Broken perhaps, but we sure did a hell of a job to “mend” it, no?
And no, can’t say that I do either. I just bought an expensive bottle of grappa in a liquor shop as a present to my wife, and didn’t even make the connection.

Or did you mean broke? 😉 I started working again, biting through the PN obstacles. Going fine so far, back on the horse. Another step in the recovery.

Congrats again on your marriage BTW!

Thats great to hear Icehouse. Support from family gives me strength.

I could live with some lingering issues like that. But I try not to think of results and just focus on finding a process that I enjoy.

Getting cold here in NYC. Which means I wont be riding my bike across the 59th st bridge to work. So my morning includes a bit more time at the gym it would seem.

Another adjustment that I will be focusing on is getting a new job, one that allows some days that I can work from home. I worked from home for 7 years, and almost drank myself to death. After being back in the office for 6 months, I find enjoyment in it. And having the challenge of getting there by bike was awesome. But at the same time, I benefit for a few more hours in the day to be able to get things done while I feel strong in the morning.

Agreed. That was my biggest mistake! I loved having my own business (and I did really well) but I lack the ability to drink responsibly

Well, I'm mostly working from home again - which ain't a bad thing given the PN is usually most noticable in the morning.


I've obviously deleted the whole "drink at the same time" routine, and I'm not too worried about it this time. But I do remember how devastating it was not having to go out and being able to drink without anyone really noticing. I would have walked into trouble a lot sooner if I hadn't worked from home.


It's fun & exciting - but also a wee bit scary - to start this new chapter of running my own company again - after being a "houseman" for 8 years. I thought I'd find cobwebs in my brain, but no, it's all still pretty sharp, and the energy is there too. This time however it will be without my old companion, Mr. Jameson.

Good luck on the new chapter Wide-O. Sounds exciting. Bet you still have it.

Interesting that your symptoms for PN come in the morning. For me, when I first wake up things are pretty quiet. No burning or shocks in the morning really. However they are really sensitive to being put down on a hard floor. Once I get moving though things are pretty good. Its all about getting the circulation going in the morning. I have been doing a few good old fashion jumping jacks in the morning that I have found really help with that when I'm short on time. Most days I can get a mile run in which sets me up for success for the day. Last night was a brutal one for sleep though. Which came out of nowhere because as of 9pm I was feeling so good. PN is so weird like that.

It's a weird but very pleasant surprise. I haven't paid any attention to my field of expertise (IT consulting, programming, design, UX etc etc) since the day I went off to rehab 7.5 years ago. My last program I wrote back then was a counter to see how long I was smoke & cig free, how much money it saved me, and then I never looked at it again.


Sure, I had some catching up to do (reading mostly), but it was amazing how quickly it all came back, and in the mean time I've finished a few smaller projects to great success, leading to more projects as well.


I honestly thought 57 was way too old to start again, especially in such a fast moving field, after such a long hiatus (and after battling an addiction). But the skills to navigate those fields are still there, are still just as valid, and being a house-man for 7 years has given me new energy in some weird way, like I only took an extended brain-vacation to load up the batteries.


ANd it's not just the money (I earned as much in one month (November) as I normally do in 10 months), it's also the realisation that recovery is an ongoing thing, and somehow this feels like the final stage of really getting back on the horse, and dealing with the PN as just a slight disadvantage instead of it being the center of my world.



So yeah, I'm pretty stoked.

Hey all thank you so much for your thoughtful replies.

Sorry for being a ghost, I’ve just been extremely anxious., but I’m back now!

I have a few questions that I hope you great people can answer:

As my initial symptoms that I thought was PN (which was my hands and legs "falling asleep" at night) disappeared when I was sober and hasn’t returned. Does that mean I healed from it?

And in saying that, my new symptoms of tingling in my left hand’s pinkie and ring finger, along with tingling on the palmar side of my hand under this, along with elbow pain on the same arm (which I fractured as a child and had operated on as a teen), only started two weeks into sobriety.

(Health anxiety makes me very vigilant to how my body’s feeling, so I would have know about it when I was drinking.)

So I’m wondering if since these symptoms appeared when I was two weeks sober, while the other symptoms I had disappeared in sobriety, that it may be unrelated and something to do with an ulnar nerve injury, or my health anxiety going mad?

As I can still do everything as normal. I just have these tingles and elbow pain.

I also want to get a clear diagnosis. As my doctor did some strength and reflex tests in her office which she said was normal, so she wants me to come back in six weeks if symptoms don’t improve.

However, my brain can’t handle the wait, so I’m going to return next week. So I’d like to know what to ask for to get a diagnosis. A referral to a neurologist? Or certain tests? As my biggest mental problem is "not knowing" if I’m imaging PN or I have it.

Thanks again, and really hope to get your thoughts on the above. As my brain is killing me more than the symptoms.

Whoa! They changed the look! Nifty!

I had some tests done at the local rehab place and they were essentially nerve tests. They pricked my hands and feet with sharp tools and measured something or other....I was not 100% but passable.

I remember, all so well, the numbness and tingling in my pinky and ring fingers. The tingling (like my legs fell asleep) in my lower legs was almost constant for about a year and that was one of the reasons I resorted to a wheelchair.

BUT, it does go away and I would not get too worked up about it. Laying off the alcohol, proper nutrition and vitamins and TIME will help you feel better.

I promise.

I am 8.5ish years sober now and I can assure you that things CAN get better!

Did they?

(yes they did, but you can change that look at the bottom of the page, left hand corner)

But yeah, what he said. Although I'm only just over 7.5 years sober at this point, it's the same message we have been giving over the years now: cleaning up our act works. Even if not everything will get back to 100%, it will become a side-issue.

Try to take control of the health anxiety, and convert the fear into action.

That's awesome! I am in IT as well. I am a PM/BA/Tech Lead supporting Salesforce.com implementations. I started as developer way back over 15 years ago and moved out of coding but still work with developers on a daily basis. I have some work to do with getting back to some more hands on work with Salesforce, not coding but configuration. I stepped away from that kind of stuff about 10 years ago, and then got put on a **** project doing PM work that I had no control over and it lasted 4 years. I enjoy the Salesforce.com space, currently working on landing a full-time roll which will allow for partial remote work. It's nice to be able to stay home a few days a week, and my wife and I can travel often (she's a flight attendant so I have benefits). So being able to work from anywhere is a big plus when you can take 4 day trips here and there.

It's awesome that you are getting back into it, especially if it's fulfilling.