Welcome to Life with Neuropathy. My name's John and I have peripheral neuropathy. Today let's talk about mobility. To give you a point of reference, less than a year ago I was enjoying the Daddy-Daughter dance at my child's wedding. Today I need a walker to get around. Find out more at Let's Talk about Changes.
A walker? Really? Read more about walkers here. To be honest I never thought that I'd even need a cane. Why was I so smug? No particular reason except that I'd always been relatively healthy so why would I start having problems with balance now? I'd never thought about the word neuropathy, didn't really know what it was. Or how it would change my entire world. Read more about my neuropathy journey at Let Me Introduce Myself.
To be honest, I've always had great difficulty finding comfortable shoes but that's how it's been since I started having to wear them. I grew up going barefoot mostly. I'd kick those shoes off as soon as I could. As an adult I learned that dress shoes were the worst. I tried every ergonomic expensive shoe there was and none of them worked for me.
I didn't ever think a time would come when I'd need help to remain stable. Thankfully, my walker has really helped. Of course, it's either that or constantly worrying about falling. Learn about "walker envy" here.
Funny how quickly things changed. When I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy I was fine dealing with the proprioception issues. I didn't need a cane but at times I did use my arms like a trapeze artist, swinging them wildly at times to keep from toppling over. Not a good plan. I needed more help, so I started using a cane. Not always though. Some mornings I felt good enough to take a few steps holding counter edges and furniture to keep me on track. And then it all became too hard. And I realized I would always need a cane. But I was wrong. I ultimately needed two canes.
And then a walker. I don't feel safe without something to keep me standing and to help support me when I walk. Find out how famous a walker can become here. Without an assistive device I move slowly, unsteadily. I feel like a toddler who weaves and nearly falls but then, just barely, catches himself. Hopefully. It's not fun. It's stressful and makes me anxious about what my mobility capabilities will be in 6 months or a year.
This is not the way I wanted things to be. But neither do I want to be bed-ridden without the opportunity to do things for myself or see people outside the confines of my home. So I'll do what needs to be done, use the tools at my disposal. And just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep moving... I would be grateful for your thoughts. Let's talk.
Thanks for listening.
John
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Thanks, Clem, for the awesome image. Photo by https://unsplash.com/@clemonojeghuo
Hi! My mum suffers from Neuropathy and I sadly see in her all the things you have just described. I am really worried about her mobility capabilities. I try to convince her to exercise more but it is hard for her. I hope someday someone finds a cure.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are encouraging your mum to try to move and get some exercise. Since I have neuropathy as well I know how difficult and challenging it is to try to maintain movement when you're in so much pain. I, too, would be grateful for a cure for everyone suffering with this difficult disease. We definitely should never give up hope!
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