Quote:
Originally Posted by Shezian
My mum said to me last night on the phone that people that think about this all the time tend to get worse, and she believes the body has an amazing ability to heal itself. Also, she said not to speak to people who are negative and to not look at this as and end to life. good advice , But it is all still very, very scary of the unknown of what is coming next.
Again, it just seems like everyone that gets NP just gets worse and worse, and it hard to be positive and hopefully when its all terrible suffering.
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Sue, I agree with your mum
110%. It is not good advice; it is
excellent advice! As I mentioned previously, stress, worry & fear can exacerbate symptoms, and even create more, including those of a psychogenic nature. (Psychogenic symptoms/disease are every bit as real as organic ones in the physical effects they can have, and are not to be dismissed or treated lightly/disrespectfully.) There is a well documented vicious downward-spiraling cycle of pain, insomnia, & depression, and it
sounds to me like you
may be heading for it.
Google:
"vicious cycle" pain insomnia depression
I've been there, and it can be beaten too.
Everyone who gets PN does NOT get worse (and worse); most prognoses are not that bad:
Quote:
Effective prognosis and treatment of peripheral neuropathies relies heavily on the origin of the nerve damage. For example, peripheral neuropathies caused by vitamin deficiencies can often be halted -- even reversed -- with vitamin therapy and an improved diet. Likewise, nerve damage brought on by alcohol abuse can often be improved by avoiding alcohol. Peripheral neuropathies caused by toxic substances or medications can often be corrected in much the same way. When neuropathy is related to diabetes, careful monitoring of blood sugar levels may slow its progression and curb symptoms.
http://www.webmd.com/brain/understan...athy-treatment
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The earlier people are diagnosed and treated, the better their chances of halting/reversing damage and progression, and you've only had this a
very short time compared to most folks.
While I cannot find exact figures at the moment, with
many people, PN progresses to a point, and then stops progressing further, or progresses at a
very slow rate. Mine has not progressed any further than the soles and front half of my feet,
and has actually gotten better, despite being idiopathic (of unknown origin).
The main reason it may
seem it's all terrible suffering is that you're on a support group, and support groups (no offense intended to
anyone here)
tend to be populated by people who have a condition worse than average. The people who are average or above may come for initial information and support, then learn to manage their conditions, and get on with their lives.
There is a "
Sticky" thread at the top of this forum:
Neuropathy does improve that may shine some light on things for you. But you don't/won't see
most success stories either here or anywhere on the web, because people who beat it and/or get on with their lives don't have need of support groups, so they have no need or reason to post or get involved.
Please, listen to your mum on this one. Find ways to distract yourself until you get those results. Get involved in something, spend time with your kids, whatever.
Sincerely, and best wishes, and...