Hi, David (@davidpn)

Having only been diagnosed in August 2022, so coming close to but not yet a full year, with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, I regard my diagnosis as still a diagnosis-in-progress. My chief symptom is a wobbly walk. Luckily, I've no pain. But when I walk, especially for the shortest of distances and on a hard surface, like pavement, my legs can feel leaden. (What others have described, I say "Ditto!") But because my wobbliness preceded my diagnosis by several years, and I'd long ago cut back on my outdoor walking practically to never, today, I'm wondering if my weary legs are caused by my PN or by long-term lack of use, possibly, too, a touch of both. I'd like to believe that my every little Ouch! and Whoops! is not the result of my relatively new PN but rather a variety of pre-PN ouches and whoopsies. I'd an example of this dichotomy only last night, or more precisely, shortly after midnight this morning. After waiting since midafternoon to meet a friend's 6 pm flight at Denver airport, we learned that our friend's flight would be delayed to 9 pm, then to 10:30 pm, then to 12:20 am. We were dog-tired when we retrieved our friend from the airport (15 miles each way). As we were carrying our friend's luggage into the house, I lost my balance and went down rear-end first, luckily into the welcoming arms of a comfy chair. My partner and I discussed, last night and again this morning, whether my backward flop resulted from my PN or just plain ol' dog-tiredness. My partner assumed it was my PN. I maintained––and still do––that it was plain ol' dog-tiredness, the same ol' dog-tiredness I might have suffered at 50, 60, or 70. That's how I am about my leg weariness while walking. Is it my PN? Or is it a couple of years of leg neglect? Or a little of both? Exasperating business, this PN! LOL

Ray (@ray666)