Thanks Karen. Yeah, the attitude thing works. Mind you, I'm a grumpy person normally but in this case I decided to attack it head on and give depression no chance.

One thing - I know it's all new for you right now, and you are feeling miserable/shocked - it is very useful to make a difference between:

a) things that caused your PN
b) things that make PN worse or appear worse

Alcohol might not have played any role in your case in the causation of PN (a)), but once you do have PN, then it becomes something to avoid or be very careful with. Our nerves are very sensitive, and the aldehydes that are formed when metabolizing alcohol often cause the pain to flare.(b))

There are many examples of this. Nobody gets PN from eating hot peppers (a)) (they are actually very healthy...), but some people got extremely sensitive to eating them once they have PN.(b))

It's an important distinction, and not always fully understood.

Also: try reading - when you feel up to it -the cases of the other PN sufferers here. I learned a great deal from doing that, with some really useful tips both on things to try and things to avoid. Some people - like those with CMT - do not have very good prospects (right now) no matter what they do, where others do report serious improvements, or find a balance in how to live/manage pain. It's not a one-size-fits-all condition, and sometimes small interventions (like magnesium/epsom salts etc) can make a huge difference.

Good luck, keep on reading, don't lose hope.