Boo pins

[Boo pins]

Hi I am newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes it still hasn't sunk in yet I have a burning sort of pins and needles pain down my left arm hands and in my left foot I was wondering if this is normal or is it something I should tell my gp as I don't want to be a nuisance if this is normal thanx

 

[urbanracer]

Hi I am newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes it still hasn't sunk in yet I have a burning sort of pins and needles pain down my left arm hands and in my left foot I was wondering if this is normal or is it something I should tell my gp as I don't want to be a nuisance if this is normal thanx

Hi @Boo pins , welcome to the forums, and to our exclusive club.

We cannot diagnose you but the symptoms you have described are consistent with diabetic neuropathy and so 'could' be related to diabetes and should be reported to you GP or diabetic specialist asap.

How long have you had these sensations. What are your blood glucose readings, have they been high for a long time?

 

[kevinfitzgerald]

Hello @Boo pins.

A big welcome to you. As @urbanracer states above I would speak to your diabetes team asap.

It's certainly not normal what your describing and it does sound like neuropathy but it might be an idea to see your GP first as it may not be related to diabetes.

 

[Boo pins]

Thanx guys I am New to diabetes I have type 2 I have only been diagnosed for 2weeks I haven't been told to test my blood I have been prescribed metformin 3 times a day and exttant bydureon injections once a week I don't think it has quite sunk in yet thanks for your help will go back to my gp

 

[Boo pins]

Hi @Boo pins , welcome to the forums, and to our exclusive club.

We cannot diagnose you but the symptoms you have described are consistent with diabetic neuropathy and so 'could' be related to diabetes and should be reported to you GP or diabetic specialist asap.

How long have you had these sensations. What are your blood glucose readings, have they been high for a long time?

I was not told what my blood glucose levels were I've had these sensations just before I was diagnosed I have also got blurred vision which comes and goes

 

[Boo pins]

Hi @Boo pins , welcome to the forums, and to our exclusive club.

We cannot diagnose you but the symptoms you have described are consistent with diabetic neuropathy and so 'could' be related to diabetes and should be reported to you GP or diabetic specialist asap.

How long have you had these sensations. What are your blood glucose readings, have they been high for a long time?

I've had these sensations for a few months before I was diagnosed I haven't been told to check my blood glucose levels but i will get a machine so I can check them regularly thanx for your help

 

[Boo pins]

Hello @Boo pins.

A big welcome to you. As @urbanracer states above I would speak to your diabetes team asap.

It's certainly not normal what your describing and it does sound like neuropathy but it might be an idea to see your GP first as it may not be related to diabetes.

Ok thanx for your help it's nice to know this website is here have been feeling shocked and confused thanx again

 

[Boo pins]

P

Hello @Boo pins.

A big welcome to you. As @urbanracer states above I would speak to your diabetes team asap.

It's certainly not normal what your describing and it does sound like neuropathy but it might be an idea to see your GP first as it may not be related to diabetes.

if it is neuropathy can this be treated or will I have it all the time thanks for your help

 

[kevinfitzgerald]

P

if it is neuropathy can this be treated or will I have it all the time thanks for your help

Neuropathy can be treated yes. I take a tablet for mine Amitriptyline and it is quite effective and my glucose levels are never too high.

If what you describe is neuropathy tighter blood glucose control over time will improve it and quite dramatically in some circumstances and as you are just recently diagnosed and have not had too much time for any long term complications you should be able to reverse it (that being if it is neuropathy)

I've had diabetes for almost 34 years (Type 1) so I expect to have some nerve damage.

Get it checked out. If it is neuropathy concentrate on getting your sugars within range and this will help more than anything else.

The longer we keep within the range the longer it will take for any complications to arise, so to a large extent we do have some control over not having them later on some years down the line !

 

[Boo pins]

Neuropathy can be treated yes. I take a tablet for mine Amitriptyline and it is quite effective and my glucose levels are never too high.

If what you describe is neuropathy tighter blood glucose control over time will improve it and quite dramatically in some circumstances and as you are just recently diagnosed and have not had too much time for any long term complications you should be able to reverse it (that being if it is neuropathy)

I've had diabetes for almost 34 years (Type 1) so I expect to have some nerve damage.

Get it checked out. If it is neuropathy concentrate on getting your sugars within range and this will help more than anything else.

