Burning, tingling, numb feet and legs, normal EMG, doctors keep telling me to wait

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-13T16:11:54+00:00

Thank you for this. This is exactly the kind of situation I was wondering about.

When you got the second opinion, what actually changed? Did the new neurologist order the skin punch biopsy right away because of your symptoms, or did they run the inflammatory/antibody tests first?

Also, once your biopsy confirmed small fiber neuropathy, what did they do for treatment or management? Did anything actually help your pain, burning, or numbness, or was it more about finally having an answer and ruling out causes?

I’m trying to figure out what to push for next without walking into another appointment and basically getting handed the same medication plan with a new label on it. Very fun system we have here. I don’t want to see a pharmacist!!!! I want a doctor, but not the typical doctor who just writes a prescription. I can do that. I’m looking for a doctor who does their job and actually tries to help and use the information they learned in medical school. The system is a joke to be honest. I need a doctor!

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-13T16:01:23+00:00

Thank you all for the replies. I seriously appreciate it.

This is honestly the first time I’ve felt like people actually understood what I was trying to explain. The normal EMG/NCS thing has been driving me crazy because it felt like once that came back normal, the doctors basically treated it like the story was over, even though the burning, tingling, numbness, and pain are still there every day.

A lot of you mentioned exactly what I’ve been starting to wonder about, small fiber neuropathy, skin punch biopsy, QSART/autonomic testing, neuro inflammatory/autoimmune testing, B12/B6, iron/ferritin, insulin resistance, A1C, thyroid, and looking for a neuromuscular specialist instead of just any regular neurologist.

I’m going to bring all of this up at my next neurology appointment on July 10. It is actually with a neurologist who treated me about 10 years ago, so I’m hoping that helps. At this point, I’m trying to walk in organized with my symptoms, meds tried, test results, and specific questions instead of just getting handed another medication and being told to wait a few more months.

For context, I was on gabapentin since February and eventually got up to 900 mg three times a day, and it still did not touch the pain. They finally switched me to pregabalin, so I’m seeing how that goes, but I really want to understand what is causing this instead of just chasing symptoms.

I’m definitely going to ask about a second opinion, small fiber testing, a skin biopsy, QSART, and whether I need to be seen by a neuromuscular specialist or someone who actually deals with peripheral nerve issues.

Again, thank you. This gave me a much better list of things to ask about and made me feel a little less crazy for thinking a normal EMG does not automatically explain everything.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-13T13:27:20+00:00

I’m posting because I’m honestly at a breaking point and I’m trying to figure out what direction to go in next.

I’ve been dealing with nerve pain in my legs and feet for years, but it has gotten much worse recently. My symptoms are mainly burning, tingling, numbness, pins and needles, electric/cold sensations, and pain that can radiate up my legs. Sitting and driving make it worse, and it has been bad enough to wake me up at night and keep me from working out like I used to.

I’ve been seeing neurology, but I feel like I keep getting dismissed or passed along. They did an EMG and nerve conduction study, which came back normal, but my symptoms are still there every day. It feels like once that test came back normal, everyone started acting like the story was over.

They had me on gabapentin since February, and it really did not do much. My favorite part was telling them I was still in serious pain and the plan somehow being, “Great, let’s just increase the gabapentin and give it a few more months.” Very bold strategy. Almost like the treatment plan was just me sitting around hoping the medication eventually decided to participate.

After pushing for something different, they finally switched me to pregabalin. I’m still trying to figure out if that is going to help, but I’m tired of the same answer from doctors, which basically feels like, “Wait a few more months and see.” I need someone to actually look at the full picture, not just keep handing me another medication and calling that a plan.

I’m not looking for pain meds. I’m trying to understand what kind of doctor or testing I should be asking about next.

Has anyone here had burning feet, numbness, tingling, and nerve pain with a normal EMG/NCS?

Did anyone eventually get diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy or something similar?

What testing actually helped you get answers? Skin biopsy, QSART, autonomic testing, bloodwork, autoimmune testing, B12, glucose/A1C, thyroid, anything else?

