Has Anyone Else Experienced This Problem?

Yep - it's very, very likely low B12 or what's referred to as pernicious anemia - please have the doctor check his vitamin B12 and folate levels. Even if they are normal, he may benefit from the B12 injections. They are often given daily at first and then weekly and then monthly. I use a transdermal B12 and I have feeling in a finger that had not had feeling for almost 30 years.

This is such a very common problem (even in younger folks!) and it's so unfortunate that most docs are clueless as far as basic nutritional deficiencies are concerned. B12 deficiency/pernicious anemia are very, very common as we age and for many folks that have leaky gut caused by lots of things, with gluten intolerance/celiac being one of the biggest contributors.

1 mom found this helpful

You have received several suggestions worthy of followup: Blood test for B-12 deficiency and chiropractic most often mentioned. Do something soon. The nerves are somehow involved and prolonging getting treatment may result in permanent nerve damage, which is what happened to me. I am not diabetic either. I went to a neurologist, to a retinologist to rule out diabetes, and then to a rheumatologist, who diagnosed tarsal tunnel syndrome (compression of nerve bundle entering the tarsal bone circle {tunnel} on the side of each heel) and sent me to a podiatrist. I had the nerve conduction tests and all were normal, except for the ones in my feet. I ultimately had tarsal tunnel surgery on each foot. I have had some improvement, but the numbness is still there. What has improved is the burning, "walking on hot sand" feelings on the bottom of my feet. I still experience some of that occasionally, just not as frequently or as painfully. What I notice in the last 2-3 years is that I experience my feet as painfully cold unless I wear socks 24-7. I haven't worn sandals in 2-3 years, even in Texas in the summer. They don't feel cold to the touch, they just feel cold when air touches them when I don't wear socks. Encourage your husband to follow up soon and don't put it off. Try to avoid permanent nerve damage. I suppose there are many worse ailment or conditions, but this one has its own aggravations. It interferes with sleep big time and many daily activities and it just is frustrating to feel you are basically healthy and yet have this much pain/discomfort 24-7, and especially at night when you have slowed down and it is harder to ignore the discomfort. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

Has he been to a Cardiologist? One of the first things I would look at is blockage in Aorta where it splits down into the legs right above the pelvic bone and also I would have them do a doppler test on the legs to see how much blood flow is actually making it to the feet.
This is something I would have checked ASAP as a blockage of good size can cause serious problems. They can only find that blockage with special testing.

Good Luck,
R.

1 mom found this helpful

V.,
Sounds like he has neuropathy, which has many causes...including idiopathic (no known cause). Check out this website for symptoms, causes and support group info.

http://www.neuropathy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=About_...

Has he been checked for Diabetes?

Does he take any medications? My mom was having numbness in her extremeties that turned out to be a side effect of a medicine she was taking.

I'm sorry you guys are going through this, I hope you find the answer soon, I am sure it's driving you both nuts! Good luck!

V.,

I have had people who had some what same issue and as a last resort decide to try Nutritional Food Supplements that made a difference. Let me know if you are interested and I will give you more details.

I am a mom of two, married for 18 years.

Blessings,

A.
###-###-#### C
###-###-#### H

Have they checked your husband for peripheal artery deisease? Kind of sounds like he isn't getting circulation to his feet. Good luck with finding out what is wrong.

C.

He needs to ask his doctor for an EMG and nerve conduction studies. These will test how well his nerves are working which cannot be assessed by an MRI. Is he experiencing pain with the numbness? Does the numbness radiate from his back or is it solely in the foot? These are important things to tell his doctor. I would see a neurologist who deals with nerves and the types of issues your husband is going through daily instead of your hubby's PCP.

Good luck.

Have they ruled out any systemic disease (diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, etc...)???

Low B12.

Numbness in the hands and feet is one of the symptoms. If they haven't tested him for it (it is a specific blood test not on the usual panel), then have him tested.

It's easy to treat. I just went through it for myself. Shots weekly and now a nasal prescription daily of B12. Pills didn't work for me because I didn't absorb it. Some people don't.

My dad has a similar problem. He has neuropathy - nerve damage on the bottom of his feet. This is common in diabetics but my dad is not a diabetic. There are balancing exercises that his chiropractor has shown him that have helped his brain create new neuro pathways. I highly recommend seeing a chiropractor. Good luck

Hello V.,

You already got lots of great responses. Has he been to a chiropractor? Good luck! ~C.~

Hi V., I have the same problem. The only thing they can find is that I have rheumatoid arthritis and ostero arthritis. Also have a hypo thyroid. Have them do tose blood test. Numbness from thyroid is not uncommon. I pray he doesn't have arthritis. I'm 54 and was diagnoised at 48. It's not been fun. Wish you all the best. God Bless.

