I hear ya! I take 5 blood pressure pills a day. The doctors have really struggled to get a grip on my hypertension which I inherited from my grandmother. I also take three gabapentins a day for my neuropathy, and some vicodin when needed. Like so many here I am sick of health problems, pills, pain and doctors! I know everyone here understands. :mad:

/big hug! I totally sympathize with how madening the pain from Neuropathy can be. I have been dealing with similar pain in my feet. Many times the pain meds do absolutly nothing to alleviate it. I feel like just force of will makes me get up and do things and many times I dont have the will!

Seems like learning to cope is a process and I am by no means an expert, but this is what I am finding helps me.

1. Excercise - I know it hurts, sometimes I feel like I want to cry when I go for a walk, but its far worse to let myself sit at home and be miserable. Just getting outside helps me reaffirm that I am not going to let this disease shrink my world. I live in a third floor condo, and not a day goes by that I dont think about selling it and moving into someplace that is wheel chair accessible or at least that doesnt have steps.

2. Humor - I keep DVD's of my favorite shows handy, or sometimes I will just watch wierd things on Youtube if only to make me laugh. IDK, it helps me cope.

3. Distraction - I have to keep games, puzzles, the laptop all handy and have the TV on or the radio or both lol. Multitasking helps me.

4. Regular routine - and not overdoing it when I feel good. If I am learning anything, it is patience. I walk around slower. I take breaks to sit down more frequently. Etc. I am learning to just be patient with my body and not push it. I am walking with a cane and leg brace now wich is always frustrating but on days when I decide not to use my cane because its too much hassle to try and juggle things that take two hands I feel way worse than If I ask for help from a coworker or student.

Everyone's situation is different, there are many days when I feel I am alone, or like I am useless, or that it will never get better so why bother. You are not alone, I know it sounds cliche to say hang in there, but... Hang in there

/hug

I had to laugh
 

So, I'm in the bathroom this morning, getting ready for work. I open the medicine cabinet, and actually burst out laughing.
6 years ago, the only med I took, was for depression/anxiety. (I still do, and I won't survive without my lexapro).
Now...my medicine cabinet looks like the top row at the pharmacy at Cub Foods.
Good God!!! There are pills for BP...pills for cholesterol...pills for depression...pill (3 of 'em) for my crappy feet.
Geeez....I need a suitcase for my drugs when I go to New York!!!:winky:

At least we can joke I guess. Humor is good medicine. I agree that if I ever get well if I see another doctor it will be too soon. I am younger then the average with this and that is the comment I always get at the doctors office that your too young to be here. I always say I am wearing a costume I really am 80 inside.
Anyhow I think for me support groups like this help me feel less alone which I feel in my every day life. I feel like an alien almost and can't even imagine what a "normal" life or body is any more. I really like the coping mechanisms people suggest here. I find people's suggestions on how to cope that actually face this every day a benefit. The hard part is when family and doctors tell me how to cope or how I am not. It aggrevates me.
kreink I find your suggestions helpful too.
For me it has also been trying to find things that I can do that I may have not wanted to before this but now does lift my spirits. Like beading or a board game.On the note of stairs I too live on a top floor but anyhow for a month I was staying on a one floor house and so I did not do stairs. Well when I moved I had to do them and let me tell you from not doing them everyday I had a real hard time relearning. I know everyone is different and for some stairs is not a possibility but now it really makes me aware of when I don't do normal tasks that people without pain do naturally I have a real hard time. That is like one summer I stopped wearing socks and then I could not tolerate them for a long time. Ok enough of my novel.