HaPpY BiRtHdAy! You will be hearing from me tomorrow!

2588 days sober.

Where did everybody go?

Beats me!

You stink of pasta and I stink of lobster....we forced them all away!

Reminds me of:

New here. Thanks so much to the folks who have contributed to this thread. I have been searching for 2 + years for info like this.

Little background. Heavy drinker for 25 + years. The last 10 being extremely bad, round the clock drinking for the most part. Im a 41 year old male.

Diagnosed with Nephropathy in Aug of 2016. Continued to drink until April of 18 with periods of 30-60 days here and there over 2 + years.

Havent touched a drop of alcohol in 5 months.

I noticed I had pain in my feet leading up to my first attempt at sobriety but as I was numbing myself I didnt understand really what I was feeling.

When I got sober, I noticed the numbness, pins and needles, feeling like I was getting poked with a hot iron sticker, and electric shocks.

The treatment center put me on gabapentin, and I was told to see a DR which I did when i got out. The Dr did a round of tests and all things pointed that I had nephropathy, but I needed to confirm with an EMG test. Those results confirmed that I did indeed have it.

I was struggling with addiction and lets say things didnt set in so here I am. It's a daily battle for me. My days start off good. The mornings are when my feet and lower legs are at their best. I have strength and I can lay comfortably. I've been blessed with the ability to work out of a home office. So without a morning commute, I am able to enjoy my morning.

Things are usually good as long as I keep busy all day. By 4 pm, it starts to kick in. By bedtime, I am clenching my muscles bracing for pain. Pain is compacted by anxiety.

I am currently on a high dose of gabapentin. I was also on amitriptyline but that stuff almost made me mad. I have avoided opiates at all costs. No plans on trying them now.

When I went to treatment in April, I made a decision to lower my gaba intake to try and get what my baseline is. The pain became crazy to deal with so I settled in at 1200 mg a day.

I have no idea how neuropathy lines up against any other chronic pain that people deal with. Id say that it's manageable in my current situation but it has diminished my quality of life compared to living without it thats for sure. I'm unable to do any athletic activities that rely on me being on my two feet with the exception of riding a bike. Even that though there is an impact.

The hours of 6 until I sleep are usually troublesome. I struggle to be comfortable as a result of the pain, so social activities are a chore.

It's not the end of the world. I have to remain positive that I will recover. I have this thread to thank for giving me hope. I remain committed to staying away from a drink, I can even say that dealing with this is helping in that area but I sure wish I wasnt dealing with it. I cant dwell on things. There is work to do and if I could help someone along the way, I need to push on through and remain positive.

I got myself on the vitamin regiment that you folks followed. I will continue to check in. I cant say I've seen any improvement at all thus far. Only thing that I have improved are cooping skills and planning my day accordingly. Despite that though I am positive that there will be improvements over time.

Thanks again to everyone that has contributed. This has been better than any medical advice from the professionals out there.

Thanks for stopping in! Did you read ALL of "Part 1" too? If so, that's a feat, and you should have a good handle on us by now....

As you know, it's time, patience and a whole lot of sobriety in this game.

Hang in there....we are with you.

Thanks! I did read most of it. I was pretty motivated after two years of frustration lol.

Appreciate that and the support. Will check in with my progress. As of 5 months a few weeks, mainly what I've accomplished is just getting used to living with pain, weakness, and the lack of balance in my feet and lower legs.

With time, I hope I will see some improvements, although I have come to accept my current state.

Welcome Freeway .

Well done on not drinking for 5 months!

If you do slip up (it happens...) please don't beat yourself up about it. It will help to remember the wise words of my clinical psychologist "It is just a lapse, it is not a relapse".

Sorry that I have been AWOL.

I celebrated the arrival of spring with a lousy cold (not man-flu).

Now back in action.