[danerobinson33]

Hello! I am a type 1 diabetic. And I am having beginning sighns of diabetic nurapathy. I am freaking out! My a1c has been out of control for the past 3 years highest was like a 10! And I have finally started taking care of my diabeties I am at about a 7.7 slowly going down ☺ if you don't mind me asking does nurapathy get better once you start taking care of your diabeties? I have also heard that lowering your A1c can be a painful process because the nerves are being repaired is this true? And do you have any tips on like dieting? I'm trying to get my a1c down in the 7.0 range! I saw a nurologyst a few days ago and he said i had very mild nurapathy! But my feet still feel like I have a sock over them all the time and mild pain😭 Im so scared I have already messed up! But I am willing to try to get ahold of this horrible disease I am only 19 so I hope this goes away! Any tips are greatly appreciated!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[mbuster]

I haven't had any neuropathy so I can't speak from experience, but I have heard others say they have slowed/stopped/reversed neuropathy by getting good control of their BG. Those that spoke of success say they have had to keep their BG at or below 120 mg/dL at all times. That would be getting your A1c down to 5.5-5.6.

Maybe someone who has been successful will post and give you more tips on how they managed. Until then, if you haven't already, you might check out Dr. Richard Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. He is a Type 1 doctor in his 70s that recommends a low carb diet to minimize insulin needed to control your BG and reduces the high and low BG swings induced from misjudging how much insulin you need. Some of the book can be read online at the link given. Chapter 7, the law of small numbers.

Surely the pain of healing has to be better than the pain of getting worse. I've heard neuropathy can be quite painful but there are some pain medications that can help make it bearable.

 

[danerobinson33]

Hey thank you for the info its actually dangerous for type one diabetics to have a a1c of bellow a 6.5! I'm working with my doc to get that down! Thank you for the info!

 

[Daytona]

That A1C level isn't dangerous all by itself but when you are on insulin and a bit out-of-control, yeah a 6.5 could either mean that you are steady at 150 all day or swinging from 55 to 250 regularly.

I like to go by my CGM instead of the A1C. It tells me an average blood sugar, like 150, and then gives me a "standard deviation" like 20. That means my blood sugar is in a range between 130 and 170. It's easier to judge if you are spending a lot of time dangerously low that way, over just the A1C.

I don't have nephropathy but I've heard from many people that by bringing their average sugars down consistently for months (not just a week here or there), they have been able to undo the damage and lessen the symptoms. There are medications you can take too to help feel better, if you aren't on something already.

 

[judyp]

I have slight neuropathy and take Gabapentin for it. Never have any more pain at will that medication. I also take Quinine for leg cramps. I have to get the Quinine from another country since the US won't let it be prescribed. I was out of Quinine last year for about a month and I would have 2 to 10 cramps a night! Got my quinine, good bye pain. Wonderful!

 

[Bunjee]

I have 2 kinds of neuropathy - one from diabetes and one from this new medicationI'm taking. The one from diabetes goes away fairly quickly when I get my A1C down to about 6.5. I'll still get the occasional zinger until I'm at 6.4, but it's certainly tolerable. My bro uses gabapentin for neuropathy pain, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to use in a 19 year old (he's 61). I also find that before going to bed, I sit in a recliner and put my feet way up - it settles them down for the night so that I can sleep. Try heat, try cold, try cool. Avoid alcohol (it can make it worse). If you don't have a recliner, lay on your bed and put your feet and lower legs on folded up blankets to raise them. Don't try to sleep on your side like this. You will get all crippled up. Ask me how I know this!

Here's a link to MayoClinic's discussion, but keep in mind, many of these options aren't really suitable for someone as young as you because they don't know what potential damage they could do to a young person.
Treatment - Peripheral neuropathy - Mayo Clinic

 

[Hooglet]

It goes without saying atht if you have the initial signs you should look after your extremities very carefully especially feet. Don't go barefoot ANYWHERE and check yourself regularly

 

[Chaidragonfire]

I've had diabetes since about 2009 I think. I haven't had any problems with this until the past year.

I was born with a bone out of place in each of my feet, which has given me leg pain all my life, and given me a "numb area" on my right leg, right above my knee.....it's rare that it isn't numb, so I'm used to leg pains and numb feelings.

But this numbness from the diabetes is just annoying as hell. I live upstairs and I've fallen down the stairs twice now, because my feet have gone completely numb where I couldnt even feel them, so I ended up not knowing when I've mis-stepped and fell down the stairs.

And before you ask, no, I can't live downstairs, and I don't have money for a house. I can't live downstairs, even though I want too, because anytime I've lived downstairs, a herd of stampeding elephants moves in upstairs and I can never get any sleep. And ground level, one bedroom apartments are extremely rare in my area.

I have a desk job and my left leg constantly goes to "sleep" from the numbness every day now. My toes cramp like hell, my ankles, knees, and hip joints hurt like hell as well.

The Dr. says this is "normal" for diabetics and there's nothing that can be done.
All I can do is take aspirin everyday, he says.

I take all those vitamins for joints and ligaments and all that, but nothing seems to be working.

I can deal with the going numb all the time, as I'm used to it from the other leg issue I've had all my life, but the toe cramping HURTS like hell!!!! Last time I went to the Dr. he said "drink more water".

Is this cramping normal? Is there anything to do about it?

 

[mbuster]

For joints and ligaments, if you haven't tried a hydrolyzed collagen it might be something to consider. There are many brands as you can see at Amazon. I use the Great Lakes brand but others are good as well. It is also good for several other things as well. Here is an article on the Wellnessmama site, you can google for more info.

For cramping, my wife drinks tonic water, it works for her. She would take just a few sips at night before going to bed. Need to make sure it is the one that has quinine in it. There is also a diet tonic water that would have less carbs. I make my own electrolyte drink of potassium and sodium bicarbonates and magnesium that I drink when its hot and I sweat a lot.

Diabetes related neuropathy should be avoidable if one keeps their BG below 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L). There have been several members tell that lowering their target maximum to below 120 (6.7) did greatly reduce and even eliminated neuropathy they were having.

 

[milkmaade]

Nutritional help, too

You might want to research which vitamin/mineral supplements are helpful; there are several. One site: https://healthyfocus.org/10-proven-vitamins-and-supplements-for-neuropathy/

Of course we're each different, so our specific levels will vary but it's something to think about. I had several deficiences and do better with supplementation. As always, the best place to get these substances is from whole food but in many cases, it's just not possible and good-quality supplements are necessary.