Freezing feet.

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flubaluba

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Type 2
My question for the experts is what to do about freezing feet that are warm to the touch, I had tests done and there is no sign of nerve damage. But this feeling of ice running through my veins really affects my life a lot. If anyone knows how to get rid of the feeling or experience it themselves I would really appreciate some input, I tried hot water bottle but ended up burning my feet and it still feeling ice cold. My glucose level only dropped this last week when I started the jardiance 25mg tablets and metformin in the morning and has been in high teens, low twenties for many years, now on Friday gone it dropped to 5.4 and has not gone higher than 8.2 after eating. Amazing results fron taking jardiance. Even when in hospital with covid, insulin injections did not help lower my levels as much as they would have liked so I am chuffed but this feeling of ice in my feet started about 6 months ago. Other medication I take is symbostatin for blood pressure, which has been perfect since i started taking it. Glicizade for diabetes too and ramiprol for cholesterol, nothing else.

Please if anyone knows of a quick fix or even something that will help over time could you contact me here and let me know.

As my chemist warned of glucose levels going too low I panicked when I first got a reading of 5.4 so looked at a sensor, freestyle libre from abbott, to monitor my levels 24/7 for 14 days they advise it works that long which would be perfect in case my readings go too low until they stabalise. Any ideas if it is worth the 50 pounds for a sensor, is it accurate, does it really work?

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies

Andrew
 
Welcome to the forum
Have you tried thermal socks but improving your circulation by keeping your feet moving, wiggling your toes, may help.
What dietary regime do you have in addition to the medication as trying to keep your blood glucose as stable as possible as fluctuating levels can cause nerve issues. The feelings you are getting could be because your body is having to get used to lower levels after being at high levels for a long time. Bringing your level down slowly can help avoid issues with nerves and eyes which some people get.
The Libre sensors can be useful as long as you understand the limitations and how to interpret the information it gives you.
The sort of blood glucose levels you are aiming at are 4-7mmol/l fasting and before meals and no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal so using your monitor you can see what foods and meals you can tolerate.
 
flubaluba said:
As my chemist warned of glucose levels going too low I panicked when I first got a reading of 5.4 so looked at a sensor, freestyle libre from abbott, to monitor my levels 24/7 for 14 days they advise it works that long which would be perfect in case my readings go too low until they stabalise.
Click to expand...
5.4 is a normal blood sugar it’s not too low at all. You are unlikely to get dangerous low blood sugars on your current medication so I’d say a freestyle libre is overkill given you have a fingerprick meter for if there are any hypos.

If you want to try a libre you can order the free trial but it wouldn’t be something you’d get on prescription. If the libre says you have a low blood sugar you should still test with fingerprick meter to confirm.
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum
Have you tried thermal socks but improving your circulation by keeping your feet moving, wiggling your toes, may help.
What dietary regime do you have in addition to the medication as trying to keep your blood glucose as stable as possible as fluctuating levels can cause nerve issues. The feelings you are getting could be because your body is having to get used to lower levels after being at high levels for a long time. Bringing your level down slowly can help avoid issues with nerves and eyes which some people get.
The Libre sensors can be useful as long as you understand the limitations and how to interpret the information it gives you.
The sort of blood glucose levels you are aiming at are 4-7mmol/l fasting and before meals and no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal so using your monitor you can see what foods and meals you can tolerate.
Click to expand...
I do have pressure socks as given by the diabetes nurse but do not feel they help, i have the feeling of ice in my feet all the time it just gets much worse when i am in bed and keeps me up until i am exhausted (full day and night with no sleep) and then fall asleep. Even wiggling the toes and rubbing the feet against each other does nothing to help, tried massaging them as i thought it might be blood flow problems but that did not help at all , definitely not nerve damage as the diabetic nurse tested and the doc said all looks good, also said my overall bloods look excellent. Only my glucose test looked bad , increased from 82 from previous blood test to 91 and is why the doc gave me the jardiance tablets,I am hoping in three months when i have blood tests again the 91 will drop to within normal range if my glucose level stays under 10 and even goes as low as 5, i am just worried it will drop too low hence the question about the sensor..
Just thought someone would have some advice regarding freezing feet.
 
The ice cold feeling sounds like it could be a form of neuropathy and if your levels have been running that high for several years then it is likely that. What nerve tests did you have done and who did them? What are your foot pulses like?

