Full or part time work?
 

Just curious how many of you can work full or part-time with your Neuopathy and if so what type of work do you do? Also, have you found you need tools for example such as voice recognition software to assist you or other devices to get through the day?

Cliffman:grouphug:

I have found that I have been able to work a 9-5 job and in many ways it helped distract from the pain. Being on gabapentin affects my ability to remember things as quickly as i would like to as well as some of the other side effects causing some minor issues. Sometimes typing and detailed hand work could be a little more tiring than I would like. I just had to learn how to time the medication and the supplements to work within the work schedule - and learning when to expect pain and prepare for it. So, it basically kept me from being an aggressive climb the ladder - get out of my way worker and more of a busy worker guy. Which I was fine with because I felt at least, normal. And getting a check every week feels great. I currently work from home and certainly prefer it becuase i can always lie down for lunch.

We can do a lot more than we think with SFN, we just have to push ourselves to do it. I know small fiber is different from other forms. I know some are much worse than me, I SUPPOSEDLY have a mild case :confused:. Man it hurts though. But, the best thing any of us can do is FIGHT I know that. What doesn't kill you will strengthen you.

Hi Patrick,

I too work from home ..or at least I did until all this started with the heart attack and now the PN. I handled a tech support desk in the auto security industry. I have to return soon or I will lose the job and my health insurance.

I just started taking the Gapapentin...one pill last night and one this morning. My resting heart rate at the doctors and on a home monitor was 102...I assume this is medicine.

Cliffman :)

Gaba-chat
 

Gaba gets different results from different people so I will only relate my experience. I know that many go upward of 3000 mg/day so be ready if your Dr. suggests more dosage. I went up to 900 per day and had a little"brain fog" but no real issues. I quit it after a time because I thought it ineffective until I quit it. I realized that it had been doing a little good because the pins, needles,zaps increased without it. Being stubborn I am still off of it but would start back again if I became worse. I didn't get any sense of pulse changes. My stream of symptoms have changed over time so it's like the weather. The changes for me would cycle in and out about every six months. Ranging from pins, needles,zaps to deep muscle and lumbar,hip, knee pain. Medications that I am currently OFF are Hydrocodone-Gaba-Ambien. As far as your work, the less you think about PN the smaller it looms. Please don't quit because you THINK you have to. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Mine has gone up a bit on it right after I take it. My resting at the doctor's office yesterday was 91. BP was 104/70. But there's some white coat syndrome in there as well. I was a bit panicky as I always am at the Dr. MY BP has either dropped a bit or stayed the same on it though. I worry about BP a tad more. The reality with gabbies like everything else is weighing the pain with the side effects and reduction of pain.

Hi Cliffman,

I'm a field engineer that works in industrial settings. About half the time, I am working in various industrial plants, which involves a lot of walking, stair and ladder climbing, etc. The rest of the time I am doing my paperwork from home.

My PN has taken a strange course, starting with rapid onset of mostly muscular symptoms, but then switching over to mostly sensory symptoms (mostly foot pain, numb toes, and burning/stinging sensations in various areas.)

I found this site pretty early on, and the advice here (particularly supplements) plus taking gabapentin has kept my pain at a tolerable level. I missed a little work early on when I had some days where I felt too weak to go out. But I've been able to tough it out since. There are a lot of days when I leave a plant, get to my car as fast as I can, and pull my shoes off to get some relief :eek:

I'm in my early 50's with 2 kids in college. I'm hoping I can at least keep working it until the kids graduate.

Best of luck to you. It's been tough for me, and I know there are many out there struggling with a lot worse symptoms than I have.

9-5 as a mechanical designer in the hightech industrie becoming 52 in a couple of weeks.
I dont have much pain anymore just starting to get more numbnes.
I dont take any medication i have taken the supplents for years,but when i started getting this the first years i had something like a 100 electro acapuncture treatments.
I am still looking for something that can heal my nerves

Not sure I'm going to continue with the Gaba because I was very nauseas this afternoon and that's on only 100 mg pill...once last night and this morning. :(

Cliffman

Wow did the acupuncture give you decent relief? Sounds like you're able to do a lot despite the pain/numbness.

Cliffman

All the best to you Ragtop262...you certainly have a lot on your plate. It's not's easy to raise kids, work etc even if one's healthy, never mind adding PN to the mix. I admire you.

Cliffman