Andrew’s PN Journey Timeline 2025

74 years old

Having come to terms with the fact that the South Korea Brompton cycling trip was probably my last extended cycling trip I felt that I still needed to just do something a little on the more unusual side of things, whilst I still could.

I’ll be damned before I give up and spend my days sitting indoors watching day time TV.

So, for many reasons I chose to settle for a multi country tour without a bike in South East Asia: Philippines – Vietnam – Cambodia.

Left the UK on the 29th January 2025 and returned on the 28th February 2025.

The Philippines first, Manila for a few days then Vietnam Da Nang for a week then Cambodia Siem Reap for a week then back to Cebu in the Philippines then onto Iloilo also in the Philippines then back to Manilla in order to catch my flight back to the UK…Phew!

The flights to and from the UK and the Philippines were broken up into about 6 hour units by stopping for a few hours in each leg in Kuwait.

For this trip I actually went on a total of 11 aeroplanes, slept in 9 different beds, had 3 all nighters without a bed and proper sleep either on a plane or in an airport…waiting for a plane.

Something else was really showing up for me now, just how difficult it was becoming to take photographs.

Of course the peripheral neuropathy was the main reason for difficulty because if I’m holding either a phone or camera and trying to take a shot, I’m not  focusing my sight on a static object for my balance reference. As I’m holding the camera or phone I am not even using my arms for additional balance help.

But also the walking stick that I now use constantly for balance is an issue.

How do you hold a walking stick with one hand and a camera or phone with the other, frame the shot and take the shot – without falling over?

So each shot requires a lot of forward planning like is there something for me to lean against etc.
Just another aspect to living with peripheral neuropathy.

Throughout this holiday I was using my walking stick all of the time and with no surprise on 3 occasions, two in a shop and once in a public loo I left the walking stick behind and needed to go back for it.
Interestingly I’ve never left it behind anywhere when back home.

• Over the 28 days away I found myself with swollen ankles 15 times, left ankle mainly.
• I had 4 nearly falling over ‘trips’.
• 8 nearly falling over ‘slips’ always on those bloody stupid highly polished floor tiles you often find in Hotels, Airports (Heathrow included) and Shopping malls found all across South East Asia.

It was during this trip that I first gave some thought to creating a website dedicated to Peripheral Neuropathy sufferers. As it was during this trip I found myself constantly going online to research some of my more recent PN symptoms, especially related to the actual traveling with PN aspect.
I could not find too much information online, mainly medical sites.
Hence the reason you are reading this now on mypnjourney.com.

On returning home and back to base in Devon, on my way from the bus stop to my home with a small backpack and a walking stick I was feeling totally exhausted and although it was only a distance of less than a mile towards the end I could barely walk and was having to stop for a rest every 10 steps or so.
I eventually made it home and it took me a good week to get back to an acceptable level of normal.

Whilst away I had not felt this exhausted at any time and never before when returning home from a holiday.

It was now obvious to me (Again) that perhaps this type of holiday was also no longer a good choice because of that now ever present ‘elephant in the room’…Peripheral Neuropathy.

Around March April time I was back to my regular exercise routine. I was walking for about 2 hours everyday, most days 10,000 steps.
As well as my usual static exercises I started doing some simple, basic Tai chi routines that I had learnt whilst in China all those years before.
The Tai chi did help with my balance but I was noticing that these routines were no longer as easy as I had found them in the past.

Summary of my PN symptoms at this stage up until end of 2025:

• My official Handle – Label – Badge:
  ‘Idiopathic Sensory Motor Axonal Polyneuropathy’
• Using the walking stick when out, it is now a permanent fixture.
• When I’m walking barefoot across a floor I can sense / feel if the floor is hot or cold.
  That’s a good thing, Right?  – I’d like to find out why!
• Immediate loss of balance when I closed my eyes.
• Often feet felt cold. Cold when going to bed and toasty warm in the morning.
• Cannot run or jog. Although for a few weeks mid year after wearing the foot stirrups I did nearly jog, once.
• Sitting down in hard chairs (kitchen chairs) seating on Buses for more than 15 minutes and my walking is impaired.
• Short haul and long haul flights were now causing swollen ankles and walking issues.
• Still only sometimes walking upright, straight back, head up and looking forward into the distance as I walked but this is now seldom and most of the time looking down at the pavement in front as I walk. Brings a whole new meaning to the song “Chasing Pavements“
• Still cycling occasionally, locally. When riding and using the bike as a walking aid I can look up and around without too much concern Brilliant!
• Unaccountable fatigue.
• Stairs and steps had now become more troublesome, especially going down.
• My gait has changed and my stride length is shorter.
• More intense feelings – sensations of numbness, tightness and swelling in feet, ankles and lower legs more often than not, also a sensation like I was wearing tightly fitting knee length socks sometimes occurring.
• A constant reminder everyday on waking that my body was no longer what I had once considered normal.
  And luckily for me, still no pain.