stuart james beall

And a Neuropathy Clinic.

In 2024, Tonnette had a “MR cervical spine WO Contrast.” The images showed spondylosis resulting in mild bilateral foraminal stenosis. At the C6/C7 level, the imaging technician described the condition as moderate. The point of this is that we know what was causing her arm pain. It was nerve compression at C6/C7. She was able to overcome most of this pain by getting treated by a cervical chiropractor. This chiropractor focused on the alignment of the atlas and axis vertebrae.

About a month ago, Tonnette’s right hand (thumb, pointer, and middle finger) was in distress. She woke me up, complaining of pins and needles in her fingers. My presumptuous response was to work the muscles in her right shoulder, and sometimes doing myo-fascial release on her neck. Not helpful. This pain continued over many weeks, even during our beach vacation in Lincoln City.

I encouraged Tonnette to do more neck traction. Actually I spent over $300 for a neck traction device. Not helpful. If anybody wants to buy a gently-used neck traction device, please contact me.

We visited a sports medecine doctor in Boise, who recognized the finger pain and numbness as a classic symptom of a compressed medial nerve, also known as carpal tunnel syndrome. She injected a corticosteroid into Tonnette’s right wrist, expecting a reduction in pain. Not helpful. She gave Tonnette a wrist brace and ordered an EMG (electromyography) test.

Meanwhile, I was sure this whole thing was rooted in Tonnette’s C6/C7 foraminal stenosis. The pain in her thumb and fingers fit the dermatome. I was wrong.

The stress of having a wife in pain, every day, led me to Google the internet for neuropathy treatments. I found a neuropathy clinic in Meridian that only used non-invasive techniques to treat neuropathy.

On Tonnette’s first visit to the neuropathy clinic, she brought a friend who took copious notes. Their treatment approach was not considered mainstream, and it could not overcome carpal tunnel or median nerve compression. I didn’t pay much attention to her notes, although I should have.

There are three main causes of neuropathy, per the educational video we watched at the neuropathy clinic: 1- cancer, 2- diabetes, 3- surgery. Tonnette did not fit any of those categories.

The clinic doctor devised a home treatment which he felt was appropriate for Tonnette, even before we could complete the EMG test. He did like my neck traction idea, but did not suggest any applied stretches or physical therapy.

A patient advocate took advantage of my wallet and Tonnette’s pain symptoms to sell us a clunky pair of Neuropa Calm “boots” and a microcurrent device. In retrospect, charging $4500 for this home treatment equipment was more about making a quick sale than relieving Tonnette’s pain.

I am a proponent of red light therapy, having had positive experiences with it. Sandra Moore wrote a book detailing the scientific approach to near-infrared and red light therapy. It’s a great reference for beginners. Beware of red light therapy devices (such as the Neuropa Calm “boots”) that have high prices and deliver little benefit.

I asked the patient advocate about using my own red light devices instead of buying theirs. She gave me a razzle-dazzle reply. She said that some devices are too weak to have much therapeutic value, while “these devices” are powerful because they have a plug-in power source. I was told “these devices” have to be prescribed by a doctor.

If you’ve been around the block a few times, you learn that not everything prescribed by a doctor is better, stronger, or affordable. That applies to these Neuropa Calm “boots”.

There are affordable red light mittens available without any doctor prescription, yet the patient advocate didn’t mention that. She instructed us how we should adapt their Neuropa Calm “boots”, clearly designed for feet, to Tonnette’s hands and wrists. Incidentally, she did not provide any dark glasses for eye protection while using the “boots”. She told us, “Just don’t look at it”.

Another part of the home treatment we received is something called a Rebuilder. It is a battery powered microcurrent device, that specified NO details about the amplitude of the microcurrent or frequency of the waveform.

I’m a proponent of frequency specific microcurrent, as detailed by Carolyn McMakin in her book. Most people in this country know next to nothing about FSM. The FDA has lumped it as a form of TENS therapy. They require a doctor prescription for purchasing any therapeutic microcurrent device.

The EMG test, performed in the Elks building of St. Luke’s hospital, showed clearly that Tonnette had a severely compressed median nerve, at the carpal tunnel .

The earliest available hand surgeon could see Tonnette in a few weeks. Getting surgery scheduled with him left us waiting another month. The only good part of this was that I already had vacation time scheduled that week.

Looks like our family will have a much different vacation than we expected.

Meanwhile, Tonnette is still suffering, in spite of dutifully following the home treatment prescribed by the neuropathy clinic doctor.

There are some stretches that can relieve mild cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. Icing also can provide temporary relief. Traditional Chinese cupping techniques can temporarily relieve the pain. The only permanent relief for Tonnette is the hand surgery.