Thank you, I read the information and comments and followed John's links. It is interesting.

I don't have peripheral neuropathy, I have Axonal Sensory Neuropathy - a different condition. It's like my whole body being incinerated and electrocuted at the same time while swarms of wasps are stinging and swords are jamming up through the feet to the brain. Unmedicated, it gets worse by the minute. The condition with medication still worsens with aging. Gabapentin (the Horizant brand) is the only thing I have found that works. I'm now at the highest doses that politicians will let doctors prescribe.

I take it twice a day and most of the time, I'm very normal. I have friends, hobbies, walk on the beach and go to the gym every day (7/365), and do a little work. My life has been adventurous and funny so I'm compiling all it into a book. Writing it amuses me and telling the stories amuses my friends and audiences. I mostly enjoy a good life - as long as I can get the medicine.

Half an hour before each dose, I start feeling it again: a little burning, a little stinging, a few small electric shocks, a jab here and there. It feels scary. I take the medicine and wait for it to subside. Sometimes, it's worse, it keeps me awake all night or keeps me isolated most of the day. I distract myself by writing, doing puzzles, reading or playing music.

I'm hypoglycemic so I eat healthy, no sugar, chocolate, booze, illegal drugs, nicotine, etc. I only drink a little caffeine, I like spices. I'm trying to find a correlation between anything I ingest and the days when neuropathy is worse - if I have to quit yet another thing that I like, I will. It gets easier to quit one more thing.

That's what I struggle with. Everyone has problems. The elderly people I know struggle with pain from one cause or another. Most young people are going to struggle to survive in an over-crowded world of diminishing resources. The wealthy people I know have their problems too, many of them feel unloved and insecure.

Thank you all for sharing information about the solutions you are trying. I haven't tried acupuncture yet ... have you? Does medicare cover it?

Peggy