Hi everyone... I've been doing well. I decided to pop in at the Holidays and see how everyone is doing. I see the snow and tough winter weather is hard on many of you. Bob, be careful! I've had two torn rotator cuffs due to falls!

Having P/N is like being an alcoholic. You have a disease. (though I'm not, my daughter is a drug addict... and I've been through re-hab with her)... once you are diagnosed with this disease, you have to live with it, and remember each and every day to respect your body and treat it as if you were treating a body with a disease. Even if you are feeling "almost normal"... you can't go back to being normal... because you aren't! You have a disease and you have to remember to eat, exercise, walk, dress, and rest, like a person with this disease or it will attack you again! I let my guard down, and it got out of the cage and attacked me again.

I am back in pain again. I was feeling "almost normal" myself. The holidays are coming, my daughters and I are living together again. I'm active in my church and there are big changes happening at work. Oh, I moved again in October, so my commute is almost 2 hours each way by train and subway. So, I don't eat right, I haven't been remembering my medications and supplements and last week I got attacked by the monster. I slept for 30 hours, and since I woke up, my feet have been on fire, I feel the broken glass again, I'm now getting tingling in my hands (which I never had before) and my legs are itchy.

I thought I'd give myself a dose of "newby" posts on the boards, and come back and visit the wise ones who keep this board going. Sort of a self imposed penance. I need to be here to keep myself on track.

Thank you all for being here. All you newbies, the wise ones here pulled me up from the depths of despair. There are some very dark moments, some very scary moments. There are a lot of incredibly painful moments... and you learn to deal with the pain, one way or another. Four years ago, I was in a wheelchair, to a walker, to canes, to just walking near a wall for security. I work full time now, have two grown daughters, a beautiful granddaughter, and a professional career. There is hope... there is medication, and there is life WITH Peripheral Neuropathy. Just learn to take care of yourself. It's a long road... it's a hard road, not for the faint of heart. But on the days when your heart is feeling faint... come here, and the strong ones will hold your hand, (I would start preaching, but this isn't the place for it.... )