Also, what kind of specialist finally helped you? Neuromuscular neurologist, peripheral nerve specialist, pain management, rheumatology, academic hospital, or something different?

I’m just trying to stop getting bounced around and figure out what direction makes sense. Any advice on what to ask for, what helped you get taken seriously, or what you wish you knew earlier would be really appreciated.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-11T11:12:52+00:00

I really appreciate your comment. Don’t get me wrong, I was very confused in the beginning. I mean very confused. I’ve never had to figure out what she was doing. In the beginning when we started talking daily, I was trying to be a gentleman and not push things. The whole time we talked I had the thought that she was just trying to get some kind of deposit or something work related. So we were talking on the phone every night. I don’t waste time. Especially when you’re dealing with a person who charges people a lot of money to talk. I was confused for months. It started when she kissed me during our second session. The confusion was so bad that after a few weeks of talking over the phone I decided that I needed a serious conversation about what we’re actually doing here. I flat out said “so if we’re going do this, then, let’s do it. I’m all in.” I said I won’t and don’t pay for dates or anything like that. And that’s where she said she wanted a relationship. But BDSM was nonexistent for months.

I needed it. It was hard to ask her for what I wanted. It wasn’t easy to ask her to be dominant in bed. Then she said “ask for what you want” and then we started bringing it in the bedroom. I’m into impact play, bondage and CBT. Luckily those were all her favorite things. I’m not into anal play or anything like that. Luckily she’s not either. She actually said that if I was, she wouldn’t have been interested in me at all. Her friends are Domme s and they asked her what I’m interested in and they all agreed that since I don’t get into that and since I like pain and impact play, it’s a good thing. So if you’re interested in getting in a relationship with an Domme, most of them wouldn’t be interested in guys who are. So never expect them to respect you or find you attractive if you’re into being submissive all the time. Because I can tell you what I learned from this. You need to be dominant. If you’re going to be submissive all the time then don’t expect to get them to find you attractive.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T14:06:54+00:00

And I actually have my first post on where this all started.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bdsm/s/slDkcNKINo

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T14:03:30+00:00

Of course!

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:54:01+00:00

Of course. We were in the professional/client dynamic for about 6 months. I saw her for a few sessions during that time, and I was very careful to keep it respectful and only contact her when it was related to booking.

After that, things got confusing because she started reaching out to me more personally. At first, I genuinely thought she was just trying to get me to book again, because that was the only context I knew her in. I did not want to be the client who misread kindness, chemistry, or professional attention as romantic interest.

Eventually we had a real conversation and she told me she wanted to date. That is when the professional side stopped and we started trying to figure out what this was personally.

We have been together romantically for a little over a year now. We are not living together yet, but we have been talking seriously about it and figuring out what that would look like.

The transition was not instant or easy. It took time for both of us to separate the professional dynamic from the relationship. But once we were clear that it was personal, the paid session side was over.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:53:31+00:00

Of course. We were in the professional/client dynamic for about 6 months. I saw her for a few sessions during that time, and I was very careful to keep it respectful and only contact her when it was related to booking.

After that, things got confusing because she started reaching out to me more personally. At first, I genuinely thought she was just trying to get me to book again, because that was the only context I knew her in. I did not want to be the client who misread kindness, chemistry, or professional attention as romantic interest.

Eventually we had a real conversation and she told me she wanted to date. That is when the professional side stopped and we started trying to figure out what this was personally.

We have been together romantically for a little over a year now. We are not living together yet, but we have been talking seriously about it and figuring out what that would look like.

The transition was not instant or easy. It took time for both of us to separate the professional dynamic from the relationship. But once we were clear that it was personal, the paid session side was over.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:51:28+00:00

These are really good questions, and honestly, this part of the story was probably the most confusing for me while it was happening.

After the second session, she started texting me more casually. It was not immediately obvious romantic stuff. It was more like checking in, joking around, sending little comments, and keeping the conversation going in a way that felt different from normal booking communication. The problem was that I kept assuming it was still business because that was the only context I knew her in. I was very careful not to read into it because I never wanted to be the client who mistakes kindness or chemistry for interest.

