It is the stories here that helped me stay the course during the low time of battling the addiction, PN pain, depression and the constant thought of "What have I done to myself". Sobriety slaps you into reality very fast and the pity party is not a good place to dwell. Had I not read the stories here and the hope of improvement, I could not have survived the early days. Hope is a powerful motivator.

I have become very good at distraction and ignoring the PN while in rest mode. Lately when I focus on it to evaluate, I am sometimes amazed that I am nearly pain free. The limb weakness is another issue but even there I see improvement. I still take a cane when out and about, mostly for my peace of mind and until I get more confident in my abilities. Little by little I will push myself to get out and do things and not be impeded by my fear, but I am not there yet and still very cautious. I would hate to get stuck in a situation that I was alone and not able to manage, and if out with others I would be humiliated and would hate to be an imposition. For these reasons I mostly stay in and watch the world from my window, but all in good time.

Isn't it funny that the 6-8 months window for improvement seems to be a major milestone? I am beginning to think it is not just a coincidence.

Thanks for sharing your experience Wide-O. I am happy to hear that you can be instrumental in spreading the word thru your organization that there is hope. I have not doctored for PN since in sobriety so perhaps my doctors were so pessimistic because I relayed that I was still drinking and they wanted to scare me into abstinence, but that mindset backfired on me. If this is my life and my destiny why sober up?
Thank you Wide-O for sharing your progress and your recent day. That is very encouraging indeed.