I posted this on a Neuropathy Forum and thought I would share it with my readers as well:

“I am a writer and here is my problem, and I bet it is yours, too. During the day, I do okay, but once I get in bed, the pain begins. Sometimes the medications helps, but often my feet burn and that keeps me awake. My doctor discourages sleeping pills, so that is not an option, although he does give me a small amount of them.

Recently I have begun to have tremors, which are unrelated to the neuropathy. Now my neuropathy meds and tremor meds don’t all agree. Thus begins another round of trying to figure out how I can manage to medicate both without one med interfering with another.

No one understands this, nor do I expect them to. I don’t understand it myself. I just know that my cardinal advice to myself is : “Don’t overdo!” Bernie Siegel has told me to “Honor my limits” and I like that advice a lot. Even if no one understands, I understand that saying NO is some of the best medicine that I have at my disposal.

I am blessed that what I love to do best does not require me to stand on my feet or walk. I am used to a sedentary life style, although that does not bode well for my overall health.

I love my neurologist and he is working with me to figure out which meds help the most for each condition. Neither condition is curable, but neither is it life-threatening. It is a condition that frequently leads to depression, because there are so many pain-filled nights. A new med for the tremors made me nauseous for hours yesterday and my doctor is out of the office until Monday. Until then, I shall keep on keeping on.

Someone said that my videos seemed especially joyful lately and I am grateful for that. I study every day and now and then something new pops into my spiritual vision. Today it was this: “Conscious inner silence is the presence of God.” Don’t try to analyze this or make it something you have to discuss. Just sit with the words and see what happens.

Vicki Woodyard