It's 8pm. Your feet are on fire. Again.
You're sitting on the couch, trying to relax. But you can't. Because the second your feet touch ANYTHING - the sheets, your socks, even the floor - it's like someone's holding a blowtorch to them.
You've tried gabapentin. Pregabalin. Lidocaine cream. Acupuncture. You've seen neurologists who shrug and say "it's chronic." Physical therapists who tell you to "just rest more."
But here's what nobody tells you: the burning doesn't stop you from walking. It stops you from LIVING.
You avoid going out because you don't know if you'll make it through the grocery store without your feet screaming. You cancel plans because yesterday you walked too much and today you're paying for it. You lie in bed with your feet hanging off the edge because ANY contact triggers the fire.
This isn't in your head. It's small fiber neuropathy. And while there's no cure, there IS a way to manage the burning without drowning yourself in medications that make you feel like a zombie.