Questions about foot pain

Hi Brittany: Are you on any meds? My feet are very painful but taking neurontin helps me quite a bit. I haven’t noticed that temperature makes any difference but do know if I get overtired my feet hurt much worse. But without the neurontin I would be in a great deal of pain. Jeff

slipper socks! Sometimes I would wear two pair. Now I can go barefoot but the weather is also much warmer and my pain is less these days.

If my feet would get too cold I would use a heating pad on low for a while. One that turns off automatically is safer I think. I also have found that a lotion made by Village Naturals which is for sore muscles and such helps when my feet and legs are feeling poorly. I feel a bit apprehensive about most “sports creams” because you are supposed to use them sparingly, but the Village Naturals lotion is all natural and I have had no problems with it. And of course, most everyone here uses Neurontin for nerve pain. I don’t so I cant tell ya much about it, but others will be helpful.

Welcome to the forum, but it is always difficult to hear of someone so young having to go through this illness. Some of the things that you are feeling can only be understood by those of us who have been there, so don’t get too upset if your parents don’t seem to. Maybe they just want so much for their daughter to be well, & to put it all behind them. Few can understand the residuals that most of us are left with; please watch the amount of rest that you are getting, as fatigue is often a residual that is overlooked because no one can see it. Trouble is, we tend to “look so normal!”

About the foot pain, I was left with a lot of nerve damage in my feet & I have taken 1800 mg of neurontin for over 6 years now. Is it a burning type of sensation? If so, then you might want to try that drug for the pain. Please come here anytime to vent or look for understanding…
Pam

I could not live without heating pads. I have one on my feet and one on my lower back. I believe heating pads all come set with timers. I am able to get my feet warmed up and then go to sleep – although, sometimes I wake up and my feet are hot and swollen. The pain in my feet varies quite a bit for describing it all – it just sucks.

Foot pain stinks..I think it is different for everyone. I have to keep socks on all the time but if i wear shoes it is usually a pair of tennis shoes, however, for those that like flip flops, adidas and I think Nike both have come out with a pair that has a cushiony sole, almost like your foot is resting on memory foam. I swear I am going to get a pair. So that might help a little..Good luck sweetie.

Brittaney,

Yes, I experience foot pain when it’s colder.

To the point that I’ve decided not to install tile flooring in my new house, based on it being too cold.

Hang in there.

Hey Brittaney ~ this may sound a little weird but it’s natural and several of us have had good success with it. Rub your feet well with “Vicks” and then put a pair of socks on. Something about the menthol encourages the circulation. I have a friend who’s neuropathy with chemo was driving her nuts! And she thought I was nuts suggesting the Vicks. Long story short, she tried it and was amazed 🙂 Just remember that everything doesn’t work for everyone. Good luck!

Hi….. My name is Renee. I am 40yrs old and have GBS. To answer your question about the cold, it defenitely makes me hurt worse. Being warm and Sunlight seem to help me. I suffered a very severe case of GBS, which has turned my whole world upside down. I’m having a hard time with depression and fatigue. I feel as though I am exhausted all the time. I have two children and before GBS was extremely active. I wear Fentenyal patches and take Lyrica for the pain. Anyway, the weather certainly seems to have an effective on me.

Renee’

Yes the foot pain is worse on some days. Usually I wear two pairs of socks, 24/7.
Please, please be careful with the heating pads. I hate the timer or thermostat that makes them turn off, but know it’s needed.

My aunt had severe burns because having decreased sensation in a foot means you can’t tell when the foot is too hot, whether from a heating pad, hot bath water or soaks, or hot cement or sand in the summer.

With the “minor” burns and injuries from the above, we have the additional problem of not even noticing the injury until infection has set in (decreased sensation) and then the circulation down to our extremities is reduced keeping blood carrying the oxygen and antibiotics where they should be going from getting to their destination.
Talk about a Catch-22.
Lyrica has made a dramatic difference. Started low at 50mg two or three times a day and worked my way up a bit and noticed help almost immediately.

i have found and have a newspaper artcle on veternary meds and gbs. i use veternary horse limament on my feet and hands.it has a spermint smell. you can get it at a local horse stable or where they sell merchandise for horses. you may also be able to get it at a vet who deals with horses. it is reasonably priced and you get a good size bottle.
istaroaz.

So, is it the limament itself, or the spearmint thats in it? If it is the spearmint, i wonder if buying a bottle of the spearmint oil from the herbalist and adding a few drops to other things will be as beneficial. Any idea?

I don’t have foot pain, but the “electricity” throughout my body starts in my feet. Cold most definitely makes my “electricity” worse everywhere. I use hot rice compresses with enough relief that i can fall asleep.

Just throw a bunch of rice in any size pillowcase (or long sock for neck or head), then sew or tie it shut. Pop in microwave (mine takes 3 to 4 minutes), shake it up, and relax. Added dried lavender to one of mine and that was really soothing.

Yeah, applying any kind of heat can be really dangerous. in the hospital, my patients would get mad because we wouldn’t allow them to bring heating pads/bottles from home, for the exact reason you discussed with your aunt. The ones in the hospital have a pre-programmed temp and auto-shutoff for safety reasons. Even if we had normal sensation, the fatigue itself presents a problem with the heat issue. Don’t now about you guys but, i can sleep 12 hours at night and then two hours later take a 6 hour nap.

Have you folks found that moist heat works better than dry heat? Does it matter either way?

I have no feelings for if I get cold in my feet, my son say somtimes that Im colder then the frigerator. so I cant give you any addvise about this, I get feet pain when Im tierd and dont get my 10 – 12 hour sleep, and now Im not getting this sleep, becouse of somthing I dont know what, maby the earthquake that we got 29 of may have couse that I sleep only few hours, most 4 hours at the time.
But for the nerve pain in my feet I use neurotin, and it works fine for me.
xoxoxoxoxo
Helga

I know exactly the pain that you are talking about. I tried the rice packs and they would help for awhile, but once removed the pain seemed to be even worse than before I applied them to my feet. My grandmother stumbled onto an Avon product called “Hand and Body Blanket insulating balm.” It started working pretty quick, but didn’t heat up my feet to the point that I would start getting tingling sensations from getting too hot too quick. It also wore off slower so I didn’t have to play “catch up” to get my feet warm again. Wool socks with hunting sock liners are my best friend in the winter. Hope this helps and I am so sorry that you are in pain.

Stoney
GBS 01/2007