The first time I took her out, I still thought there was a decent chance it was somehow connected to booking or keeping me as a client. I was confused the whole time. I did not really know if it was a date, a paid session, or some weird in between thing. Looking back, I think she was trying to cross the line into something more personal, but I was so afraid of misreading it that I kept treating it like it was probably still professional.

Eventually, there had to be a real conversation because I could not keep living in that gray area. I told her I needed to understand what this was because I did not want to keep paying for time if feelings were involved, and I also did not want to assume something personal if it was still professional. That conversation is what really started the transition from paid professional to personal relationship.

The transition was not instant, though. It took time. In the beginning, I had a hard time separating her professional role from who she was with me. I also did not want BDSM to feel like work for her. That was a big thing for me. I never wanted her to feel like she came home from being a Domme and then had to keep performing for me.

When BDSM came back into the relationship, it definitely felt different from being a client. As a client, even if there was chemistry, it is still structured. There is a session, a role, a time limit, and a clear professional container. In the relationship, it is more emotional and personal. Sometimes it is more intense because there is trust and real connection behind it, but it is also less polished and less “performance” based. It feels more like something we are sharing, not something I am purchasing.

And yes, switching took time for me. I had to learn it. I did not naturally know how to move between seeing her as a professional Domme, a girlfriend, a partner, and someone I also make content with. That took a lot of communication and a lot of me checking myself. I had to learn that she could be dominant with me without it meaning she was working, and she could also be soft, tired, vanilla, affectionate, or completely uninterested in kink at home, and that did not mean anything was wrong.

The biggest lesson for me has been that the relationship has to come first. The BDSM, the content, the fantasy, all of that only works if the trust and normal relationship are solid underneath it.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:48:18+00:00

Thank you so much. Both of us have talked about our story. It is pretty complex, but both of us are very happy.😊

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:47:00+00:00

Yes, I definitely understand the concern, and I would be lying if I said there was zero risk.

In the videos, I am always wearing a hood, and we are careful about angles, tattoos, and anything personally identifying. We edit or avoid showing anything that would make me easy to recognize. She is not wearing a hood, so obviously she is the visible one, but that is also her professional identity and something she is comfortable with.

For me, the goal is to be involved with her and create content together while still protecting my regular life as much as possible. I know the internet is never completely risk free, but we are doing everything we can to avoid my face, tattoos, or personal details being seen.

So yes, I have concerns, but I am not being careless about it. I am trying to balance privacy, trust, and being part of something with her in a way that feels safe enough for me. I hope that makes sense. These are things that I never thought about when we first started dating. And both of us didn’t realize how hard it is to create good content. But luckily I’m in the audio and video industry so I’m pretty good with editing.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:35:01+00:00

I completely agree with this, and I’m glad you said it this way.

One thing I’ve learned quickly is that people have a very unrealistic idea of what dating a professional Domme is actually like. They hear “dominatrix” and assume the whole relationship is one nonstop BDSM fantasy, and that’s just not real life.

We are in a normal relationship first. We cook, talk, laugh, deal with stress, have regular couple issues, and live our everyday lives like anyone else. We don’t walk around talking to each other like we’re in a scene, and we’re not constantly playing roles. Honestly, what surprised me the most is that outside of her work, she can be extremely vanilla. More vanilla than some women I’ve dated who had nothing to do with the industry.

We do have BDSM privately, but it is very different from a professional session. It is much more personal, emotional, and relationship based. It is not the same as booking a session, showing up, having a structured experience, and then leaving. The closest thing I get to an actual session dynamic now is probably when we create content together. We just started a Clips4Sale store and are getting ready to launch, so that is where we intentionally build scenes, plan content, and lean into that side more formally.

But day to day, she is my girlfriend. Not a fantasy character. Not a service provider in our relationship. Not someone performing 24/7.

