[wriggle]

When I go to sleep or watch tv or sit at the computer etc my legs ache. They've done this for over a year and initially a quick rub would ease the feeling but now my legs are painfully aching and it's worrying me. Also the tops of my feet even when lightly pressed sometimes feel like they are permanently bruised. I am not happy with my doctor so need to change as the current one just says "You need to lose weight" and he's right but I know this and the doctor is not informative enough to for me to visit him. Has anyone else had similar symptoms and possible ideas why this is happening other than nerve endings are being pounded? DVT is an obvious worry but how seriously should I be taking this?

Thanks for you time :0)

 

[Strawberry]

I have the same symptoms as you when my bg is high. What is your A1C? Has your doctor advised you to watch your bg closely in order to avoid the complications of diabetic neuropathy?

 

[wriggle]

to be fair I've not been looking after myself that well over the last 6months so I would expect sugars to be high. I am due a check in the next few weeks but want to change doctors surgery first. If it's because of high bloods then I can accept that, I just wanted to see if anything else specific came up that was different that others may have experienced. Anyway, I stoped smoking in Feb 2011 and have started going to the gym as my little one has started nursery now. It's all beginning to come back into line now ... thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[jwags]

Before diagnosis when my bgs were in the 200's, I had similar problems. I had difficulty sitting through a long movie or on a long flight on the airplane. Since my bgs have come down it has improved. I now wear compression socks if I know I will be sitting for a long time or travelling.

 

[Strawberry]

Wriggle,

I should have added that I no longer suffer from the painful legs and feet that I once had. My bg are by no means perfect and my A1C the last time was 6.8% which I definitely was not happy with. But sometimes life does get in the way of our doing what we should do to take care of ourselves.

I also take a few supplements that seem to help with the neuropathy in addition to trying to keep my daily bg in range for me. I wish you the best and hope you will find a doctor's surgery that treats you with respect. Do let us know how you are getting on ?

 

[wriggle]

Thank you jwags. By the way what's bg? We don't use that term here, or at least I don't think I've heard it before. We have our annual blood test Hba1C which reads the last 3 months' average for blood sugar levels. Is it blood glucose perhaps??

 

[wriggle]

Fab, you're doing well. My last Hba1C was 7.8 with little control as things are not settled and haven't been for a while which I know is a really bad excuse ... It's good to know that with a high control level my legs should calm down so I shall work on that over the winter as our life shifts down a level, well until March that is! I know I can do it as I went through my last pregnancy without taking insulin until 32 weeks which is pretty rare and the hospital let me go full term to try to avoid a c-section (still had one though) which is normally automatic at 39 weeks so there's hope ... and with the gym and no ****!

 

[Strawberry]

Wriggle ~ Sorry for the confusion. Bg here in the US is blood glucose, some folks say bs for blood sugar - same thing just different words used to describe it.

I think you can do it as I know other people have done it too. Babies and young children are a lot of work even though we love them a lot. You've already taken a big step by giving up the **** and I know that is hard to do. In the long run you will be better and more healthy w/o cigarettes.

Since you are busy with a young child, maybe you could take just one thing to try and improve upon. Try not to change everything at once, little steps seem to work better for lots of us.

 

[wriggle]

Exactly and on top of this we host international students in our house and can have upto 15 teenagers in the house at any one time - breakfast, packed lunch and dinner and preparing rooms and shopping etc etc etc My partner also works full time 2 hours away in London and commutes 4 hours a day so life is manic at times. Like tonight we have 13 kids in and 2 boys fell out and decided to have a fight, 4 had to have dinner quickly and 3 don't speak a word of english - it's all fun here! Hence the diabetes suffers as everyone else needs looking after too :0) Not moaning but it is hard at times!

 

[moon]

I had a podiatrist appt this morning about a troublesome nail (has come off twice) and asked if I should just have the thing removed and the root killed because it remains only 1/3 attached, and concern w/ my diabetes if it comes off again.

He examined my feet and said they're very healthy w/ good blood flow, and that one of the signs was that I have some hair on my toe. He said that hair won't grow where there isn't good blood flow. I never thought about that ...

