Diabetic neuropathy

[SteveH1980]

Good Afternoon All,

I am currently suffering from Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) which was brought on by stress at work and high blood glucose levels. I am keen to know if others have had the same condition, and whether treatment was successful and the pain subsided or went away. I have had pain in my legs and shins for the past couple of months, and now my stomach. I went to see the doctor on Monday and i have been signed off work and prescribed with Diazepam. I have a blood test booked for Monday.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @SteveH1980 Some people ( certainly in the 'red' forum) have reported that after years of normal HbAc1's their diabetic neuropathy (and diabetic retinopathy) has improved.
In one case a guy was saying that his diabetes had been severe enough to need a toe amputated, but that after some years (forget how many) of Low Carbing and getting HbA1C's back in the 'normal' range he no longer suffered from neuropathy.
Others have reported that putting T2 diabetes into remission after already having had some neuropathy isn't a walk in the park because in some the pain gets worse temporarily as the nerves regrow.

Good luck!

 

[mikeyB]

Hi @SteveH1980, welcome to the forum🙂

Is the pain you get there all the time, or does it occur or get worse after walking? Sounds more like Anterior Compartment Syndrome than neuropathy, which tends to affect sensation round the extremities before affecting higher regions, and rather than starting with pain in the middle of the leg. It is possible, but less likely than a simple mechanical problem.

If you are taking any pain medication such as Brufen or Voltarol, that might account for the stomach pain, which again is not typical of diabetic neuropathy.

 

[Inka]

There’s no need to Low Carb to get a good HbA1C. The OP is Type 1 not Type 2. Even if this isn’t neuropathy @SteveH1980 i hope you get support in sorting your stress and high levels. Stress can really affect control.

 

[Flower]

Hi @SteveH1980 and welcome

Sorry you are having issues with neuropathic pain. How was it diagnosed and have you been prescribed any drugs?

The main cause of peripheral neuropathy - legs, feet, arms hands is higher glucose, stress really does affect glucose control but isn't a direct cause of neuropathy. Are you getting help from your Diabetes team -if you have one- have you been able to use Abbotts Libre to see the bigger picture of where and when your levels are going out of range? Vitamin B is important to support a good nervous system so make sure to get that checked

I've lived with neuropathic pain in my feet for years and it is a horrid pain that doesn't improve with normal painkillers but there are drugs which can be prescribed - Duloxetine, Amytriptoline, Gabapentin, Pregabalin etc but I've found it takes a trial approach to get the best dose of drug/drugs to work for you and even then it doesn't necessarily make the pain go away completely. Getting your glucose under the best control you can is the best approach and the thing that will help most. Hopefully things will start to settle and improve for you. It can be a slow process especially if your levels have been on the higher side for a while.

I haven't experienced stomach pain from neuropathy but there are autonomic neuropathies such as gastroparesis that affect food digestion

This is from the Diabetes UK site on neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage)

What is diabetic neuropathy? Diabetic neuropathy is when diabetes causes damage to your nerves. It can affect different types of nerves in your body, including in your feet, organs and muscles. Nerves carry messages between the brain and every part of our bodies so that we can see, hear, feel...

www.diabetes.org.uk

Good luck, I hope you get some appropriate help and things start to improve for you.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @SteveH1980

Sorry to hear about the pain you are experiencing. Hope you manage to find a combination of approaches that help to control and reduce the discomfort.

From reading others’ experiences over the years, it does seem that keeping your blood glucose levels as stable and in-range as you are able to, helps a great deal. Erratic, elevated and unstable BGs seem to be a trigger for neuropathic pain, if that’s what you are experiencing.