@jimhd @summertime4 and others, my wife is in the same boat as you guys, PN pain through the roof. She is and has always been determined not to take drugs as she is afraid of the side effects and the dead-end she feels they lead to. I don't know when she will crumble and finally succumb to taking painkillers, but not yet. The trouble is that the pain is so mercilessly relentless. It never quits. Oh, she can have a good day occasionally where her pain is at about a 4 level for both her PN and her migraine headaches, but next day it's right back at a level 8 all day! It just wears on you, no matter how stoic and strong you are, it just wears you down. The kicker is that it gradually gets worse, gradually over time. Where you are this year is a little worse than last year at this time. That is why I say, as tough as she is, I think drugs may have to be in her future. The only thing that gives her relief right now is marijuana. And she says if she does it more than about 2 or 3 times a week it starts to be less effective. And after smoking it only lasts about 3-4 hours so she tries to use it close enough to bedtime to give her an easier time getting to sleep.

As a helpless caregiver watching all of this it is truly heartbreaking. And as I read your posts I feel for every one of you guys who experience this on a daily basis as well. I don't think I could take the burden of the pain my wife suffers as well as she does, but if I could I would accept some of it from her. Or if I could take the whole load from her one or two days a week. I feel this despair you feel @summertime4 . what else can you do but feel despair. Between her chronic pain, the ridiculous lockdowns and the lawlessness in the streets, it's a discouraging time for us but especially my wife. She watches way too much news on TV, I try to avoid as much as I can.

But here's the thing. We are human, and as humans, when all else fails, we have at our disposal both philosophy and spirituality. However you may relate to the higher power, that is the endgame for a lot of us. Don't mean to be fatalistic, but isn't it the reality? After you have done everything else you can think of and the pain is still there, where do you go? My wife has contemplated suicide but I don't think she will succumb to that, especially if I have anything to say about it. I don't have any answers, but I just know that we have each other here on Connect and that is something. Sorry everyone, I get sad sometimes. But I am glad to know you're all out there, going through the same s**t my wife and I are.

And who knows, maybe miracles will happen and a breakthrough will come along that is THE ANSWER for neuropathy. Yes, life is just crazy enough that it could happen.

Best to you all, Hank