Has Metformin only just been introduced or have you been on it for a long time? The reason I ask is that Metforin can inhibit the body's ability to absorb vitamin B12 from your food and B12 is important to good nerve health and as diabetics our feet are one of the most vulnerable parts of our bodies so will likely experience problems first. It would therefore be worth asking if your B12 levels have been checked and you are not deficient. If you are deficient, an oral supplement will suffer the same fate as the B12 from your food, ie the Metformin will block absorption, so you will likely need a course of B12 injections.
If you have only been on Metformin for a few weeks then this is unlikely to be the cause, which is why I ask how long you have been taking that.

Is it actually painful or does it just feel weird? If it is painful, then you need to push your GP for some pain management. There are specific painkillers for neuropathy.... Gabapentin I believe is one of them. You might also want to push for a referral to a specialist/neurologist if it has been going on for 6 months and impacting your life.

Obviously keeping your Blood Glucose levels more stable and in range will help reduce any further damage and perhaps help improve things. I would definitely apply for the free 14 day Freestyle Libre Trial which you should find on their website and see how it works for you. There are limitations to the system and it is important to understand those and it is not generally as accurate as finger pricks..... not that they are overly accurate either.... Don't let that decimal place fool you with your BG meter because it is not that accurate.... but Libre is an amazing bit of kit particularly for those of us using insulin, but we have some Type 2s here on the forum who are just dietary controlled who have self funded a few to help them adjust their diet to manage their diabetes better. Libre suits some people's body chemistry better than others, so definitely do the free trial and see how you as an individual get on with it. You will then be best placed to figure out if it is going to be helpful to you to self fund a few sensors.

Good luck and I hope you can find something that alleviates the discomfort.
 
Lucyr said:
5.4 is a normal blood sugar it’s not too low at all. You are unlikely to get dangerous low blood sugars on your current medication so I’d say a freestyle libre is overkill given you have a fingerprick meter for if there are any hypos.

If you want to try a libre you can order the free trial but it wouldn’t be something you’d get on prescription. If the libre says you have a low blood sugar you should still test with fingerprick meter to confirm.
Click to expand...
Yeah i know 5.4 is an excellent reading, just worried levels will go too low as doctor and chemist advised me to closely monitor for a couple of weeks to see if i need to cut medication a bit. Don't know if i need a sensor , decided now to wait for a few days and just test with the meter i have. If i get some very low readings then maybe i will get one. Thanks for replying.
 
rebrascora said:
The ice cold feeling sounds like it could be a form of neuropathy and if your levels have been running that high for several years then it is likely that. What nerve tests did you have done and who did them? What are your foot pulses like?

Has Metformin only just been introduced or have you been on it for a long time? The reason I ask is that Metforin can inhibit the body's ability to absorb vitamin B12 from your food and B12 is important to good nerve health and as diabetics our feet are one of the most vulnerable parts of our bodies so will likely experience problems first. It would therefore be worth asking if your B12 levels have been checked and you are not deficient. If you are deficient, an oral supplement will suffer the same fate as the B12 from your food, ie the Metformin will block absorption, so you will likely need a course of B12 injections.
If you have only been on Metformin for a few weeks then this is unlikely to be the cause, which is why I ask how long you have been taking that.

Is it actually painful or does it just feel weird? If it is painful, then you need to push your GP for some pain management. There are specific painkillers for neuropathy.... Gabapentin I believe is one of them. You might also want to push for a referral to a specialist/neurologist if it has been going on for 6 months and impacting your life.

Obviously keeping your Blood Glucose levels more stable and in range will help reduce any further damage and perhaps help improve things. I would definitely apply for the free 14 day Freestyle Libre Trial which you should find on their website and see how it works for you. There are limitations to the system and it is important to understand those and it is not generally as accurate as finger pricks..... not that they are overly accurate either.... Don't let that decimal place fool you with your BG meter because it is not that accurate.... but Libre is an amazing bit of kit particularly for those of us using insulin, but we have some Type 2s here on the forum who are just dietary controlled who have self funded a few to help them adjust their diet to manage their diabetes better. Libre suits some people's body chemistry better than others, so definitely do the free trial and see how you as an individual get on with it. You will then be best placed to figure out if it is going to be helpful to you to self fund a few sensors.

