Avoid Feeling Uncertain with Small Fiber Neuropathy
Small fiber neuropathy is a kind of neuropathy that affects the pain and thermal nerves in the hands and feet. Small fiber is located near the skin of hands and feet. This disease still has no known cause. Doctors call this illness idiopathic which means from an unknown cause. It is not detectible with the normal tests done by doctors and neurologists with other neuropathy types.
The symptoms are inability to feel hotness and coldness (thermal), constant pain, numbness, electric shock-like sensations, tingling and burning sensations. A doctor diagnoses a person with small fiber neuropathy only by ruling out other neuropathies.
When they have already tested the patients from all kinds of detectable neuropathies and only small fiber neuropathy is left on the list, then that’s the only time that the doctorsdiagnose name the condition as small fiber neuropathy.
It can be very difficult to have small fiber neuropathy. A patient feels almost nonstop pain and since it cannot be detected with scans or other imaging technology, most doctors advise their patient to seek a psychiatrist. The doctors believe that the incessant paint the patients are complaining about is only in their minds. Luckily, skin biopsy is recently discovered to be a good routine to detect small fiber neuropathy.