Sharp pain, mostly in feet, at night

Question

I have sharp, biting, sensations at night. It can be all over my body, but feet are the most common. I used to be pre-diabetic but went off sugar a few years ago. I was off gluten but it has crept its way back into my diet. Currently, my diet is bad. I was doing whole, healthy foods but I injured my ankle (severe Achilles injury) in July 2023. I was up to 7k steps a fay but tried to do 9k & now I am almost back to where I was in July. I am back in a boot with a knee scooter.  I have had three left ankle surgeries & a right-foot neuromectomy. My left foot was ORIF, with plates & screws, 2014,  removed a year later and a large amount of scar tissue (golf-ball-sized-amount) about a year after that. I am very obese. I lost like #30 in a 90-day challenge but i regret doing it. I am back where I started or #5 less. I was doing steady and gradual after a podiatrist fat-shamed me. I cried for 5-6 days but then did gradually make changes, one at a time. 

98% of the time, there is no bug, biting me. I wonder if it is neuropathy, RLS, psychosis, phobia due to past exposure to scabies and EXTREME bug sensitivity since then. I have tried talking to my PCP multiple times. I attend therapy & have seen psychiatrists in the past but got off all psych meds.  Another consideration is a type of sleep paralysis but I am awake and trying to relax. I have had severe insomnia for decades & only take large amounts or melatonin & magnesium. My sleep has worsened since my mother died 15 months ago. I have a past history of FMS & my doctor thinks it has returned. I do chiropractic, therapy, grief-group therapy, acupuncture & implement gratitude and spirituality in my life daily. I do C-BT or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, am learning DBT & other modalities of psychotherapy. 


A suspected “bite” will keep me obsessed & anxious for hours and ruin a whole night’s sleep.

specialmom · Accepted Answer

Well, you've been through a lot. Hugs to you.   So, going to go through a couple of things you mention. First, melatonin. How many mg are you taking? My son needs this to sleep and he'd been on a dose for a long time of just 3 mg. We increased all the way to 10. And then played around with different doses until we realized that 3 mg actually was the sweet spot. Melatonin is this weird thing where you think more may be better but it often has the opposite affect if the mg strength is too high. Take it two hours before bedtime. No screens just as it tends to keep you alert an hour before. 

We've had a lot going on here for awhile now with my son's mental health. This causes insomnia with me. (besides his). I stumbled upon something that I do really like which is helpful to me which is THC FREE CBD drops that I up under my tongue before bed and if I wake up. I'm a full on believer when I never was before. The brand is BE and the name is Jungle Healing Drops. They are out of Michigan and a nurse anesthetist recommended it. Not expensive and definitely helps me have more peaceful sleep. Worth a try for ya. 

So, the issue with your foot. Gosh, I'm not sure but it sounds terrible. Is it from the issues that have you in the boot? The foot is so delicate. Tiny little bones, cartilage, joints. I take it you've visited an orthopedic doctor? It sounds like you've been to a podiatrist which is good but I do like the full MD of the orthopedic doctor. So, I'd make sure absolutely nothing is going on causing the pain. What are your numbers now related to sugar and diabetes? Have you had a physical where you've had that looked at? 

I'm sorry someone fat shamed you. That stinks. But wanted to touch on that. I have had times where I *HAD* to lose weight. I have a congenital heart condition. I gain weight, my bp gets higher and higher. I do now take medication for it but tried to control it through weight for years and I like to eat. Let's just say that. What I found is that if I lose weight fast, as you found out in the 90 day challenge, it doesn't last and our body looks strange. I had hanging skin. Yuck. But when I did it slowly through small steps, that didn't happen. I saw something that stuck with me. You have your meal times. Right? And if you look at what you eat outside of meal times and cut it in half, you'd probably get rid of hundreds of calories per day. We're also getting ready to do intermittent fasting here eating from 8 am to 6 pm only. We'll see if it helps. Ha. But with feet, obviously this will usually help.

Why did you discontinue psychiatric medication?

backhurtz · Answer

It may be some type of nerve damage in relation to the foot/ankle injuries/surgeries. 
It often feels like stinging, burning, itching, or any combination of those. It can also feel electrical/shocking as well. 
Perhaps a talk with your podiatrist may help rule in or out those concerns.

Sharp pain, mostly in feet, at night

Sudden sharp, knife-like, stinging, biting sensations?

Feet pain

Anyone had sciatica?

Need Advice on where to turn

Sudden sharp, knife-like, stinging, biting sensations?

Feet pain

Anyone had sciatica?

Need Advice on where to turn

You are reading content posted in the Pain Management Community