<human>: L have some numbness in both feet (a feeling as though I am wearing socks) This is a new phenomenon and. shortness of breath---greater than normal.  L look after my husband(with some help)who has alzheimers disease and recently had a particularly stressful /worrying  time.  When taking a shower recently the water felt like needles on my skin and l thought l might be in for another bout of shingles but it hasnt developed. I am 73 years old,have never smoked and ,have never drunk much alcohol . And eat a balanced diet.  . My blood circulation has never been good and l have one badly varicosed leg.  I have some heart arrythmia(one of 8people in our family with it) which l have known about for 50years---it doesnt affect me too much. Could you suggest what the breathlessness and feet numbness might be please
<bot>: Hi, I would explain that your symptoms could be related to different causes: - the difficulty breathing could be related to pleuritic, pericarditis, heart failure or a lung disorder-the numbness in the feet could be related to peripheral neuropathy. For this reason, I would recommend consulting with your doctor for a physical exam and some tests: - a chest X-ray study and respiratory function tests- a resting ECG and cardiac ultrasound-some blood lab tests (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests, vitamin B12 plasma levels, HbA1C, fasting glucose)- a nerve conduction study for neuropathy should discuss with your doctor on the above issues. Hope to have been helpful. Let me know if I can assist you further. Kind regards,