The monster is out of the cage!
 

Hi everyone... I've been doing well. I decided to pop in at the Holidays and see how everyone is doing. I see the snow and tough winter weather is hard on many of you. Bob, be careful! I've had two torn rotator cuffs due to falls! :eek:

Having P/N is like being an alcoholic. You have a disease. (though I'm not, my daughter is a drug addict... and I've been through re-hab with her)... once you are diagnosed with this disease, you have to live with it, and remember each and every day to respect your body and treat it as if you were treating a body with a disease. Even if you are feeling "almost normal"... you can't go back to being normal... because you aren't! :cool: You have a disease and you have to remember to eat, exercise, walk, dress, and rest, like a person with this disease or it will attack you again! I let my guard down, and it got out of the cage and attacked me again.

I am back in pain again. I was feeling "almost normal" myself. The holidays are coming, my daughters and I are living together again. I'm active in my church and there are big changes happening at work. Oh, I moved again in October, so my commute is almost 2 hours each way by train and subway. So, I don't eat right, I haven't been remembering my medications and supplements and last week I got attacked by the monster. I slept for 30 hours, and since I woke up, my feet have been on fire, I feel the broken glass again, I'm now getting tingling in my hands (which I never had before) and my legs are itchy.

I thought I'd give myself a dose of "newby" posts on the boards, and come back and visit the wise ones who keep this board going. Sort of a self imposed penance. I need to be here to keep myself on track.

Thank you all for being here.:hug: All you newbies, the wise ones here pulled me up from the depths of despair. There are some very dark moments, some very scary moments. There are a lot of incredibly painful moments... and you learn to deal with the pain, one way or another. Four years ago, I was in a wheelchair, to a walker, to canes, to just walking near a wall for security. I work full time now, have two grown daughters, a beautiful granddaughter, and a professional career. There is hope... there is medication, and there is life WITH Peripheral Neuropathy. Just learn to take care of yourself. It's a long road... it's a hard road, not for the faint of heart. But on the days when your heart is feeling faint... come here, and the strong ones will hold your hand, (I would start preaching, but this isn't the place for it.... :) )

Thanks, Terri
My wife had a rotator cuff issue (she's a nurse- it happened lifting a patient) and it was a long road to recovery without surgery.
I just strained my neck muscles (trying not to hit my head on the ice) and have a bruise on my leg/hip.
That 30 hours of sleep, without meds, would make me feel like the depths of Hades when I finally woke up.
If I miss taking my meds, every 6-8 hrs, I go thru the tortures of the damned.

It's nice to see you again, sorry it's in this way though. The cold weather has been bad for me...my feet are hurting again, buzzing at times, and my hands aren't happy. Hopefully, it goes away when the cold weather does.

Hi Terri. I too love to come here and read the posts of the "wise ones" who in my opinion know even more then some of the professionals. They are living with it, and have done countless research and are rich in knowledge. Though I come across many posts where people are suffering and appear to be getting worse, I also keep reading the stickys where people have described getting better and staying that way. I am still at the stage where there have been improvements, but the flaring reminds me that this disease is always there and maybe always will be. But I will have hope that maybe, just maybe, my nerves will heal and I will feel normal or near to normal again....at least with the neuropathy. I am also dealing with other health problems. The winter and and the cold weather have really stirred things up pain wise, like so many others seem to feel as well. Anyway, God bless everyone here, we are all true brothers and sisters and even though we don't know each other personally, we are all very deeply connected.

Welcome back good person!
 

Don't ya hate it when it comes back and BITES you? Usually just when you are getting used to something a bit more normal than before.... It feels soo good when it sort-of stops?
I hope and pray that things get better for you in the near future, that something's set things off and that you can be your own detective and figure out what that 'thing/things' might be.
Keep faith in yourself and your own smart skills! Keep faith that something out there can HELP YOU!
Hoping for a super holiday for you - more so because of the pain. :hug::hug:'s - j

I am sorry you are having a relapse. I wonder if sitting for 4 hrs a day on that train hasn't triggered you somehow?

My husband wanted a new chair for the desk upstairs, and so he picked out one at Costco a week ago. But it hurts ME to sit in it, because it seems to hit me funny on the backs of my thighs. Then my feet end up hurting more later in the day. I have longer legs than he does, so his just fit on the seat. So the seats in the trains, maybe hitting you in a similar way?

So
 

Merry Christmas All!

Teri
 

Hey there sugar pie,get better ya all here.

Aaaand mrs. d I'm back in those una boots again ta,k about big old thghts
ouch..Happy holidays to all of you sweetheats..Glad you stopprd by once
again Teri.:eek: :) Sue

Feeling Better!!! Thank you all !
 

Hey there... I'm back on track now! Back on my meds, stayed away from all that sugar and am eating healthy again. Now I'm just back to the "normal" levels of pain! :eek: Burning and occasional zaps. I can handle them.