Good luck and I hope you can find something that alleviates the discomfort.
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks for the reply, the doctor must have been thinking the same as you as the first thing she mentioned in my visit was that my b12 was well within the norm from my blood test 2 weeks ago, everything else is normal too just long term test over 3 months had gone up to 91 from 84 in my previous blood test, hence the new meds and extra metformin. I have been on metformin for years now they lowered my readings from over 30 to under 20 most days, now with new meds i have not measured over 9 this weekend and 5.4 being the lowest, only started taking new meds on Friday, they really work.

The feeling in my feet is like ice running through my veins, that is the easiest way to describe it. I have experienced no pain but have had this feeling for around 6 months.

I had a few tests done at the surgery and doc said nerves are fine and pulse is strong in my feet.. doctor says it could resolve itself as my glucose levels are lowered, the operative words being "could resolve itself."

I registered here so i could possibly find someone who had experienced the same or similar, and with the quick replies to my post i am hopeful of getting in touch with someone who has suffered with this.

Thanks again for your reply.
 
Either burning or ice cold feet have been mentioned by a number of people here on the forum before I am sure, so hopefully someone will pop up with what helped them. Really hope it is transient for you but 6 months is a long time. If your levels had started improving around the time it developed, it might have been linked to changing/improving BG levels as that sometimes happens, but since your BG levels have only just started to improve and this has been ongoing for 6 months then that is unlikely.
Really interesting (and great news!) that Jardiance has had such a notable effect in improving your levels. Have you also made some dietary changes?
 
Both feet?

With peripheral artery disease (PAD) it'd be most common to have it with just one foot, and I guess it wouldn't be warm to the touch, but maybe worth checking out - symptoms vary a lot & it's way underdiagnosed.

www.mayoclinic.org

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org www.mayoclinic.org
 
Have you had your thyroid levels checked?
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Have you had your thyroid levels checked?
Click to expand...
Yup, after confirming my b12 levels are within normal range my doc advised thyroid was also good from blood test results.

People on here are mentioning the blood tests results the doctor conformed are all ok, kidney and liver all ok as well although the doc did hesitate a second when saying my liver functioning was ok.
Just shows me people know what they are talking about here.

As i have said i have been suffering for 6 months and can suffer a few more weeks if the lower glucose levels eventually help resolve the feeling in my feet. Just thought someone who had experienced the same would be able to give some input. And i just found this forum to ask for help, looks like it could.

Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone.
Andrew
 
flubaluba said:
Yup, after confirming my b12 levels are within normal range my doc advised thyroid was also good from blood test results.

People on here are mentioning the blood tests results the doctor conformed are all ok, kidney and liver all ok as well although the doc did hesitate a second when saying my liver functioning was ok.
Just shows me people know what they are talking about here.

As i have said i have been suffering for 6 months and can suffer a few more weeks if the lower glucose levels eventually help resolve the feeling in my feet. Just thought someone who had experienced the same would be able to give some input. And i just found this forum to ask for help, looks like it could.

Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone.
Andrew
Click to expand...
It may be worth asking for a referral to a neurologist.

Cold Feet That Aren't Cold to the Touch May Indicate Neurologic Problem - Mayo Clinic News Network

Cold Feet That Aren't Cold to the Touch May Indicate Neurologic Problem April 1, 2011 Dear Mayo Clinic: Lately my feet always seem cold but are not cold to the touch. Could this be an early symptom of something to come? Answer: Pinpointing the exact source of this symptom requires a physical...
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org
 
@flubaluba I have had bother with my feet from time to time though at least once was due to the AZ jab, I am sure. My father's family had a lot of nurses, midwives and herbalists and I read a lot of their notebooks and reference stuff rather early on in life, so I used hot and cold water and massage when I knew I was in trouble.
There was some improvement fairly quickly, but two or three times now when I have needed to go to the GP for help, I continued the massaging twice a day for some weeks, and one morning woke up to find my feet very much better both to look at and to stand on.
If your feet go on feeling cold then I'd advise keeping on with the massaging, and maybe some stretching and flexing - it can't do any harm plus it will alert you to any changes in appearance or in sensation, which could be important.
 
I’ve got the free trial of the Libra this is my second week and I’m disappointed it’s not as accurate as the blood machine out by quite a bit tbh which I’m annoyed about as was really looking forward to this being accurate and giving me peace of mind daily instead of jagging I’m type 2 diagnosed 3 weeks ago
 
How do you know the Libre is wrong, because the BG meter could also be.

If your HbA1c test is 90, clearly your BG is NOT absolutely sitting at 5-ish for all that much time over the preceding 3 months.
 
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