Whats my future?

Posted by petr @petr, Jun 4 9:30am

I am 76 years old. Have PN in feet and legs for a number of years. Have tried several "cures and symptom relievers" which, as we all know, don't help much. PCP and Neurologist won't much say about my future. Whats ahead?

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@njed

Mike - you are being told the same to keep moving has to be the neuro doc's belief in slowing down progression. I've been to 2 neurosurgeons; both said surgery will not eliminate my PN. One surgeon in a major Phila hospital actually made me promise that I would not let anyone operate on my back. Found it a little odd but I agreed. Mayo also said surgery should not take place. I am not sure what our future holds but my wife worked in a hospital for about 25 years, and she does remind me from time to time there are things out there a lot worse than PN.

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Amen to your wife's comment, Ed! We can always find others who are dealing with worse issues. My laminectomy gave me back my ability to walk, as stenosis was creating such pain that I could barely move, but further surgery that "might" help is another thing. While we may face challenges from this "new reality" of life with neuropathy, there is so much we can still accomplish. My wife is French, and we just returned from 7 weeks visiting family and friends... and taking some time for ourselves. Neither of us gets around as quickly as we once did, but we thoroughly enjoyed the trip! I hope you, too, thoroughly enjoy your upcoming cruise!! Best wishes! Mike

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@johnbishop

@ray666, @njed, @domiha and all my other neuropathy journey friends, This morning I received my daily email from Dr. Amit Sood's "Your Year of Healing" and wanted to share it with all of you. Mostly because reading this discussion helps me through my own daily journey. I find that reading them first thing in the morning sets me up for a better day.

Hoping you all have not just a good day but a great day!
John
-----------------------------
Your Year of Healing
Dear Friend,

Here is your insight and suggested practice for today:

Insight: Recognize that a lot is still in your control. While you can’t stop the snow, you can open the umbrella.

Suggested Practice: List five things that are still in your control.

Audio file link: Please visit https://www.amitsood.com/year-of-healing/ to listen to the audio. When you are there please also click "I commit to today's practice."

My warmest wishes to you.

Amit
Amit Sood, MD MSc FACP
http://www.amitsood.com
-----------------------

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Good morning, John (@johnbishop)

What a wonderful gift waiting for me as I wake and lurch about to start a new day. Thank you, John! I’ve not yet delved into the Year of Healing, but I have bookmarked the site and will do considerable delving as this day unfolds. Knowing myself, I know I respond well to the idea of commitment. Knowing myself, too, I know how much I need a boot-straps message with each day’s morning coffee (when, recently, my sepsis, more than my PN, can have me thinking, “Am I losing this battle?”). The Year of Healing may be the perfect gift to have given a guy like me, with his “conditions,” his personality, at this time of his life and at this time of the day. Thank you, John, a gazillionfold!

Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)

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@johnbishop

@ray666, @njed, @domiha and all my other neuropathy journey friends, This morning I received my daily email from Dr. Amit Sood's "Your Year of Healing" and wanted to share it with all of you. Mostly because reading this discussion helps me through my own daily journey. I find that reading them first thing in the morning sets me up for a better day.

Hoping you all have not just a good day but a great day!
John
-----------------------------
Your Year of Healing
Dear Friend,

Here is your insight and suggested practice for today:

Insight: Recognize that a lot is still in your control. While you can’t stop the snow, you can open the umbrella.

Suggested Practice: List five things that are still in your control.

Audio file link: Please visit https://www.amitsood.com/year-of-healing/ to listen to the audio. When you are there please also click "I commit to today's practice."

My warmest wishes to you.

