Alcohol is one of the best (if not THE best) PN pain killers, sadly. That's what kept me in a loop for a year after being diagnosed before deciding to get sober. I knew from a first attempt there would be hell to pay in the beginning. But I also knew it would keep me out of a wheelchair.

It will not continue to be as painful as now. But I can sympathize that the first months feel like hell, almost like a "wrong choice". It's not.