0208mad, given that you said your symptoms occur throughout your body, I assume you experience pain in your hands and feet. If that's true, then I have a couple of questions that may be of assistance in further convincing you that you are indeed free of neuropathy:
1) Do your hands and feet sweat? If yes, then you definitely don't have small fiber neuropathy. I thought I had all the symptoms of small fiber neuropathy as well, until I went to some of the top hospitals in the world, and they all said distal sweating is reduced in genuine cases of small fiber neuropathy that affect the hands and feet, as the small nerve fibers responsible for autonomic functions such as sweating are damaged. For patients with small fiber neuropathy, excessive compensational sweating may occur in proximal limbs (not distal limbs) to make up for the lack of distal sweating. For example, an individual with small fiber neuropathy in their hands and feet may begin experiencing excessive sweating in their rear as their body attempts to regulate its temperature. I passed multiple QSART sweat tests, and my hands and feet began sweating more than ever when my symptoms began (this was one of the symptoms I complained about the most!), so we know my small nerve fibers are not damaged. Excessive distal sweating is often a sign of emotional stress.*
2) Do your fingertips "wrinkle" in warm water or while swimming? If yes, then you most likely don't have small fiber neuropathy. Fingertip wrinkling is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, which is compromised of small nerve fibers. When an individual's hands have sustained true nerve damage, the affected fingertips will not be able to wrinkle, as damaged small nerve fibers become incapable of carrying out this function. My hands began wrinkling almost immediately upon contact with water when I started experiencing symptoms (it used to take much longer for them to wrinkle), so we know my small nerve fibers are simply overactive (typically a sign of stress), not permanently damaged or even in danger of being damaged.**
The autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic nervous system, is extremely susceptible to emotional stress, and you might be experiencing sympathetically-mediated pain that will go away once you fully believe you can be healed. Trust me, I've seen some of the best doctors in the world, and they all told me this. I was so convinced I had neuropathy and was in so much pain, I didn't even think I needed to see any neurologists for confirmation purposes (and I didn't know how to live anymore)... but I ended up not even having it. I hope this helps you find peace of mind, too. Below are some techniques that are helping me, as well as other people with extremely similar symptoms and stories; if you're still doubting your neuropathy-free status, keep in mind that individuals with full-blown and critically severe neuropathic pain that is structural have used these practices to lessen and/or completely end their pain by retraining their brains. Ultimately, this means a large number of people - regardless of whether they have TMS or not - can significantly benefit and decrease their pain:
1) Biofeedback - http://www.christopherfisherphd.com/psychological-services/biofeedback/ (Biofeedback) (Biofeedback)
2) Neuro-rehabilitation - http://wheelchairtorollerblades.com/ (Wheelchair to Rollerblades - My Story through Limbic System Neural Rehabilitation) (Wheelchair to Rollerblades - My Story through Neuro-Rehabilitation)
3) Neuroplasticity - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/training-the-brain-to-beat-pain/news-story/45ad7b7daaaf3c4bbbab6c76b0190ac7 (Nocookies) (Nocookies)
*SOURCE: https://image.slidesharecdn.com/pai...nosis-and-management-31-638.jpg?cb=1503854606 (conclusion = small fiber neuropathy diagnosis is made when sweat output is lower than normal)
**SOURCE: https://the-sieve.com/2012/04/14/the-story-told-by-fingers-that-dont-wrinkle/ (The Story Told By Fingers That Don’t Wrinkle) (The Story Told By Fingers That Don’t Wrinkle) (conclusion = small fiber neuropathy diagnosis may be made when fingertips are unable to wrinkle)
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