Hi V.,

As you can tell by all of the responses, numbness in the feet can be caused by a variety of conditions. I am a Chiropractor and I work with patients on a daily basis that experience these symptoms and believe me, there are many conditions that can cause numbness. The MRI's and X-rays may be negative because the lesion may be lower or may not be large enough to warrant surgery. The problem may be in the hip, knee or ankle or may be caused by vascular or nutritional issues. At my office, I use orthopedic testing and applied kinesiology (aka muscle testing)to determine what the condition is and how to treat it. By adjusting the spine and correcting the nutritional imbalances we can help to eliminate the problem. If you would like more information please don't hesitate to call me at ###-###-#### or visit my website at sullivanchiropractic.com. Thanks! Dr. Sandra S.

In August, my hands (last 3 fingers on each hand) and my feet all felt like they were asleep. I am 36, active and healthy.

I went to a Neurologist and he did a bunch of blood tests. He thought I hade Lymes Disease and sent me to an Infections Disease Specialist who wanted to immediately give me a spinal tap… I requested a second set of blood work which proved to be negative, I was released.

I had Brain, Neck, Back and Hip MRI which were all negative for abnormalities, the Neurologist recently dismissed my case and said I was very healthy.

My hands and feet are still numb! Please let me know what your husband finds out, I hate that everything feels “asleep”

E.

get a second/third opinion.

It could be peripheral neuropathy, has he used steroids at all? Podiatrists can do various sensory testing on feet to figure out what sensation he has lost. It's worth a shot. Best of luck!

Has he been checked for Diabetes?

A. C

V.,

The 1st test which YOU can give your spouse is PH test to determine if your husband's body is acidic. All health problems from numbness to cancer to diabetes to obesity is directly related to HOW acidic the body is . No illness or disease can live in an alkaline PH state. Go to my website to learn about alkaline water and why it's important to drink nothing else. www.ionways.com/parkcitieswater

Call me on my cell if you have any questions. I will be glad to meet you and bring a free weeks supply of alkaline water and show you the acidic levels of drinks including bottle water that is on the market.

G. cell 214 434- 2143

I didn't see it mentioned, so ...

B-12 is available in a sublingual form, too, which dissolved under your tongue.

One of my daughter's is a vegetarian and has been for almost 14 years. I was told that B-12 is an important supplement for vegetarians to take since they do not consume animal protein which is a significant source of B-12 for non-vegetarians.

Some vitamins are store in the fat cells and some vitamins are water-soluble. The vitamins stored in the fat cells can accummulate to potentially toxic levels. Water-soluble vitamins pass through the body where they are normally absorbed and distributed as needed. What the body does not need, it excretes.

B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins, so the impact of taking too many or too high a dosage is minimized. Oil-based vitamins like E and A are a different matter.

Vitamin C is another water-soluble vitamin that some folks take in large dosages to strengthen the immune system during the cold and flu season. Believers swear by it. The skeptics tend to believe that one's just creating expensive urine since the excess is excrete rather than taken up by the body.

Either way, since the extra is excreted, my doctor said to go for it and see if it worked. Same with B vitamins. If it doesn't work, your biggest consequence is probably going to be that you're peeing away money. If it does work, all the better.

Has he ever worked or played outdoors in the cold? If he's had cold exposure before, you might go to webmd and search for Raynaud's Phenomenon. My husband has it and his feet go numb. My brother-in-law has it and it affects his hands.

Good luck.

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

To me it sounds like some kind of nerve compression. My husband had this problem and just had back surgery to fix it. I lose feeling in my toes and it is attributed to lower back problems. it might be something in the back higher up? or maybe in the neck that is pressing. Keep looking and don't give up. My grandmother's issues were fixed by pain shots in the spine.

Would you consider going to a chiropractor? It could very well be nerve impengement which could be easily helped with adjustments.

Hi,I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Haggerton @
Lifetime Family Wellness Center
1813 Harwood Ct, Hurst TX, 76054
Office # ###-###-####
Fax # ###-###-####
www.family-wellness.com

I forgot to mention, he is a chiropractor.
I live in Midlothian and drove all the way to Hurst every week. It was well worth it. He took care of my problems when the doctors said there was "nothing there."
I know and am confident that he can "find out his problem". Call soon.

