I find that I am mostly angry and frustrated, though after seeing a shrink years earlier after relationship issues, I've learned how to cope with this and not let it effect my family. My SFN will not ever cure, and at 46, this makes me very upset at the extreme levels of pain, balance issues, (and too many to mention) etc. I am now beginning the SSDI filing, another soon to be frustrating project! :-). I take large volumes of nerve and pain drugs which only partially allows me to function. We are not financially great right now.

But with it all, I enjoy my time with my 6 year old son. This always gives me a renewed prospective on my situation. And how unfair it would be to let my anger and frustration negatively effect my son's life (as well as my wonderful wife, whom I owe everything to). With this, people have commented on my realistic, positive, and non-negative view of my life as something they find refreshing and unexpected, considering my serious condition. I do this without religion or hope, but everyone has to find their own way to cope. But I tell people "just find a way", whatever it is, to find those good things in your life that you can reflect and spend time on. Too much free time can lead us to feel too sorry for yourselves and dwell on our pain. If a god, dog, or your kids work for you, go for it! It will only make you feel a bit better, but never worse. :-)

I am trying to find a pain management doc now and hope he'll bump my meds up a bit. Best of luck with your situation, and know that there are many of us here who know what you're going through.

Jay