead at other times.

The mobile phone vibrating thing is weird and I don't get that much now, but it used to be really annoying for several years after my nerves started to get well again.

The only consolation was that I knew it was a good sign that things were getting better!

Some of us get/got a savage burning sensation which is pretty much unbearable, so be warned, and be grateful if you don't get that!

For quite a while my nerves couldn't tell the difference between hot and cold and sometimes I would feel the opposite of the reality... Now that is weird too!

After lots more years of daily SI, and heaps of other vitamins and minerals, I'd just about forgotten about things like that - despite my memory having gone from non-existent to reasonably good these days!

[ClaireWF1346 in reply to deniseinmilden]

So it sounds like part of the healing process. It's not uncommon for me to walk that distance these days (long gone are the days I couldn't walk upstairs without needing a rest) but it is a bit unnerving. I will take your reply as a positive thing and pray I don't get the burning sensation! All of my numbness/tingling/sciatica is on my left side and I have recently been getting goosebumps (or at least the sensation of them) on the whole of my lower left leg, which I've also had whilst sunbathing which was very strange! Thanks for your reply 😊

[deniseinmilden in reply to ClaireWF1346]

Oh yes, the dreaded invisible goosebumps! Have you had the "beetles under the skin" yet? I'm sure I'll remember other delights too!

In time they all go away eventually. Thank goodness!

That's why we're such a good forum here - we have all shared the weirdest things that are unimaginable and it's only by hearing that other people are experiencing the same thing that it enables you to believe yourself!

It pays to look back occasionally to appreciate how far you've come! I'm in my 10th year of recovery and I'm still improving, despite other health set-backs.

It sounds like you're doing really well. Keep going!

[ClaireWF1346 in reply to deniseinmilden]

I truly thought I had done healing and was actually meant to drop my injections down from EOD to twice a week months ago, but it didn't feel right so I didn't. Amazing what happens when you listen to your body. Thanks for the encouragement that this is healing and not further damage. I think I was perhaps deficient for longer than I realise. How long do you think you were deficient for before your started regular injections? 10 years and still healing is a long time!

[grandmacutler in reply to ClaireWF1346]

Speaking of nerves healing, when I was 16 I was working at a coffee bar and told to clean out under the counter. When I reached in I grabbed a broken glass coffee pot which severed my third finger thru the nail. The Doc stitched it in place and then one day 24 years later I realized the numb weird feeling was gone and it felt normal. So it can take a while but nerves do mend .

[Cb1963 in reply to ClaireWF1346]

I'll jump in this conversation if that's OK, many different sensations can be used to explain pain and sensations, there's been some good replies, I was given a list to explain my symptoms, sensations and pains at a pain clinic regarding my neuropathy, I must have added another 10 to their list!!! The burning pain gets me especially at nighttime and trying to search for a " cold" spot in the bed is heaven for my feet 🤣

Then you can get like a red hot poker going through various lower limbs, and of course little fish swimming through your veins, it comes in different guises and we try and understand the wording used, I get pins and needles in my arms especially going into bed, and the classic mobile phone vibration 🫣 when I first got diagnosed I burnt my buttocks as I didn't realise how hot the bath water was, now I check it before attempting a bath !!!

So things NOT to do is drink alcohol or smoke, and if you're struggling with B12 deficiency this also has very similar symptoms, and people who have stomach issues are prone to this, or to many general anesthetics or taking omeprazole is a another issue that causes problems, yes a lot to take in but hopefully things will improve, if not reach out to the doctors for medication if you can't sleep, I take long term medication and without it I'd really struggle, unfortunately my condition was caused through drinking, please don't judge me, as I suffered major trauma which left me with this long term condition, any further questions ask away, best of luck !!!

[ClaireWF1346 in reply to Cb1963]

I have posted before that I had severe gastritis in 2010 due to excessive drinking at a tricky time in my life, so there's certainly no judgement here - and I doubt from anyone else! I do still drink in moderation, after checking with the specialist in Cambridge, but I ensure I don't get dehydrated so alternate a drink with a glass of water. I think everyone is different when it comes to alcohol. I truly hope I don't get the red hot poker sensation! My sleep was horrendous when I was first diagnosed but mainly due to terrible anxiety. I resort to Nytol if I am tossing and turning these days and I also suffer with pins and needles in both arms during the night from the shoulders down. Wasn't sure if that was B12 related or not though!

[JesusMercy60 in reply to deniseinmilden]

Hello everyone, thank you for all your posts they are always helping. Denise I was wondering so the longer we inject with time and our nerves heal, do we not feel pain in the nerve that is healed anymore? I was wondering how we know when that nerve is healed. I am in the middle of sixth month of injecting and still healing it's early but I have come a long way . I can also hardly wait for the emotional things to become stable.

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

Just wondered if you kept a symptoms diary.

Maybe track up to ten symptoms and score severity each day or each week. Make a note of other symptoms and note any treatment given/relevant blood tests.

I kept a symptoms diary and it was hard to see improvements from day to day or week to week but much easier to see them if I compared month to month or year to year.

[ClaireWF1346 in reply to Sleepybunny]

I did start to in March, but for some reason I stopped. I was pretty much writing the same thing every morning so perhaps I lost interest! I honestly thought that the only additional healing I would experience would be to lose the tinnitus and feel less tired after busy days. This new sensation has caught me by surprise! Not sure it would be useful to start it back up again now.

[Budsa]

Don't lose sight of the fact that besides having B12 problems, you can also have Spinal problems caused by bone spurs and wear and tear to the vertebrae etc. All of the problems you mentioned, especially the sciatica, can be down to this. Maybe ask your doctor to refer you to a spinal consultant.