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It's been almost two years since I was forced to retire because I couldn't sit at a desk, let alone go to job sites or client meetings, but the pain has been there and growing for four years… after three years of "just" pins & needles/numbness. God, I wish I could go back to that point. That numbness is now above my ankles, and the pain is 3/4 towards my heels. I'm 60, but completely healthy, perfect blood work, no aches or pains, literally no other health issues. And this means that I have a couple of decades of hell. As bad as it is now, I know what's coming… numbness all the way up to god knows where, pain everywhere. The neurologists, all four of them I've seen so far, tell me that once it's high enough on my legs to where my hands are when I put them down… well, then it'll start in my hands. I've tried everything, from the Mayo Clinic to hypnotists to kinesiologists and rheumatologists. 4 or 6 different anti-depressants (I was told that people who have neuropathy AND depression sometimes get some relief from them), purposely lost 40 pounds (242 down to 222, at 6'-4"), significantly cut down on sugars and carbs, tried every supplement, including Lipoic Acid (but I'm gonna try it again after this), B-12 shots for months, every creme and salve and balm, quack electric shock pads and vibrating things, and I'll keep trying things… even though I know it won't work. And no one knows why I have it, why it's so bad, or what to do. Gabapentin has a few side effects, but they barely take the pain down one point. So it's five 600mg pills a day, for not much result. When I wake up at 5 am, I'm at a 3 and if I do nothing but sit in a recliner it'll go up to a 6 or 7 by bedtime… if I do anything - doctor appts or other chores out of the house, or laundry, dishes, sitting at a desk - all in 15 minute stretches, I feel like screaming, so I have to trade off pain for accomplishing even the simplest task. I hate not working, I hate hobbling everywhere I go, I hate feeling useless, I hate when people admire my walking stick but can't see or understand the pain. I thank the great infinite for my wife and my adult son who lives with us, I'd be lost without them but I feel terrible they have to witness and help with it all. I've always been the provider, the protector, the man who got things done. Add that feeling to the physical pain, and all I can think is… God damn this pain. I was honestly about to give up. To just accept that this was my life now, decades of burning, numbness, and trading pain for accomplishing even the simplest task. One night in particular, I couldn't sleep at all. My legs were buzzing, my feet felt like they were screaming, and I was just lying there staring at the ceiling thinking... is this really how the rest of my life is going to be? My wife and I spent nearly two hours that night searching online for something, anything I hadn't already tried. And that's when we came across something called a grounding mat. I'll be honest, when I first read about it I thought... yeah right. After everything I've been through? Some mat is gonna help? But my wife said we might as well try it. At this point, what did we have to lose? So I ordered one. When it arrived, even my son was skeptical. Hell, I was skeptical. But I just went with it. After using it for about a week, I started noticing things. The burning, buzzing feeling in my feet wasn't as consuming at night. The constant aching felt a little more manageable day to day. My body felt calmer instead of stuck in fight-or-flight mode 24/7. And for the first time in a long time... I felt like I could actually rest. I don't know exactly how it works, something about discharging electrical stress and helping calm down an overactive nervous system. Honestly, I don't care about the science. If it helps, it helps. What I love about the mat is how easy it is to use. You can put it under your feet while sitting, place it on the couch while watching TV, or keep it beside you during the day. You don't have to change your routine at all. That was three months ago. I'm still using it every single day. And I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm not 100% okay. I still have neuropathy. I still have pain. But the pain is genuinely more manageable now. For the first time in years, I've even been able to do some work again, part-time, from home. I can sit for longer stretches without immediately feeling like screaming. I can help with small chores again... laundry, dishes, basic things around the house... without paying for it as brutally afterward. That might sound small to someone healthy. But to someone who's been living like this? It feels like getting part of your life back. I'm not saying this is some miracle cure. But it's helped me more than anything else I've tried in the last four years. It's now part of my daily routine, and alongside the gabapentin and everything else I'm doing, it's been one of the most comforting tools I've found just to get through the day a little easier. They're running some kind of sale right now (I think 67% off for new customers?). If you're dealing with this same nightmare and you're desperate like I was, might be worth a shot. The one I use is from GroundingWell: https://www.groundingwell.com/products/groundingwell-mat If anyone else here has found something that actually helps with this hell, I'd love to hear about it. We need to help each other out.