By the time I saw a neurologist in March of 2005 (Dr. Susan Glenn), my range of motion was also being affected. I was no longer able to fully bend down, lift my legs, cross my legs. Nor could I fully lift my arms. My balance was off, (I walked like I was drunk all the time), I’d already fallen a few times, the numbness, tingling and pain had spread to my legs, arms, hands and fingers. The nighttime leg pains are the worst. On a scale of 1-10, they run anywhere from 7-10. And the fatigue was the worst. Despite all this, I was still working my full time job. I just found different ways to adapt and cope.

After a full neurological exam, I was sent for a Nerve Conduction Test (and a blood test which cost $1700, which my insurance didn’t want to pay for) to determine the extent of the nerve damage and to also determine a possible cause for the damage itself. The diagnosis was an autoimmune disorder by the name of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy or CIDP for short.

Dr. Glenn’s first course of treatment was to start me out on steroids. I was like "hello, did you miss the part of my medical file which stated I am a diabetic, and diabetes and steroids don’t mix?" Needless to say, I told her I was getting a second opinion