Pins and needles

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bunnymaz

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone
My name is Bunny, yes it is my real name. I am a type two diabetic and have been for 20 years. My diabetes is pretty well controlled. I take metfirmin and Berberine. Over the last few years I have noticed changes in my right foot. It gets cols a lot more than the left and it feels heavier. I have no swelling or water retention, I can walk fine but it just feels different. In the past week I have been waking up with pins and needles and now it happens a lot during the day. This morning it feels like my right arm keeps going to sleep and I am terrified. It is giving me panic attacks and I can't find a thing on line that explains this. Can anyone help?
 
Welcome to the forum @bunnymaz

I had a friend whose daughter was named Bunny. And if course there’s Bunny Guinness a panellist on GQT. I think it’s a lovely name!

Sorry to hear about the pins and needles in your foot. :(

Have you been getting checks for your pulses and circulation in your feet as part of your annual reviews? What have your HbA1c checks been coming back at over recent years?
 
It's unusual and people tend to assume it's a nickname but thank you
My last hbAlc was 31, but that was last year. I am due a test about now.so I intend on making an appointment in the morning. There is no weakness and no loss of sensation or swelling so I don't know what is going on. I can't discuss it with my partner or kids because they panic at the slightest mention of any health issues and that makes me panic even more. I an so glad I could unload here. But I must admit I am very very scared.
 
With that sort of HbA1c (that low) I wouldn't suspect it's anything much to do with diabetes - but of course I don't know whether the result of that test was typical for you or otherwise. Other things can cause pins & needles (eg sittting on your foot so it first 'goes to sleep', then pins and needles as it 'wakes up' again - so you need to ask your GP what's causing these feelings - and definately not panic.
 
Thank you for your reply but I am a panicked and a terrible hypochondriac. I intend to see my GP tomorrow, if I can get an appointment...and that's a bloody lottery.. I was half hoping it was related to diabetes and that someone would say ' oh I get that all the time'. As the saying goes 'Getting old isn't for pussies' .
 
If you have been taking Metformin long term, it could be vitamin B12 deficiency. That can certainly cause pins and needles. Metformin can prevent the absorption of vitamin B12 from your food and B12 is important for good nerve health, so that is probably the most likely cause. Unfortunately taking a supplement doesn't usually help because the Metformin blocks the absorption of that too so the answer is to have a course of B12 injections. If you are due a diabetes review then it would be simple enough to ask for your vitamin B12 to be checked. Any damage due to B12 deficiency is usually reversible although you may also experience some pain and tingling as the nerves repair.
 
Thanks you for that information. I do take B12 supplements but have been on metformin for 20 years so that us something I never considered. I didn't realise metfirmin blocked absorption so thanks again.
 
bunnymaz said:
Thanks you for that information. I do take B12 supplements but have been on metformin for 20 years so that us something I never considered. I didn't realise metfirmin blocked absorption so thanks again.
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That means you would need injections likely every 3 months.
 
Hope you can get an appointment relatively easily @bunnymaz

From another thread I think I’ve picked up that your current glucose levels are an improvement over the past 6 years, so well done on finding a system that works for you.

It is possible that over the course of the first 14 years there may have been some reduction in blood supply to your nerve endings through the very fine vessels that struggle with high glucose levels? This can damage the nerves and lead to changes in sensation in lower limbs and feet. Keeping your BGs as stable and in-range as you can (as you have been doing) can help reduce symptom flare-ups and slow any progression.

Might be worth having a chat with your GP / nurse to get your lower legs checked for touch-sensitivity and pulses?
 
Thank you so much, you have all been very kind. Fingers crossed I get an appointment tomorrow so I can at least get some worry free sleep. I made the big mistake of googling symptoms and reading nothing but horror stories and conditions. All of you have been very calming and that is what I needed most. Xxx
 
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