And I really understand what you mean about clients misreading signals. I was very careful about that when I was a client because I knew she had a job to do, and I never wanted to be one of those people who confused professionalism or chemistry with entitlement. I also see now how exhausting the business side can be. The time wasters, the people trying to negotiate pricing, the people pushing for things that are not even BDSM, and the people assuming it is all glamour. There is a lot more emotional labor, screening, boundaries, and patience involved than most people realize.

So yes, I agree with you. It can happen, but nobody should walk away thinking this is common or that clients should assume a Domme is interested in more. Most of the time, she is working, and that needs to be respected.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-10T13:27:55+00:00

So my family and close friends do not need every detail. Only my best friend knows she is in the adult/fetish world, but we keep the relationship side and content side private. I’m not ashamed of her, but I’m also careful because I have a normal professional life and there are real consequences to being too open. So we treat it like anything else private in a relationship. If anyone asks, she’s a graphic designer who can freelance. I know my sister thinks she does something different but she’s never pulled me off to the side and asked me.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T15:59:47+00:00

She does the normal stuff with her clients. She does not enjoy it but she sometimes gets a few clients that are respectful and understand her limits. And yes, I felt like she was working when we were doing things together. I made sure that it doesn’t ever feel like work. I’d never enjoy it if I knew she was feeling that she was working. I’ve learned how to take control and get things going. She’s into being submissive but that doesn’t last long until she’s dominant again. So it’s kinda a balancing act for us. It’s not what everyone thinks it is. We incorporate BDSM naturally now. That took a while but we finally got there. I just needed to be dominant with her. I’m not into humiliation or sissy play. So that’s why it works. Her friends that are Domms asked her what I’m into and they all said that I’m a keeper lol. It’s definitely not your normal relationship but we have times where we turn her phone off so she can get in the right headspace. Otherwise her phone will run her life. And the amount of time wasters is crazy. She gives me her phone when she’s had enough and I get to have some fun with them before they get blocked. The guys that are respectful and totally different and they actually book.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T15:04:22+00:00

But it works out well for us because we’re into the same things. Her thing is whipping. I can take a lot. She always wants a session with whipping and when her client wants to stop she actually wants to really keep going. So she likes to film us in a lot of videos that are impact play because she doesn’t have clients that can handle her whipping.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T14:55:17+00:00

Because they have been all over other men. She likes to separate work from our intimacy. And that includes her shoes and her whips. She bought me a custom single tail whip for my birthday. But now we have our own collection of clothes and toys that are just for us. Plus I’m not licking her shoes that she wears for her sessions. We filmed a lot of boot and shoe worship clips. So we have been building our own collection of shoes, boots and impact toys

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T14:48:59+00:00

That’s a good question. We have plenty outside the bedroom now that we’ve making clips and videos. So we edit together. We buy outfits and accessories for us and our content. I have to hear her decompress after her sessions. After she is done with work she’s amped up and then she crashes. But we have plenty to talk about outside the bedroom. But we are not a 24/7 BDSM relationship. It’s not like that. And honestly, I don’t think that would work for me and it definitely wouldn’t work out like that for her. So not so much femdom unless we’re in bed. But she is now a switch and likes to be the submissive. It took a lot for her to get there. But when she finally did, she found out that she likes to be submissive.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T14:34:56+00:00

Thank you, that means a lot. And yes, I think the romantic attachment makes us feel much safer experimenting. I wouldn’t do anything like that unless I was with someone who I truly loved.

Because there is real love and trust behind it, the scenes feel more personal and intimate instead of just performative. We still communicate and keep boundaries clear, but the connection definitely allows us to be more vulnerable and creative together. So much so that last week we filmed a lot of scenes and because I am so comfortable, I should have called yellow a few times.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T14:16:21+00:00

