I've noticed that some folks are more lucky than others in the way this disease progresses. Does anyone understand the cause for progression both in symptoms and/or intensity? I'm feeling quite vulnerable this morning.
Thanks

Those lucky enough to have a root cause(mine is Diabetes) agree along with big institutions(Walter Reed and others) that addressing the origins of the problem is first priority. From there it gets murky. From there it breaks down into individual beliefs, strengths, weaknesses and psycology. In MY OWN opinion the second priority is the quest for nutritional support of mitochondria.Then the third priority is as much exercise as you can stand because if you don't push, it(PN) will restrict you all the more. I remember posters that start out with one frame of mind(panic,fear,loss) and over time toughen up and become acclimated or find new resolve. I also believe that there is no guarantees. Like a roll of the dice, some get lucky and some do all that is possible and still suffer more than the rest. I am sorry that you are feeling vulnerable. If you are doing all that you know to do then you will have to ride out these feelings because bad days are there to make us appreciate it when we get good ones. I am going to search your old posts to remember your stand on meds. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.P.S. If your symptoms become more alarming than your memory of the fluid-retention caused by the meds you took, you might have to revisit them. Perhaps the side-effects would be different this time. Thanks for your support of my effort to get off Ambien. No side effects from it, just didn't want to be a slave. I have darkened the room and still wake up too early. Oh well, we all have stuff to work on don't we. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Your support today means more than you can know. Thank you Ken in Texas!

My SFN came on fast and in a hurry in May of 2013. I had just finished chemo the month before and I guess it just sped everything up.

Looking back I now see that the SFN was coming on slowly years ago. I'd come home from work, cook dinner and then sit in the recliner with my feet up. My toes felt like the athlete's foot commercial with the fire coming out the end of the toes ! After I slept it was fine the next morning. I don't remember ever hearing the work neuropathy until I got dx'd with this.

My oncologist would ask about my feet prior to the treatment (carbo/taxol) but I didn't know why he was asking. It never got bad during the treatments just some tingling in my feet and jaw. He did lower the taxol after the 2nd treatment from 330 mg to 300 mg a treatment. I had six treatments in total.

I was also pre-diabetic and the chemo increased my A1C during treatments.

From everything I've read on here everyone's is different in how it presents and how it progresses. In theory mine came on acute so it should have slowed down ? I think that's what I've read before. Didn't happen for me. I finally asked for a skin punch biopsy in Sept of that year and that is when I found out just how bad my SFN was. I cried because I was so happy to have a dx.

Take care.

Debi from Georgia

I don't know for sure at all but I have very strong suspicions that the most stressed out and fearful folk progress the fastest. That happened to me in the early days and due to a very comprehensive program of deep relaxation my symptoms are mostly under control now. That was not true at all when I was full of fear and anxiety. I also suspect it's a major player for those few who have successfully recovered.

I think the way we suffer with pn is an individual thing. It has a lot to do with your attitude, your life style, tolerance for pain etc. I have read with the different types of neuropaties their are different symptoms, Also has a lot to do with the severity of the neuropathy. Mine happens to severe.

I also know it is a complication of diabetes and I can tolerate the pain and discomfort better when my diabetes is in control. Like today my husband 3 days ago brought ice cream home I ignored it up until this afternoon and had a bowl.
Right after the pins and. Pringles and burning and numbness all got severe. Morale of story I can to some degree control the intensity of my pain by knowing what the cause is.

I try very hard but there are times I do cave in and pay the piper.

Another factor can be medications taken for other conditions. Certain drugs, including temporary use of some antibiotics, will aggravate PN quickly and severely. The reverse being that other medications eg: cortico-steroids taken as a low maintenance dose for a different condition may reduce the severity or frequency of symptoms.

As others have said individuality plays a big part in how each person is affected - as do concurrent conditions, seasonal changes, atmospheric changes, stress, fatigue etc.

Minimizing the detrimental factors where possible and maximizing the beneficial is one of the ways we can influence the progress.