His neuropathy started after a decade of type 2 diabetes. The burning began at the toes, crept to the ankles, and turned his feet into something between numb and unbearably sensitive at the same time.
He described it as "standing on hot sand that also can't feel anything."
He slept with one foot out from under the covers, because the sheet on his toes felt like it was on fire.
His neurologist prescribed Gabapentin. Then Lyrica. Then both.
He gained 22 pounds. The brain fog was so bad he stopped doing the crossword puzzle he'd done every morning for 30 years. The pain came back anyway.
Twice that winter he fell, and had to call me to come help him up off the floor.
He tried B12 injections. Nerve conduction studies. Alpha-lipoic acid supplements. Physical therapy three times a week at $90 a visit.
Temporary relief. Every single time.
His podiatrist told him this was simply what living with neuropathy meant.
I believed it too. Because that's what we were trained to believe.