Hi, The first thing that comes to mind in MS. has he been tested for that? I was also thinking a pinched nerve. See if a chiropracter can help or offer suggestions...

I hope he figures it out. Good luck
A. J

When he experiences the numbness, are his feet elevated or for example, is he sitting in a chair? It might be circulation and try having him sit in a chair (like a lazy boy chair) and have his feet elevated. -just a thought.

Good luck

Hi V., it sounds like it's related to the nerves. I would go see a specialist, maybe an Internist. I would recommend going to Medical City. I wouldn't let a chiropractor touch him, they can do alot of damage. Please let us know what happens.

How's his blood pressure? During pregnancy I experienced high blood pressure that has not gone away yet (baby is 1 yr old now). Some of my major problems are numbness in hands, legs, and feet. All of my other tests are fine, so I am just on a pills to lower the bllod pressure. With the pills, it is a little more 'normal', but if I miss a pill I start to get numb again.

The first thing I would do is have him go to the chiropractor.
This can really help. When I go my carpal tunnel clears up and it helps both my parents with their legs. All of your nerves run up the spine and if your back is out of line it can affect your nerves and sensations.

This happens to my mom. She has atherosclerosis.

I do hope you let us know what you decide to do and how this turns out.

I'm one who has been helped greatly by chiropractors and I would recommend you go to one - make sure that he/she knows what he/she is doing.

This is one of the questions I'm going to save so I can read the responses again and think about them!

A.

Dear V., Your husband's problem sounds similar to what I have experienced. Neither am I diabetic, but seem to have what they call neuropathy in my feet. Not only do they feel numb-like, but they often burn and hurt at night. Drs. could not seem to find the problem, so since Nutrition was my major in college, I started researching it from that angle, plus reading material from alternative medicine research. I decided to try Alpha Lipoic Acid. I take 400 mg. a day and it has helped tremendously. If you try it, when you buy, you need to ask the company if it is 100% ALA. Many companies use a filler that is not digested and therefore you are only getting half the amount the bottle says you are getting. I had to call several companies before I found one that would guarantee it was 100% ALA, It is recommended that you take no more than 1600 mg. a day. It is not a medicine. You can research it on the internet. It may not help your husband, I am only giving my experience. Maybe it can help you do further research for your self. Doctors are too interested in drugs only, that they have no time to research any thing else. Hope this helps. R.

V.,

I can't tell you how many times I have heard from patients that MRI's and other tests have come back negative and that they have no answers. I am a chiropractor and as a chiropractor, we look at more subtle things like a lack of supportive curves, early signs of decay and degeneration (thought to be normal in the allopathic world), that has always contributed to the symptoms that they are exhibiting. B-vitamin depletion or non-absorption is also a big contributer. Is your husband on antacids? They block B-vitamin absorption in the stomach (the only place they are absorbed). Also, is he on cholesterol lowering meds? Problems in the lower extremities is a common and serious side effect from these dangerous drugs as well. Proper evaluation of his meds and nutritional deficiencies and a chiropractic evaluation should lead you to a conclusion. Hope this helps. God Bless.

Dear V.,

If the medical profession cannot determine what is the cause of his numbness you might want to consider a product that Shaklee sells, Vivix, an cellular anti-aging serum built to address the four key mechanisms for aging that take place at the celular level. The product was hased on the scientifiic breakthrough created by Dr. David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School two years ago. (Just as an aside Dr. Sinclair was on our Scientific Advisiory Board last year and a man of that staure does not affiliate himself with any company who does not have impeccable integrity - the basis for the Shaklee Difference). You can check it out at www.shaklee.net/truehealthnuts/vivix. The beauty abut Shaklee if it does not work to improve his sitation there is a money back guarantee. It comes in three bottles for a months supply. If you do not which to incur the expense of a whole month let me know and I can sell you one bottle. You can usually feel the impact within that time.

Let me know if you would like a CD from Dr. Chaney who explains what is happening to the body with this product.

Love,
G.
###-###-####
____@____.com

If diabetes and vascular disease has been ruled out, I'd say there's a pinched nerve somewhere. I've had that and chiropractic treatments cured it. Also, my daughter had numbness in fingers, pain in shoulder due to bad computer positions at her office. Does he do something repetively that might be causing it? Find a GOOD chiropractor. You might have to "shop" for one unless you have a friend who can recommend a good one.