If you -- or the person you're caring for -- experience numbness or tingling, tell the doctor, who will administer tests to evaluate the strength of sensation in your hands, feet, arms, and legs. The doctor may also test your reflexes to see whether muscles are affected.
It's important to recognize neuropathy as soon as possible because the loss of feeling can make it difficult to do certain tasks, such as buttoning clothes, holding onto pots and pans, and driving. It can be frightening and dangerous to spill a pot of hot water or to stumble and fall.
If someone you're caring for begins losing feeling in her hands and feet as a result of nerve damage, she's going to be prone to small injuries and infections that could go unnoticed. She should avoid using knives, scissors, and other sharp objects as much as possible. Make sure, too, that her fingernails and toenails are trimmed regularly, because with the loss of sensation, it's easy to scratch or hurt herself.
If it's your mother you're caring for, take her for a manicure and pedicure, but tell the manicurist not to cut her cuticles to avoid infection.
At home, keep an eye on the thermostat, as extremes of hot and cold can cause increased pain for some people with neuropathy.
