"Did you have a really bad cold or flu a couple of months before? My case it was 4 months. I ask as that was my case...and it'd turned out that my immune system went into over or 'hyper'-drive BIG time..."
I believe STRESS brought on my PN, I believe I am Pre-diabetic, and I believe that STRESS is my worst enemy!

I didn't have a cold or flu, but I did have MAJOR stress in my life, and that can affect your immune system... check this out:
June 2000 Daughter Graduated High School
Aug 2001 Turned 40 and Graduated from College
Oct. 2001 Got Married after 11 years of single life
Nov. 2001 Bought a House
Dec 2001 Nursed my dad through his last days of Lung cancer
Feb 2002 Got laid off from my job
Aug 2002 My 15 year old announced she was pregnant
Sep 2002 She comes to live with me permanently (had been with her dad because she wanted to finish school in the same high school) Now she is terribly ill with the baby and needs 24 hour care. Loses 30 pounds through the pregnancy and can't keep food down. Needs suppositories just to keep food in her stomache. 3 trips to Hospital just for IV's to keep from dehydrating. Home schooled to finish Jr. hear of High school. Baby is Due in April of 2003.
March 2003 My mother who is 59 years old commits suicide by shooting herself in the heart. I am the oldest daughter and responsible for all the funeral arrangements. Her husband will not speak to any of the family members other than me because there was a big rift between them and would not release her body to us for a memorial service. He had her cremated and buried. Lots of stress, but he did allow me to say goodbye at the Medical Examiners. BIG mistake... I never should have seen her like that! It was something I should not have done.
April 2003 My granddaughter was born by C section and my daughter was very slow at healing. The baby had jaundice, was breech, and had the cord around her neck three times. She was kept for five days, but now both are fine and spoiled rotten!
July 2003 My new husband and daughter got into an argument, new husband was jealous of my time spent with daughter and granddaughter, and he demanded they leave the house and never come back. Daughter was sixteen, with a 3 month old. She left and went to live with her father.
August 2003 I took a trip back to my mothers house to clean out her things, as my step-father didn't know what to do with the things she had that belonged to her children. I went to pack them and ship them to my home. It was very emotional and difficult. My step-father and I bonded over trying to figure out why she did what she did. I was there for 2 weeks. When I called home, my husband said he was going to Las Vegas with his brother. When I returned home, I found pictures of him with another woman in Las Vegas. I left him.
January 2004 I start working for my brothers business, who's wife just left him and embezzled over $50,000. from him and left with another man.
February 2004 I moved back in with my husband, he promised we would work things out. And I believed him. I finally allowed myself to grieve the loss of my mother, and he became impatient with me. Said I wasn't being a good "wife". By the end of Feb, he had filed for divorce.
April of 2004 I moved out again. Put all my things in storage and got an apartment with my daughter and granddaughter.
July of 2004 My older daughter comes home to live after breaking up with her boyfriend. After a few months, we find out she is using drugs, crystal meth and have to kick her out of the house. She comes in and out of our lives over the next few months, trying to convince me she is clean, when she is not and I drug test her to prove it, she does not pass and I do not let her live with me.
January of 2005 Sister gets a divorce, she and her twin 15 year olds and her 1 sixteen year old boys move in with me for three months! Until she gets an apartment.
June 2005 Feet and legs start to hurt, feet start to become extremely sensitive and legs start to cramp a lot. Sister has MS and she tells me symptoms are exactly same as her MS symptoms. Tingling in feet and pain in legs. Feels like restless legs syndrome. I am currently taking Paxil for my depression due to Mom's suicide, (brother and sister have different mom, they are half siblings) and blame it on my medication. I'm still dealing with grief for mother, and haven't had time to get to medical doctor to deal with pain in legs/feet.
January of 2006 I leave brothers company and go back into temping in the corporate world. Can't wear heels any more, as feet are very sensitive and I attribute it to wearing tennis shoes for the last two years.
March 2006 I start working as a temp. at the company I'm at now. Things are going well, but I start having severe pains in my feet and legs, still no medical insurance, so I can't do anything about it.
August 2006, I finally become a permanent employee, and I can go in and get attention for the pains I'm feeling in my feet. It is diagnosed as PN. Idiopathic PN.
November 2006 I'm walking with a cane and barely able to make it to the bathroom. I'm overwhelmed with this diagnosis and afraid I'm going to lose my job. Trying to adjust to the medications and find a cause for what I have, I'm devastated!
Today I'm not using a cane, I have more good days than bad days... my granddaughter is 4 years old, my drug addicted daughter is 9 months clean and sober and still living at home. My other daughter has finished high school and is taking college courses at night while working during the day. They both live with me and depend on me a lot to help support them while they attend college and work to purchase their cars. The three of us take care of the granddaughter and work together to keep it working.
I usually spend most of my weekends in bed resting so I can work all week.
I believe STRESS brought on my PN, I believe I am Pre-diabetic, and I believe that STRESS is my worst enemy!

Thank you all so much for the information on AIDS, that takes a lot of weight off my mind!