Elaine, you asked how we handle PN. I am afraid it handles us!
Some of us are fairly stable. After the initial shock and fear, you get used to a new normal. Medications like gabapenin are pretty universally prescribed as the first line of treatment and work about 30-35% of the time. They rarely cover all the pain so there is some measure of disability involved. Activity makes the pain worse for many people so they become more limited in what they do.

Some of us have progressive neuropathies. These are primarily hereditary and is why, I think, Kitt asked if anyone in your family has it. These can be evident in youth as crippling or just clumsiness and poor coordination, high arches, absent reflexes. They may not set in until middle age. Whenever they start, they do get worse and there is no treatment. This is what I have. It is primarily axonal and I have definite weakening of the muscles in my hands, arms, feet, and legs. I am experiencing a set back currently, and could happily stay on the sofa all day. Shopping is exhausting. Going upstairs, showering and dressing requires a nap.

I am still coming to terms with this new normal. I don't like it. My mother, who neither knew nor cared that I had this disease, used to call me lazy. I have prided myself on being the Martha Stewart of homeschooling mothers, raising five children, just to show I wasn't lazy. Now I can't do much of anything and the feelings of worthlessness are overwhelming. My husband is incredibly supportive, but he can't fight the demon of childhood conditioning and I have been told by my doctors that I am a poor candidate for therapy. My justification for living came from what I could do for others, and now it is mostly gone. I am not coping well right now, but I probably will adjust.

The people who have it hardest are the ones whose family do not believe they are in pain and disabled. From reading here this seems more common than it should be. Like Debi said about her husband accepting it only after her skin biopsy results. Unfortunately some people do not get hard test results that correlate with their level of suffering and this makes it harder.

Everyone is a little different, but a common trend seems to be that while the symptoms may not improve, our ability to cope seems to improve.