Does the numbness stop you?

[centerles3]

Numbness isn't as debilitating as pain, but sometimes there is a fine line between numbness and pain.

[als5445]

I have minor numbness in my legs and feet. It doesnt affect activity at all, its just annoying. For the most part I try to ignore it. Its been like that for 6 years so I can't really remember what they were like before.

Sometimes I have relapses that make the numbness worse in my feet and hands. In that case I can't drive or type.

My nuero prescribed me Gabapentin for the numbness and I thought it helped. Although I eventually went off of it and my hands felt the same as when I was on it so it might have been they healed on their own and I just thought it was due to the medicine. I've also used something called kinesio tape before on my feet. Its just like a kind of elastic bandage. It doesn't take the numbness away, but it helps to "wake up" your feet.

[Lois Shea]

numbness

I am so glad you said you dropped your cup because of the numbness. I will be sitting at the table eating. I frequently drop my fork because I don't feel it in my hand. Sometimes I just don't watch my movements as much as I should. I call it not feeling. You call it numbness. Isn't it the same thing.

Lois

[froggirl88]

numbness

I have numbness in my feet and legs. I have neuropothy in both. I also have Raynaud's in my hands and feet as well.

So a funny thing happened to me last night. It is cold here in Michigan and I went to do some things out and about in town with the hubby.
Of course my feet got extremely cold and numb- as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary occured.
I came home and started to "un-thaw". My left foot was throbbing and aching.
I took my sox off and sure enough, I broke two of my toes!

Never felt it. Don't know how I did it.

But now have two black and broken toes!

Soooo, I know alot about numbness! Kinda scarey at times for me so I guess it does affect my life.

[tommylee]

Any advise? Does this post make sense to anyone?

Yes.
I started to have spells of numbness on my right side about 20 years ago.
Slowly over a 10 year span I became numb all over.
So I have lived with constant numbness for the last 10 years.

P.T. has given me the most help.
I have learned to do things visually.
Lots of repiticious movements keep me mobile.
P.T. has helped improve to the point that I walk almost normal, can ride a bike, even jump rope.

Lots of practice and finding a good balance of pushing myself some but not over-taxing myself.

For me, its been good to keep moving.

If you are afraid to move because feel clumsey or like you cannot trust your body, (thats the effect it has had on me) PT is the best formula I have found.

Good luck.
It is a very strange problem to deal with.
I have imagined what it would be like to be blind, deaf, paralised, etc.... but I never thought about loosing my sense of touch. It feels very detached. Like an out of body experiance.

[jphillips]

[QUOTE=tommylee]
If you are afraid to move because feel clumsy or like you cannot trust your body, (that's the effect it has had on me) PT is the best formula I have found.

Tommylee,
OK, you have nailed it for me!! I couldn't quite figure out why I felt like this numbness is slowing me down...when I try to move and hold things I can do it, most of the time. But I have fallen once, actually had to have help getting across the room, once- just got up too fast, needed to let my legs wake up, and dropped my coffee cup once.

When my legs and arms FEEL like jello, I am seeing that they really aren't jello. Its that I don't TRUST my body. That's it!

So, i think I will be able to overcome the numbness now, just have to adjust my thinking and be prepared for an occasional spill or stumble. I think if I just move slower and feel it out before I go running across a room or down the stairs and don't carry any babies I'll be fine!

I do hope to get into PT in the next few weeks. I want to be as strong as I can be. And stay as flexible as I can be. I can't fight the numbness but I can work with it. Thanks for the input everyone. Its very encouraging to see how everyone deals with this and to see how you all overcome it.

[MSersRULE]

NUMBNESS

AN MS CERTIFIED NURSE ONCE TOLD ME THAT NUMBNESS AND TINGLING IN US MS'ERS IS DUE TO FALSE NERVE SINGLES. THINK OF IT AS THE BRAIN TRYING TO TALK TO YOUR FEET AND LEGS BUT THEY ARE NOT LISTENING. THIS IS ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS THAT I HAVE THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY. I TAKE MEDICATION FOR IT THAT HAS MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, AS WELL AS MY OWN VERSION OF PT AT HOME. I TRY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHOES WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFEREFNT SOLES. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS ODD, BUT FOR ME, THE LESS I FEEL THE CONTOURS OF THE GROUND THE BETTER I MOVE. I HAVE LOTS MORE TO ADD IF U ARE INTERESTED.