Originally Posted by NOS88

He suffers from peripheral neuropathy from years of heavy use of pharmaceuticals to control epilepsy. He's exhausted current treatments and has been told that he will have a steady decline in most motor functions as the myelin sheath continues to degrade. Just in the last 3 months he's lost the ability to climb steps without assistance. His nerve endings don't register the same clues we take for granted. For example, he'll quickly lose his balance because he has virtually no feeling in his feet any longer. So, as his weight shifts, the nerves don't register with the brain that there is more or less pressure. The other sad thing about this is that he's experienced a significant decline in cognitive abilities. He has a much harder time processing information at a normal speed. If you ask him a question, it may 2 to 3 times as long for him to answer it as it did in the past. Hence, quick decision-making just isn't going to work. He gave up driving over a year ago, and has a companion dog to help keep him oriented when out in public places.