Good evening @annielucas99. Thanks for responding. I hope you had a good reading/research day. Take your time. It does seem that you will become very knowledgeable about your condition and that your priority is to do whatever you can to be a health partner with your doctor. It was nice of you to acknowledge that you may have jumped the gun with the duloxetine. If appropriate, I hope it helps you.

It will probably become easier to turn your symptoms into a working diagnosis. Then you will be able to measure the impact of medications, treatments, and even some lifestyle changes. Don't hesitate to stop when you come to what appears to be a mountain to climb.

Here are my "hints" of the day. 1. Falling. There are exercises you can do to help with stability and balance. I am currently working on everything from climbing stairs to doing a meditation walk along the river. There are practices like mindfulness and guided meditation that are uplifting to say the least. I just returned from a three-day retreat where we focused on improving our "equanimity" or what I call, "riding the waves."

There are alternatives to prescription pain medications. For example, I totally control my SFN pain with medical cannabis. And the topper for tonight is an introduction to MFR, myofascial release therapy. I have two sessions a week with two therapists.

Here are some folks who I know are waiting to meet you when you decide to take your head out of those reference websites and articles. @jenniferhunter is our resident MFR expert. She understands all the medical terms with which I am still struggling. @johnbishop is our resident researcher. He has only numbness and no pain with his neuropathy. Go figure! And I hope you get to meet @rwinney a colleague who has turned her life around by controlling her pain.

Let me know if you have questions.......someone on Connect just may have answers.
How was your diagnosis made? Did you have any tests?

May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris