Neuropathy is nothing to ignore. It is very important to get treatment as soon as you realize what is happening to your body. Of course, in order to realize you have neuropathy symptoms you must first understand the stages of what is happening. We're here to help break this down in a quick guide that is simple to understand. Here are the five stages of neuropathy:
Stage 1: Sporadic Pain and Numbness
The first stage of peripheral neuropathy is when you notice subtle symptoms every now and then. These symptoms are usually felt in your hands or feet. Many people brush off the symptoms in this initial stage because the pain is only noticeable every once in a while and is easy to manage and ignore. This is a mistake! The earlier you recognize the issue and make changes, the better off you'll be.
Stage 2: Your Symptoms Become More Regular
At this stage, your symptoms are no longer sporadic and easy to push aside. Now, your pain and numbness are more consistent. Many people realize something is wrong in stage two and if you address it at this point, you're still in pretty good shape to keep it under control. Do not wait any longer! Stage two is often the point of no return.
Stage 3: Your Pain Peaks
By the time you are in stage three, your symptoms of neuropathy are constant and the pain is nearly unbearable. This stage is when the issue starts to become dangerous as well. Your numbness can become so severe that you will experience a loss of sensation in the affected nerves, putting you at risk of getting burns and cuts unknowingly. As well, you're also at a heightened risk for certain infections, such as sepsis and gangrene.
Stage 4: You Have Constant Numbness
By now, your legs and feet have likely become very numb. This is because the damage to your nerves has become so severe that there will no longer be any healthy nerves left to carry signals to your brain. While your pain actually starts to decline in this stage, it is not a good thing. Your pain going away is a sign that your nerves are dying. Your nerve damage is now permanent.
Stage 5: You Have A Complete Loss of Feeling
This is the final stage of neuropathy. At stage five, the severity of your neuropathy is so high that you may not feel like affected limbs at all. Certainly, your quality of life has been forever impacted. This is when the risk of amputation and other related complications are at their highest.
If you notice symptoms in the early stages of neuropathy, stages one and two, it will be much easier for you to treat or even reverse the damage done to your nerves. This is why we encourage you to pay attention to the signs, in order to begin getting the neuropathy treatment you need. We are here to help you, just like we have helped many patients before you! We have helped patients with diabetes, neuropathy from chemotherapy, post surgical neuropathy, circulatory related neuropathy, neuropathy as a side effect of medications, idiopathic neuropathy, and many more. We can help you too!