Thanks to everyone so far for your responses. I know I am not alone, and I don't want to become a whiner or to live in the past. But it is not so easy realizing I won't be the one to introduce my grandson to backpacking . . .

echoes . . . I already have the "broken bones" or sprained foot feeling, frequently after being on my feet even for an hour or less.

I guess what has me the most puzzled is how you get to see a physical therapist. I have asked my doctors and they say that Medicare won't cover one unless I am rehabbing after an injury. It sure seems to me that a little training might go a long way to keeping me mobile.


The hardest part for me right now is that I moved to Washington state in 1995 to hike and climb, and now I have great difficulty with a trip to the local shopping mall! I am dying inside to see some of my favorite places, like Snow Lake at the base of Unicorn Peak @ Mt. Rainier: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/...g?v=1217304911
Natches Loop Trail/Dewey Lake: http://www.bbirmingham.com/images/blog/dewey_lake.jpg
Mt. Angeles - the hike: http://blog.seattlepi.com/myseattlep...015727_450.jpg
Mt. Angeles, the summit: (not me in the photo, but I have stood right there!) http://skisickness.com/Olympics/mapics/Sky1.jpg

Or the one I did 9 times in 1997 preparing to climb Mt. Adams:
The mountain:http://www.lysistrataproject.org/***...Washington.jpg
The trail:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/77...19219c.jpg?v=0

How do you learn to let go of your dreams? In 2001 I had dreams of climbing Mt. Rainier again . . . in 2002 I was diagnosed with ulcertaive colitis, and by 2003 I had undergone four surgeries and months on Flagyl, which is where most of my doctors believe my peripheral neuropathy initiated. My symptoms were supposed to be temporary . . . ha!

I would be happy to just be able to handle a 2 mile hike with a little elevation gain . . . That would get me to many places I would be happy to see again. Has anyone else with pn been able to overcome the pain and numbness to be able to do things like this?