"In the weeks leading up to my daughter's birth, it felt like a boa constrictor was wrapped around my legs. I had trouble with my coordination, and my legs felt very tight. My doctor told me it was peripheral neuropathy, a nerve damage condition that affects the limbs, hands, and feet. The pain spreads differently for everyone. For me, it causes pain and discomfort in my quads, and I have almost no feeling in my feet."
"The symptoms just kept getting worse. After my daughter was born, I was worried about holding her and doing all the tasks that dads usually do, due to my muscle weakness and trouble with my balance. That was over a year ago, and my diagnosis is still evolving. My wife and my now-1-year-old daughter have helped me through this whole process."
Wesley Graft, 37, developed peripheral neuropathy in the weeks before his daughter's birth, experiencing tightness, coordination trouble, and loss of reflex in his legs and feet. The condition causes pain in his quads and nearly no feeling in his feet, with symptoms worsening after the birth. Graft and his wife both work full-time in education—she as a preschool teacher and he as a director of student services—and they rely on coordination, planning, and a support network to manage childcare and jobs. Graft uses a cane for balance at work and keeps moving during the day to reduce pain. His diagnosis remains evolving.
Read at Business Insider
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