Hello
@Tommo77 been away from the forum for a while so may I welcome you?
I have done intensive research on Diabetic Neuropathy because it affects me 24/7,
What I tell you mostly refers to myself along with research and help from my local
Podiatry department which I have built a great relationship.
The cause in my case is because I managed to get my HbA1c from DX down from
156 to 48 in 3 months consultant was delighted, what I didn`t know was reducing it
this fast destroys the nerves It was only on this forum I found that out. The damage
is forever in my case and there are a few other members with the the same problem,
Firstly there are 3 types of Diabetic Neuropathy:-
Autonomic, Motor, Sensory Neuropathy a short explanation of each type is as follows.
Autonomic:- Altered blood flow and loss of sweating, resulting in dry skin which is prone
to fissures.
Motor:- An imbalance of small foot muscles resulting in deformity such as claw toes and
highly arched feet.
Sensory:- A gradual loss of sensation in the feet which can result in callus formation and
unnoticed damage.
One of the most crucial points to remember control of BGL`s the higher they are the worse
they will feel, evidence of neuropathy may be found in up to 50% of people with T2 causing
problems in a third of them.
What concerns me about your post is your feet are hot and has redness this needs to be
checked out by a Podiatric team if it was one foot only I would be extremely concerned as
this would be a sign of Charcot foot especially if there is swelling too. Look it up on the NHS
website save me referring to my notes as there is a lot of info about this condition.
Medication :- I see you are on Pregabalin, how many times a day do you take it and are there
any other medication associated with your condition? As already said Duloxetine is the icing
on the cake so to speak starting with 30 mg and gradually increasing to 60 mg if 30 is not effective
enough. As far as B12 is concerned if you have a deficiency it should have been picked up with
your other blood tests if its ok leave it at that. The other thing that concerns me is you, from what
I can gather from your post, do not walk around at home with your feet covered this is an absolute
NO NO, and do not soak your feet under any circumstances you risk infection, ok a few seconds in
cool water won`t hurt but that`s about it. It may sound counter productive but keep your feet covered
at all times and walk around your home with proper house shoes on, I use fur lined moccasins with
a rubber sole and trainer socks, for proper shoes I have inserts supplied by my Podiatric team.
A short note about Alpha Lipoic acid, a good supplement but the slow release version is recommended,
this is prescribed in Europe as an alternative Germany has had great results from it but you have to pay
for it over here, very expensive.
Make sure you wash your feet everyday and apply a good moisturiser to them but under no circumstances
between the toes because there is a real risk of infection, sorry if this sounds obvious just trying to cover
all possibilities. As far as night time is concerned this seems to affect the condition most, try to keep your
feet covered and use a pillow or something soft to raise your feet slightly, on another point have you had any
tests done by Podiatry/ Neurology or is this something the Doc assumes?
I think I have giving you enough food for thought remember BGL`s are crucial to this condition, I`m sorry its
such a long post and you may wish to ignore the post but I`m hoping other members also take an interest and
prove to be helpful to them. Please take care and don`t allow this condition to control you but it will if you let it.