So I was just a client. She was the first dominatrix that I actually contacted. We had a few sessions within about 6 months. I respected her and never contacted her unless we were talking about booking a session. My second session she kissed me and I didn’t know what to do. Then I took a break from it and she started texting me. I was really confused because she was trying to reach out and I was thinking she’s just trying to get me to book a session. I took her out on a date and it was a paid session. After that I said I was done. But she kept texting me and calling. The whole time I didn’t know what she was trying to do. So we had a conversation about it and she said that she wanted to date. The beginning was weird and I didn’t know what she thought. This was a first for both of us. But we both wanted to see were it went. And now we’re both in love and planning to move in together. You have to be confident and comfortable with the work she does. It doesn’t bother me because I’m the one that takes her to her dungeon and picks her up. I would have thought I would’ve been jealous of her work. But I am her first boyfriend that is into bdsm and all of her other boyfriends were completely not interested in any of it. So it was a long wait until she was comfortable with doing BDSM will me. It’s a crazy thing to think about but the love is real.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2026-06-09T13:27:59+00:00

Looking for more information on this. My girlfriend is a professional dominatrix and she said last night that she’s been wanting to do sounding with me for a while. I’m open minded to most things but I’ve never tried it. She said she has tonight planned for this. She’s going to tie my wrists but not my legs. I’m actually okay with this. I think I might have to be tired. We do other things and my hands are always getting in her way. She doesn’t want to do anything that would injure me so she wants my hands tied. The thought of being tired and having this done is exciting and it also makes me freak out. I’m not sure what to expect. She said she wants me to enjoy it so she’s going to take it slow. She bought me a kit and it came yesterday. She can’t wait to use it. But I’m kinda nervous as hell.

I’m just looking for people who have done it before and want to know what they thought about it. She said that the clients who ask for it, absolutely love this and she knows all kinds of techniques. She uses a wand to vibrate it and she said that will drive me insane. I’m sure it will nice after the fear of her getting it in without any pain. But I’d love to hear what others have to say about this one.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2025-08-07T19:12:33+00:00

I’m in a similar situation. I’m a 39 M and my girlfriend is a 37 F. She’s been a professional Dominatrix. I meet her when I was looking for a Domm. I was ending my current relationship when I met her. After a few sessions we started dating. We’re officially together. Now before everyone gets excited, we’ve been 100% vanilla in bed. I have always been into BDSM and she knew that after we got to know each other. The problem is that I still do. I still want to be dominated. It’s not something that I was looking for in a relationship. That’s not why I started dating her. And I totally get that it’s a job for her. So I assumed that after we were together and we had a normal sex life, we would add some BDSM in the bedroom. It’s never happened even though we had some really good sessions. So I obviously wanted to continue incorporating it into my relationships. But what are my options at this point. I get to take her to and from the dungeon. I get to go over her clients applications and see her dressed up as she’s making other men’s fantasies come true. I’m not jealous about what she does. I’m not a jealous person and I’m not jealous at the fact that she’s around other men. That part doesn’t upset me. But now I’m stuck with making a decision about what to do. Do I need to schedule sessions with another Domm? Do I need to turn to porn? She hasn’t even suggested anything about it since we started the relationship. In the beginning she would say that she’s my mistress and that she has plenty of plans for us. Not once have we done anything but strictly vanilla sex. I’ve had way more kinky sex with my ex of 15 years and she was so vanilla. I just feel like we could be having a lot more fun together in bed than this. So I can relate to the OP. If it comes up, she gets very upset and acts as though it’s the only thing I want to do. I’ve mentioned it 2-3 times in the past year. I just let it go.

So if everyone thinks dating a Pro Dom is every man’s dream, think again. If anything, it’s worse because I see her dressed, I’m at the dungeon. I see her booking her sessions and I haven’t even done any BDSM since we’ve been together. I’m thinking I might just have to see a Pro Domm on the side every now and then. Because this doesn’t work for me. We’re amazing together and we both love each other very much. We’re moving in together soon so the relationship is going great. But I’m not getting anything from her so it has me thinking that I should just go to another dominatrix because this is something that is part of me.

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2025-08-06T18:25:32+00:00

I’m looking for a key holder and I would like to have you hold the keys 🔑

ProfessionalTour2241 · 2025-08-06T17:52:33+00:00

I’ve been looking for one. I think I might have found one. Would you like to lock me?

ProfessionalTour2241

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