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Increasingly Difficult to Accept Peripheral Neuropathy
Neuropathy | Last Active: Nov 29 9:52am | Replies (169)Comment receiving replies
Fisbo - Mentor John is 100% correct, all of us with PN experience similar thoughts and feelings. I spent about 5 years figuring there has to a reason for this. I was in my mid 60's and healthy. Got to be a cause then comes the cure, isn't that the way it works? After going thru many tests at Mayo in MN and then other tests, all confirmed what Mayo said. It sort of hits you that this is how it is going to be. The discomforting effects of PN are serious. But, the acceptance for me was more difficult. My primary doc sat me down a year ago and said you can't spend your life looking in the rear view mirror, you need to look ahead - don't look at the past, look forward. Concentrate on what you can do, not what you can't. I took her advise a year ago and things slowly changed. As Mentor Jim says "learn acceptance" and it takes a while but I'm sure you will work through this. As you more accept this disease for what it is, your outlook will improve.
You will feel different, hard to explain. Wish you the best and remember...look forward and think of everything you can do and do it. Ed
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I too suffered with depression, anxiety, panic attacks because I lost my job due to the Peripheral Neuropathy in my feet but back then I didn’t know, that’s what it was. I managed to dig myself out of that dark hole and kept fighting to get back out in the real world. I am happy to report that I have a full time job and just bought a house last year and am engaged to an amazing man but…my PN has gotten so much worse. I’ve actually had to take yesterday and today off work because I can’t walk. I am on Lyrica, Gabapentin, T1s and vitamins. I do my stretching, wear my custom orthotics and compression socks. I don’t know what else I can do. I’m scared of losing my job because of my PN, I don’t want to end up back in that dark hole again. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
Just know you are not alone. Take Care,
Kristin
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Hello,
I was inspired by your post. I was diagnosed with PN about 4 months ago. Like you have said it is very hard to accept that this illness will be with me till the end. I am getting better at it. I was terribly sad, angry, irritated, and withdrawn until a few weeks ago. I realized that I was relating everything to my illness. What I ate, the medications, how much sleep I can get, how much exercise, and on and on. I would work myself up into a panic attach. I have tried to stop that. I am doing stuff without always relating it to the PN. Everything is not happening because of PN. We have to learn to allow ourselves to get involved with life and accept that we have a disability like millions of others....and man many of them are a lot worse off than me. Thanks for the post. Like I said, it inspired me to keep getting involved.