Neuropathy pain relief

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

stuart Rodgers

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi Everyone. Hope all is well with you all and are ready for Christmas.

I've been diabetic from the age of 11 had have many complications. I have Charcot foot in both feet and just about healed up after having the last two toes amputated from the left foot and this is the one which has the most deformities (will upload a photo if anyone wants to see).
I've tried the most popular drugs to help with the neuropathy pain and now I am getting pins and needles and my hands and the sensation of vibration and also not being able to feel the cold or heat with them. Has anyone ever tried anything non drug treatment for this pain etc? I've also been having facial spasms and not sure if this is likely to linked with neuropathy.
Thanks for your advice
 
I don't know if the drugs to help neuropathy pain are "popular" Stuart:confused::D

The best non-drug treatment is a TENS machine. It's possible that your surgery may have one that you could try, but they're not very expensive any way - around £20-30. You will need what's called a "dual channel" machine. You can find them in Boots or Superdrug.
 
mikeyB said:
I don't know if the drugs to help neuropathy pain are "popular" Stuart:confused::D

The best non-drug treatment is a TENS machine. It's possible that your surgery may have one that you could try, but they're not very expensive any way - around £20-30. You will need what's called a "dual channel" machine. You can find them in Boots or Superdrug.
Click to expand...
But if you have a pump remove the pump before you use the TENS if you go down that route.
 
Last edited:
Hi Stuart,

I've got Charcot foot with just 1 leg in a cast at present and have tried all the 'popular' drugs for neuropathic pain with varying degrees of success or otherwise. In the end due to broken bone pain I have resorted to using Fentanyl - morphine patches which last 72 hours and are the only thing that has helped keep the pain under control. I don't like using such hard drugs and I do have breaks when I don't use the patches but needs must.

I realise that's not what you are asking but having tried most of the rest and a few dabbles with things such as Alpha Lipoic acid tablets which were suggested as a help for neuropathic pain I've reverted to the hard stuff. Trying a TENS machine is definitely a good idea.

Have you had the tests for carpal tunnel as that causes pain, tingling and numbness down the arms and in the hands due to the median nerve being compressed - also a complication linked to diabetes!
 
mikeyB said:
I don't know if the drugs to help neuropathy pain are "popular" Stuart:confused::D

The best non-drug treatment is a TENS machine. It's possible that your surgery may have one that you could try, but they're not very expensive any way - around £20-30. You will need what's called a "dual channel" machine. You can find them in Boots or Superdrug.
Click to expand...
When I say Popular I mean the the ones that GPs tend try first. I would love to not need medication in the first place
 
The chances of a TENS machine on the legs interfering with an insulin pump are remote, to say the least. The frequencies are all wrong. About the same chance as blowing a petrol station up using a mobile phone. Speaking of which, what about mobile phones and pumps? Electric shavers? More personal vibrating equipment? The home is littered with equipment that fires off radio interference signals. A light switch, for example. An oven or heating thermostat. You'd never have your pump on if you worried about that lot.
 
Well I'm still new at this Diabetes malarkey and I am waiting for my second Hb1Ac blood test to see if I have my blood sugars under some sort of control.
I have however been troubled with the cold feet and foot pain for some time now. The hot water bottle worked in some small way, but I may have stumbled upon something that affords a little more relief.
Some may Pooh-Pooh Alternative remedies (Guilty as charged), but after my friend, a carpenter by trade, was having trouble with arthritis in his thumb, asked me to pick up some Therapia Hemp joint cream from Torquay for him. He swore it worked for him And I bought some for my wife, who suffers from neck and shoulder pain.
Well, I thought if it is supposed to take pain away, what is there to lose, and so I applied some to my tingly toes.
I did have a good nights sleep for the first time in ages.
Now the cream in question was a joint cream, but it did give some relief. The Torquay based company that supplies this cream also has a formula for feet.
At £12.50 for a 100mill pot, I will use up the joint cream before investing in the foot balm. It feels like the E45 cream I used to apply to my children's ecsema all those years ago.
Don't know if this will help anyone else with the same problem, If you think it will give relief, the company has a mail order telephone number and a web site you can check out at:
www.therapiaonline.com
I am not affiliated to these people, just a user of the product.
 
I'm not sure if I am allowed to say this but as it now been legalised, I use CBD oil as a spray that you squirt under your tongue 3 times per day. I swear by it. I have been in so much pain for the last 2 years, I tried it as a last resort. It works, it really does!! I know a lot of people are dubious and reluctant about using cannabis extracts but do the research on the the Internet and form your own opinion. I thoroughly recommend it 🙂
 
Hi Suzequeue, you are allowed to say it because I’ve been banging on about it (and using it) for a while, though not for neuropathic pain. It helps with the motor neuropathy that I have, suppressing the tremor and relieving muscle stiffness. It’s magic, works in seconds, and no side effects, apart from tasting horrible.

