I am soon to be 35. You have a lot on your plate as well. How long have you had PN? Did you not have any muscle weakness at first? Right now I don't have any numbness or weakness. The emg and nerve conduction test show no damage yet. I have had 4 Mris. Including a brain one. I haven't heard the results of that one. I have also had many blood tests. I am so glad you are going out there to teach to help you stay challenged. What area are you teaching?

"My hands and arms are affected as well, writing on the board will be tough and my handwriting has seen better days."

Suzanne
Most teaching nowadays is done on a Smart board, you can use PowerPoint presentations with these and they are hooked up to the Internet so you can show video clips, you can also type with the computer as you are going along(saves the writing). Teaching has changed so much in this new electronic age, my tip would be to try to get another English teachers presentations and amend them to suit yourself( this way you won't be typing the full course as you go along as this would take ages).
There may be training on using this technology that you could prepare over the summer. Good luck

This is a small private school with minimal budget, conservative ways, and zero technology. My daughter teaches high school English in Philadelphia, they have smart boards and power point, but that is about it. I appreciate your taking the time to suggest this, though. Perhaps things are very different where you are, but here teaching is pretty low tech in general.

I put in a request at work to telecommute, something a teacher cannot do. Anyway I am a Programmer/annalist, and most of my job can be done with a computer, the rest is meetings which can be done over a conference phone. I put the request in, informally back in January. I did not get an answer until April. A big no. The reason given was that they have "no work at home policy". And all work from home should stop. As many of you can relate there are good days and bad days. The 45 minute commute was a horror. On especially bad days I would have to pull over to the side of the road and scream.

Anyway; I finally had enough, one day, I had a particularly bad day and wanted to go home. But because all three of the other programmers where absent, I was obligated to stay. It was hell. I filed for Temporary divisibility and have been off work since May. I also put in a formal ADA request for accommodation. My Dr. has been slow to respond but agrees that the only way I can work productively is from home.

Until someone can figure out how to solve complex problems while in pain I will need to work around it. Working through it actually helps as mental distraction is the best pain reliever I have found, but as soon as the phone rings or someone drops into my office the pain comes back like a ton of bricks.

I give credit to all who work and/or are parents too. I have been off work and school since this condition started. I hope one day to go back to college and work again. I think I will start though with a volunteer position. A lot will be finding a position that I can do with the limits. Sending good thoughts

I work as a teacher also. I was diagnosed with PN many years ago, but the neurontin made me "dizzy" so I have not really been taking anything for it. Lately the pain has become more extensive ( I think including pudendal neuropathy). I have been able to do my work w/o much trouble. The pain gets worse later in the day. I will be going back to a neurologist as soon as my husband's back surgery is finished and he is up and about again.

Hi Fran,! Thanks for responding. What area or grade do you teach? What is pudendal neuropathy? I haven't heard of it... Is your neuropathy idiopathic or do you know the cause? As of right now I don't know what has caused my issues. Thanks for sharing! Danielle

--refers to compression or overstretching of the pudendal nerve producing symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, etc., in the pudendal nerve distribution, which includes the **** and genital areas:

http://www.pudendal.com/

http://www.pudendalhelp.com/home.html

I teach accounting on the high school and post secondary level in the same school. I actually heard of pudendal neuropathy from someone who answered your thread. In addition to burning and tingling in my hands and feet, I get a burning in the genital area (I believe that is the pudendal from what I read). I haven't been back to a neurologist in many years so I do not know what kind of neuropathy or the cause. I plan on trying a different neurologist soon. Have you been to a neurologist? What grade do you teach?

I am a primary teacher I teach first grade. I have been to a neurologist about a month ago and I will see him again this week. It is all so overwhelming. I sent you a message on your profile page Danielle