From experience, I can tell you that the anxiety and worry you have over this is magnifying your symptoms tremendously. Of course it's a natural response, but do everything in your power to try to calm yourself down.

When my neuropathy first hit, my stress and anxiety level went through the roof. I now know how much that was just making a bad situation 10x worse. And when I get under stress now, it's literally like a switch has been flipped. My symptoms which may not have been bad before immediately flare. I assume it's my overactive nervous system's response to cortisol...or something like that.

I'm not one who can meditate, but I do find that deep breathing has a calming influence on me when I'm riled. Try to find some means of lessening your anxiety. You'll find this forum to much comfort as you read how some people have lived with this for 20 years. I've had the neuropathy for 3 1/2 years, and while the symptoms have morphed and will always wax and wane, I am better than I was initially. They also have not affected my motor nerves in the slightest yet...it's all sensory.

Like you, I've avoided the gabapentin. I took it initially, but stopped when I decided it would be better to see if I could live without it. It's nice to know it's there should it get worse, but I've done fine without it.