The other thing he said that was critical w/ diabetes, top of the list after controlled blood sugar, was not to smoke (I don't - but he stressed it anyway.)

So - good on you for giving up the smoke - hang in there with that.

 

[wriggle]

Thanks. I do now consider myself a non-smoker so if I do get a craving I just tell myself that it's not an option as I am a non-smoker. Job done! I gave up twice before and smoked whilst pregnant - I know, I know but the kids thankfully are fine - this time feels different though and my partner, sister and Mum all gave up within 6 months of each other. All feeling better and less (but still quite) poor as a result!

 

[Gizmo]

My problem may not be the same one you are having, but sure sounds like it to me. My legs and feet would hurt, especially when I sat too long or stood in one place too long, and at night it was like I had restless leg syndrome because I had to keep moving my legs and feet or get up and pace a while to get comfortable. In the end, the veins on my legs and feet started standing out, so I went to the Dr. and he said it is varicose veins. That surprised me because of all that time I went with pain in my legs and feet, but my veins didn't start sticking out until quite a while after all that started.

The doctor said to buy energizing pantyhose. We use to call them support hose. He said to get mild compression, which is 8-15 mm/Hg compression. He told me to buy support hose, not compression hose because if you have the wrong compression, the problem could get worse. I got them at a drugstore, Walgreen's. I put them on when I get up, take them off right before I get in bed, and once in bed, I raise my legs in the air a few seconds so the blood can flow out of my legs. This has really worked for me. I pretty much do whatever I want now with no problem, and the veins haven't gotten any worse. I just wish I had known about wearing support hose before the veins started sticking out because once they are out, there is no going back without taking drastic measures.

If you think it is something serious, of course you should see a doctor, but in the meantime you might want to try support hose because even if you don't have varicose veins, they are good for aching legs and feet.

 

[wriggle]

You know I do have varicose veins and have done since 15yrs and my veins do stick out and are very blue so yes, may be it's not the diabetes but the veins playing up again instead. I'm going to do the support hose and see if it eases things. Thanks for replying as, of course the diabetes has to managed, but if I can get some relief in the meantime then it's a win win situation!

 

[tcs2600]

Compression socks

I found that a mild compression helps with painful feet or legs. I first wore the knee high and was reluctant to try the thigh high support but I'm so glad I did. I'll usually wear the support stockings when I'm out and about and use diabetic socks at home for comfort.

 

[Gizmo]

I had a podiatrist appt this morning about a troublesome nail (has come off twice) and asked if I should just have the thing removed and the root killed because it remains only 1/3 attached, and concern w/ my diabetes if it comes off again.

He examined my feet and said they're very healthy w/ good blood flow, and that one of the signs was that I have some hair on my toe. He said that hair won't grow where there isn't good blood flow..

Sorry this is off topic, but moon, do you have psoriasis? People with psoriasis sometimes get nail psoriasis.

 

[moon]

No Gizmo, but now because of your thoughtful input, you have to hear my toenail story!

My toenail came off (brace yourself for TMI) 8 years ago when I lifted up one end of a heavy trunk and pulled it towards me. Unfortunately my big toenail was in the way, and the trunk ripped it right off. Hurt like a $%$)#&. The nail was just 3/4 of the way attached when it grew back. 2 yrs later I rammed it on a grocery cart (yeah, I wear sandals everywhere except in winter when I wear Uggs) and lost it again. This time it was just 1/3 attached when it grew back.

It's pretty wiggly and was feeling tender. The podiatrist looks at it and intones the dreaded, 'you should wear socks and shoes' - I just looked at him. Catching my expression, maybe it was the raised eyebrow, he said, 'yeah, I know... okay ...' because shoes are sort of a lost art here on the coast where I live ...

Then he said he actually was okay with it because my feet were in terrific shape - great pulse, great blood flow, etc - and if I keep the nail short (dorky short, but okay okay) I should be fine with the nail and sandals/barefoot. So just because we have diabetes, it doesn't mean we can't sometimes live as if we don't.

I loved him for that, but mostly for being 20 years my junior and twice calling me 'young and healthy' - two things I don't necessarily feel 24 hours of the day