I am starting a s-l-o-w exercise program this week .... walking 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon. Trying to take off an additional 20 pounds to see if I can help break through some of this pain.

I have 40 pounds to lose, but I figure if I set my goal at 20, it's easier to achieve. Then if I do well, I can raise it later, and if I don't, I won't beat myself up so bad!

So, do y'all remember my daughter who was addicted to Meth? She has one year clean and sober!!!!! Woo Hooo! Praise the Lord! I'm so incredibly proud of her! This was the best Christmas in 7 years for me! I have both my kids healthy, my granddaughter is with us, I am feeling strong now, and it looks like we are on our way up! I even broke down crying in Church on Christmas Eve when my little Granddaughter and her best friend were singing in front of the whole church... it was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen (from my perspective!) Both my girls were there with me, drug and alcohol free... my grandbaby was up there in front of the church singing Silent Night with her beautiful innocent voice... and all was right with the world!!!!! :D

May all of you be as blessed as I feel in the coming new year!

That was a blessed Christmas gift.

keep up the good work walking!

Hi Seams like stitches......glad you are back on track. I'm new here and I'm going to try to get involved although I don't know much. I was wondering about your name? Are you a sewer, quilter or other crafter? I'm a sewer and mostly a quilter. I only get a fraction done what I used to but I think about it every day and always have a project or 10 going. Good luck to you. Raina

I am so disgusted with myself. I have a grandson due at the end of Jan. and I have not finished his baby blanket. I can not crochet anymore. My hands hurt and don't work. I did a crochet and a quilt for my grand daughter last Feb., and can not do this blanket for love nor money.....ugh!

This is the price of not taking pain pills. There is a trade off. Well, I hit Carters and the other baby stores and bought a ton of stuff. I mailed it, and one package was stolen! GRRRR. I can't win!

Great Terri that you are gonna go SLOW!
 

Remember we are now 'tortoises' not 'hares'? Slow and steady will win our races for us. Plus a good dose of stubborness?
As long as your daughter stays good? Please give her hugs from ME! I've met folks who've been addicted, and it's nasty stuffs - even harder to get and keep off of! So Love and good respect are coming my way to her! And some extra hope and encouragements for the coming days.
We all do what we can PN Pain wise? But I've found that getting off the pain meds [except for the really bad days?] is the best way to gauge yourself. Further, I've found that those meds would only take about 10-15% of the pain edge away. No more.
This past summer? I'd injured myself BIG-Time and I was on morpheine....do you know? That 10-15% edge off was all it did! Tho my mind was so muzzied I honestly didn't care? Thus I just slept. Which Is what I shoulda been doing any how. I'd been on the anti-seizure pain meds menu prescribed for us who have various PN's? Some meds helped a 'bit' others had side effects so bad the pain was better! And, it was those meds that contributed to my injury in some ways. But, At least I was informed? And gave them up to other meds which did an equal amout of damage. Being Informed and learning to live with the pain - when not asked for? Is a hard decision. But for me a good one?
The only advice I'd give you about the weight loss? Is to make your loss goals smaller. That way each FIVE pounds would be a BIGGER milestone and one more cause to self-celebrate! Yeah! Can go out and get a 'restaurant' chef's salad! [Hey I order it and it lasts me 3 days w/the leftovers!] No cooking! Lots of little bits add up to BIG bits much more easily. Trust me on this! Hope and HUGS and GOOD THINGS! - j :hug::hug::hug:'s

You guys keep me going
 

I love to come back here and read your posts. Yes I am a quilter, a seamstress, a knitter, and a crocheter. I do as much as I can with my hands. I am blessed that my hands have not been affected. :)

I have lost four pounds since I started my walking... it's been two weeks. They say two pounds a week, and I'm right on track. I find if I take a break in the morning and one in the afternoon, it helps to balance out the pain.

If you can't still make things with your hands, it must be hard if you have done it all your life. I am trying to think of what you could do for ones you love. :eek: For those of us who have always made gifts for loved ones, store bought ones just don't seem personal enough. What about making a scrap book? Or a video? Something that isn't so tedious, but still is personal. :o

Thank you all for your love and support! :grouphug:

I had to quit sewing by hand when I was pregnant (29yrs ago). My hands just cannot handle crochet or a needle. When I fix a seam or minor thing by hand now, I have only a 15 min. window and a long recovery. This is the result of my carpal tunnel. As long as I don't stress it, I am fine. But I crocheted since I was about 7 yrs old. And also did embroidery. sigh :rolleyes:

I used to sew, as well and now my shoulders get so balled up and tense, I suffer for a week. This is so irritating. I can relate. I can still crochet, but for limited time....carpal tunnel and severe hand pain....stinks. The disease does cause limits, and I am always bumping up against them.

i sew to repair things like rips etc. but i have to really watch what im doing since i have sewn my finger to the fabric a few times and didnt realize it until i saw the blood.