Amit
Amit Sood, MD MSc FACP
http://www.amitsood.com
-----------------------

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Hi, John! You, who are a seemingly endless source of reference materials, have also set ME up for a better outlook on this new reality! Your constant commitment to this community and to sharing knowledge that may help is MUCH appreciated!! THANK YOU for all you do!! I signed up for six months of Dr. Sood's "Your Year of Healing." I have been wanting to look into mindfulness and meditation, and this will be a great way to start each morning! Best wishes! Mike

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Listening to everyone's comments regarding the advice of "Keep moving". I am in such chronic pain that I can hardly sit or walk. This has worsened over the past five or six months. My wife and I used to be able to walk for a good half hour around our development. Tried walking two consecutive days for just ten or fifteen minutes a week ago. Pain ramped up significantly the day after. Bad enough to warrant stopping the walking. So, this week I thought I would try riding my bike around the community. One mile on day one, a mile and a third on day two. Well. yesterday I thought I was going to pass out the pain in my buttocks, back of thighs ankles, and feet was so bad. It is a little better today, but still bad. So, how can I "stay moving" when it puts me in such terrible pai, It's like a catch-22 situation. Any insights welcome.

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I know what you mean, @heisenberg34. You might be surprised to learn some of the things I consider as meeting the demands of the "keep moving" dictum. One of my goals for today is getting up from my recliner, seizing my cane, steadying myself, and fetching whatever I want––instead of hollering for my partner, "Would you mind bringing me another cup of coffee?" Miniscule challenges, like getting a coffee refill, I now consider fulfilling the demands of the "keep moving" dictum. I'm not planning on competing in the Paris Games. 🙂 –Ray (@ray666)

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@ray666

I know what you mean, @heisenberg34. You might be surprised to learn some of the things I consider as meeting the demands of the "keep moving" dictum. One of my goals for today is getting up from my recliner, seizing my cane, steadying myself, and fetching whatever I want––instead of hollering for my partner, "Would you mind bringing me another cup of coffee?" Miniscule challenges, like getting a coffee refill, I now consider fulfilling the demands of the "keep moving" dictum. I'm not planning on competing in the Paris Games. 🙂 –Ray (@ray666)

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Good for you! Nice to hear. I’m not quite ready to give up my quest for some sun relief and more mobility. But, I may eventually have to be ready to accept whatever life throws at me and, like the apostle Paul, learn to be content in whatever state I find myself.
Have a blessed cup of coffee.

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@heisenberg34

Good for you! Nice to hear. I’m not quite ready to give up my quest for some sun relief and more mobility. But, I may eventually have to be ready to accept whatever life throws at me and, like the apostle Paul, learn to be content in whatever state I find myself.
Have a blessed cup of coffee.

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Nor am I quite ready to give up my quest for outdoor fun. At this moment, more due to my sepsis than my neuropathy, I have to accept what I can achieve when it comes to "outdoor fun" is not what the 20-year-old me, or even the 70-year-old me, would have thought of as satisfactory. But that's what acceptance is all about, isn't it? // I wish you a splendid day! ––Ray (@ray666)

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@ray666

Nor am I quite ready to give up my quest for outdoor fun. At this moment, more due to my sepsis than my neuropathy, I have to accept what I can achieve when it comes to "outdoor fun" is not what the 20-year-old me, or even the 70-year-old me, would have thought of as satisfactory. But that's what acceptance is all about, isn't it? // I wish you a splendid day! ––Ray (@ray666)

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And to you as well.

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Some of same most likely.

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@domiha

Amen to your wife's comment, Ed! We can always find others who are dealing with worse issues. My laminectomy gave me back my ability to walk, as stenosis was creating such pain that I could barely move, but further surgery that "might" help is another thing. While we may face challenges from this "new reality" of life with neuropathy, there is so much we can still accomplish. My wife is French, and we just returned from 7 weeks visiting family and friends... and taking some time for ourselves. Neither of us gets around as quickly as we once did, but we thoroughly enjoyed the trip! I hope you, too, thoroughly enjoy your upcoming cruise!! Best wishes! Mike

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Mie - Glad to hear you did the trip covering 7 weeks, that is great We will be gone for just about 15 days total. We do discuss how will we do this or that now with PN. My wife always says we will figure it out. And, you know...that applies to the question of this topic: What's my future? We figure it out as we go. We adjust our life to the challenges of PN which Ray (@ray666) often comments about. Ed

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