I am 13 and I have type 1 diabetes.Today I was feeling my feet(b/c I was cold and trying to warm up) , and on the inside of my feet , just above the arch, I noticed i had this numb feeling about the size of 3 to 4 quarters.I am not very good at my diabetes….my BG is usually over 200 b/c i dont test or take shots alot. I know Im terrible.I was wondering if I had nerve damage there or something…HELP….. Im scared!!!!!!!
Sounds like it to me. If I were you, I would take this as a warning to straighten up. Taking care of diabetes is pretty important if you want to keep your body parts.
My mother is 36 years old, and she has had diabetes since she can remember. She keeps it under control very well. She takes lyrica for the nerve damage, but recently it has stopped working. It is to the point where she can not even walk.
I know she cannot reverse the damage, but is there anything she can do to alleviate the pain?
Sorry to hear about your Mom’s condition. My Father also had diabetes. I suffer from nerve damage but it’s due to a cervical spine injury,,but nerve pain all hurts. She should let her doctor know the Lyrica isn’t working. I think it doesn’t work for a lot of people so he can proably just change her Rx. There are some drugs like Neurontin, which I take that work pretty well but only her doctor can really help her. She may want to think about starting a daily pain journal. Nothing fancy, I use a steno pad. I record:
where I hurt
when I hurt
how badly I hurt on a scale of 1-10
and how the pain is effecting my daily life,,,what I can’t do because it hurts to badly. This is a very important thing to record.
Take it with you the next time she goes to the doctor. It’s hard to communcate all your concerns with a doc when you only have a few minutes with them. The journal eliminates that problem and helps the doctor better understand what your Mom is going through ona a day to day basis.
Believe me, at first it seems like a pain in the butt,,,,but as your Mom’s condition gets worse it will be more and more valuable to her. Good luck and here are a few pain management sites and a few research/clinical trial sites that I use often.
This is the Wake Forest Medical Centers home page. Look to the left side and there is tons of great info
http://www1.wfubmc.edu/neurosurgery/Pain/
This is the UCLA clinical trial site. You can find out about any studies or trials your Mom may be interested in.
http://www.clinicaltrials.ucla.edu/
Here is a great pain management site
http://health.discovery.com/centers/pain/pain.html
This is the National Institute of Health site on neuropathy
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000776.htm
Here is one you should save as a favorite. It will be your Mom’s best source of information.
http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp
Maybe you Mom should ask her doc about a pain management specialist. They can help far more than a regular GP.
Good luck
Yes, control the diabetes with these exercises and slowly any side damage done will start to reverse.
These pranayam exercises will help control the diabetes and the side effects.Build up the timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume later.The benefits will be noticed in weeks as the sugar level is checked daily.Over the long tern the diabetes will be in full control and the medicine can be reduced in consultation with the doctor.
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril
then -keeping the left nostril closed deep breath-in through right nostril
then – close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30 minutes twice a day(maximum 60 minutes in one day).
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.
Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 20 to 30 minutes twice a day.(Max 60 min/day)
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.
Also everyday press the centre point of the palm of your hand 40 times with the thumb and press the tips of all fingers 40 times each.
I know that it is nerve damage and that controlling my diabetes will help, but sometimes I will eat badly for a few days and man do my feet & legs hurt. Can the nerve damage be reversed? I am not on any pain meds now, but soon?? I don’t want any more med’s. I get bad side affects.
The damage is done to a certain extent, with excellent glucose control being critical.
What nerve would be sending less sensory impulses?
The optic nerve.
The entire true answer goes deeper then that, as far as the actual cause, it stems from decreased circulation.
