Peripheral Neuropathy: Mary got her LIFE Back!

I remember the first day Mary walked into our clinic for her neuropathy evaluation. It was a cold November morning. She came in alone, feeling a bit desperate, yet hopeful. She needed help.

Peripheral Neuropathy is a chronic progressive disease. She’d been experiencing symptoms for a while: pain, burning, pins and needles, loss of balance and now numbness. She’d learned to live with her symptoms. She’d always hoped that the Gabapentin and the Neurontin would eventually help her get better, but it didn’t.

As with all of my patients, I asked her what her goals were for treatment. She looked me in the eye and soberly shared the raw details of her reality. 

“My husband has cancer. Things don’t look good. He is undergoing chemotherapy. It is my job to take care of him. I want my feet to work so that I can take care of him. I want my feet to work in case he doesn’t make it. If he doesn’t make it, then I have to be able to take care of myself. I need to be able to keep driving. I don’t want anyone to have to take care of me. I want to be able to take care of myself.” 

I asked Mary how the sensations in her feet were affecting her driving at this point. 

She whispered that ‘sometimes’ her feet go numb and she can barely feel the brake pedal in her car… 

Unfortunately, Mary’s story is all too familiar for the over three million people in the U.S. suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy. Peripheral Neuropathy is the pain, discomfort and numbness caused by nerve damage of the peripheral nervous system. 

During Mary’s evaluation she explained that not only did she have difficulty with driving, she also had trouble with daily tasks like walking to the mailbox, walking the dog, and going grocery shopping. Even relaxing in a chair or sleeping became painful. 

Her concerns were very real. 

"How can I continue taking care of my husband, who is ill, when I am having a hard time taking care of myself?”

Upon evaluation of Mary’s Peripheral Neuropathy, we found that she had more than a 50 percent sensory loss in both feet. The only option she was given from her traditional doctor was Gabapentin and Neurontin to alleviate the pain. This wasn’t enough. Not only was she still in pain, the side effects were debilitating. AND–her neuropathy was getting worse. 

Mary made the decision to begin treatment for her Peripheral Neuropathy at Meridian Family Acupuncture.

How We Treat Neuropathy

At Meridian Family Acupuncture we offer acupuncture combined with modern medical modalities to treat Peripheral Neuropathy. While we specialize in acupuncture, and it's definitely part of our protocols in treating neuropathy, the real secret is the inclusion of a more modern medical solution called Frequency Specific Microcurrent. This technology was originally developed by NASA to expedite healing and recovery. It's like watering a plant. Frequency Specific Microcurrent stimulates the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerve and provide them the proper nutrients to heal and repair.

Mary’s Progress

After Mary began her treatment program with us, her symptoms began to change. As she continued to take care of her ailing husband, her feet began to wake up. Within a few short months, a good portion of her numbness subsided, she could walk further without pain, and she began to sleep more comfortably.

Mary is thrilled with her progress since she began treatment with Meridian Family Acupuncture. When she began treatment with us, Mary was experiencing a 50% loss in neurological function in both feet. Now she is only experiencing a 20% loss. A 30% change in the positive direction is great progress!

When I asked Mary what had changed in her life since she began treatment, her eyes lit up, and a smile crossed her face as she began listing all the changes:

“I’m sleeping better. I can walk through Costco without pain. I can easily take care of my husband. I can easily feel the brake pedal when I drive. AND–I don’t know if you know it, but I’m a quilter. I can NOW feel the pedal of my sewing machine too!” 

The Surprise at the 'End' of Mary's Story

Here’s the part where the story gets even BETTER.

Mary continued…

 “And, guess what???? As you know, I’ve been able to drive my husband to all of his cancer care treatments. Well, it paid off. I just got news from oncology that his tumors are beginning to shrink!”

We all cried happy tears that day. There’s nothing like helping our patients reach and EXCEED their goals. Mary did just that!

• Her feet FEEL better.
• She was able to gracefully take care of her husband through a difficult trial.
• She is no longer fearful of not being able to take care of herself.
• AND–she can feel her foot on the pedal(s). 

If you know someone who is struggling with Peripheral Neuropathy, please have them give us a call to set up a consultation. We can help!

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NOTE: Dr. Thompson specializes in chronic hard-to-treat neurological conditions. She is a world renowned teacher in the field of acupuncture and chronic pain. Her clinic is often used for teaching and mentoring other acupuncture doctors who come from around the world to learn her techniques.