I certainly think it’s worth trying in diabetic neuropathy, though it has to be said that it doesn’t benefit everyone. I currently use the 15% strength sativa extract. It’s important to buy only from UK manufacturers, because of quality control - and ingredient control. Be aware that if you drive, even though there is only a trace of THC in the standard cannabinoids, this stuff will show up strongly positive on police testing kit, and driving under the influence of drugs has the same effect on your licence as booze. Which is a high price to pay for something that doesn’t make you high.:confused:
 
Last edited:
mikeyB said:
Hi Suzequeue, you are allowed to say it because I’ve been banging on about it
Click to expand...
Hi Mike, I have just looked up motor neuropathy and it's another 'version' of amyotrophy and proximal neuropathy that I have. You're the first person I know of who has this horrible thing! I didn't know about driving and police drugs tests...that's a big eye opener for me. I'm going to a diabetic specialist centre next week for 'problem' diabetics like me (am for a good telling off, lol) so hopefully they can give me all the help and info I so desperately need. I have been using cannabis oil for 6 months and it has been an absolute lifesaver. I really can't function normally without it. Thank you for replying. You have been most helpful Sue
 
Hi @Suzequeue1612 & @DenJerus welcome to the forum 🙂. I must admit I am tempted, the pain takes over (neuropathy) but its surprising how the pain threshold becomes greater as time goes on. As Mike says caution when driving but alas no more for me so does not affect me.
 
Suzequeue1612 said:
Hi Mike, I have just looked up motor neuropathy and it's another 'version' of amyotrophy and proximal neuropathy that I have. You're the first person I know of who has this horrible thing! I didn't know about driving and police drugs tests...that's a big eye opener for me. I'm going to a diabetic specialist centre next week for 'problem' diabetics like me (am for a good telling off, lol) so hopefully they can give me all the help and info I so desperately need. I have been using cannabis oil for 6 months and it has been an absolute lifesaver. I really can't function normally without it. Thank you for replying. You have been most helpful Sue
Click to expand...

Thanks Sue - my neuropathy was briefly thought by the neurologists to be caused by diabetes, but it started suddenly which is a bit uncharacteristic of diabetes. It’s probably MND, or MS. One or t’other. More tests in December. The prof in Glasgow suggested MND, but didn’t follow that up as I’ve moved to sunny Lancashire, and starting over with a new gaggle of neurologists, or whatever the collective term is.🙂
 
mikeyB said:
Thanks Sue - my neuropathy was briefly thought by the neurologists to be caused by diabetes, but it started suddenly which is a bit uncharacteristic of diabetes. It’s probably MND, or MS. One or t’other. More tests in December. The prof in Glasgow suggested MND, but didn’t follow that up as I’ve moved to sunny Lancashire, and starting over with a new gaggle of neurologists, or whatever the collective term is.🙂
Click to expand...
Hi mike. I'm the opposite way round to you. I've spent the last six months going from pillar to post, lots of tests, neurologists thought it was MS but the pattern of brain lesions on my final mri dismissed the MS theory.and neuropathy was diagnosed. Mine started suddenly in Feb 17 with a sciatic type pain that suddenly worsened after two weeks when my right leg from the knee upwards was in excruciating pain. It recovered by 50% and I used a walking stick till last December when the same thing happened to my left side...ended up in a&e on morphine with 'a groin strain?!' After that its spread to both arms n hands and now my ribs and breast bone. I have practically no muscles left on me...scrawny now There's lots of other problems, too many to mention on here but I'm not going to let it get me down. Staying upbeat and cheerful. And avoiding police cars
Hope you get sorted soon. Waiting around for the NHS can be a pain in the proverbial but you will get there in the end.
Sue
 
KARNAK said:
Hi @Suzequeue1612 & @DenJerus welcome to the forum 🙂. I must admit I am tempted, the pain takes over (neuropathy) but its surprising how the pain threshold becomes greater as time goes on. As Mike says caution when driving but alas no more for me so does not affect me.
Click to expand...
KARNAK said:
Hi @Suzequeue1612 & @DenJerus welcome to the forum 🙂. I must admit I am tempted, the pain takes over (neuropathy) but its surprising how the pain threshold becomes greater as time goes on. As Mike says caution when driving but alas no more for me so does not affect me.
Click to expand...
Hi Ted, I agree, the pain threshold does increase over time. My resistance to the painkillers increases too so the cannabis oil helps to block out enough pain to get me through the day/night when I have overdone things instead of resting, lol. You don't have to have it religiously. Just take some whenever your pain starts to get you down. We all need a boost somtimes and it really does help
Sue
 
I can’t drive anymore, I zip around on an electric wheelchair, or on my big road going mobilty scooter courtesy of motability. It’s fun,🙂. If you want to see how much fun, look for my thread “Don’t ever get disabled” on the Off the Subject board.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top