The longer we keep within the range the longer it will take for any complications to arise, so to a large extent we do have some control over not having them later on some years down the line !

Thanx I already take 100mg per night for other ailments I will get a blood glucose machine and keep an eye on my glucose levels thanks again

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Thanx I already take 100mg per night for other ailments I will get a blood glucose machine and keep an eye on my glucose levels thanks again

Hi and welcome. I think it's a great idea to get a meter and test strips. Please let us know what your results are and we can try to help you get your blood sugar levels down by suggesting changes to what you are eating. This may well help with neuropathy and it should prevent it getting worse.

I'm also on Amitriptyline, just 10mg, to help with sleep and chronic pain. I find it quite helpful. At higher doses it can cause a bit of weight gain in some people but if it's helping with a medical condition then that is a good thing of course. All medications are a trade off between benefits and risks.

I will tag @daisy1 who has some info she can post for newly diagnosed people.

 

[daisy1]

@Boo pins

Hello and welcome to the forum If indeed you have neuropathy, keeping your levels down by using a good diet will help you, in fact it will help you generally. This information which we give to new members will help you to control your levels better by selecting lower carb foods.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[CarbsRok]

Hi I am newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes it still hasn't sunk in yet I have a burning sort of pins and needles pain down my left arm hands and in my left foot I was wondering if this is normal or is it something I should tell my gp as I don't want to be a nuisance if this is normal thanx

If it were me I would go back and see GP as normally if it's diabetic neuropathy it would be bilateral. Also newly diagnosed do not have diabetic neuropathy as a general rule unless you have been undiagnosed for many years.

If your GP is worth his salt he should sort out an MRI scan to see what's going on and or send you for nerve conduction tests.
Do be warned though many GP's have a diagnoses ready............... it's your diabetes. Just tell him you can't find that diagnoses in any medical book.

 

[Boo pins]

If it were me I would go back and see GP as normally if it's diabetic neuropathy it would be bilateral. Also newly diagnosed do not have diabetic neuropathy as a general rule unless you have been undiagnosed for many years.

If your GP is worth his salt he should sort out an MRI scan to see what's going on and or send you for nerve conduction tests.
Do be warned though many GP's have a diagnoses ready............... it's your diabetes. Just tell him you can't find that diagnoses in any medical book.

Ok thanks

 

[Boo pins]

Hi and welcome. I think it's a great idea to get a meter and test strips. Please let us know what your results are and we can try to help you get your blood sugar levels down by suggesting changes to what you are eating. This may well help with neuropathy and it should prevent it getting worse.

I'm also on Amitriptyline, just 10mg, to help with sleep and chronic pain. I find it quite helpful. At higher doses it can cause a bit of weight gain in some people but if it's helping with a medical condition then that is a good thing of course. All medications are a trade off between benefits and risks.

I will tag @daisy1 who has some info she can post for newly diagnosed people.

I have arthritis and fibromyalgia and take a lot of tablets as I am in constant pain I'll get a blood glucose machine and keep a check on my levels thanks a lot for your help

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I have arthritis and fibromyalgia and take a lot of tablets as I am in constant pain I'll get a blood glucose machine and keep a check on my levels thanks a lot for your help

Sorry to hear you have those conditions, very painful and fatiguing. I also live with chronic pain and fatigue and every day is a balancing act between doing enough to keep moving without overdoing it and getting exhausted, which I imagine you're familiar with. Some days I struggle with getting the basics done. But I try to be positive because being negative just makes it harder, lol.

 

[Boo pins]

Sorry to hear you have those conditions, very painful and fatiguing. I also live with chronic pain and fatigue and every day is a balancing act between doing enough to keep moving without overdoing it and getting exhausted, which I imagine you're familiar with. Some days I struggle with getting the basics done. But I try to be positive because being negative just makes it harder, lol.

Sorry to hear you are in constant pain as well every day is exhausting isn't it I'm lucky I have 3 sisters and 5 children who have all grown up but we are a really close family and on days when I really feel low they usually manage to cheer me up lol I hope you have someone who manages to make you smile hope you feel better soon

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Sorry to hear you are in constant pain as well every day is exhausting isn't it I'm lucky I have 3 sisters and 5 children who have all grown up but we are a really close family and on days when I really feel low they usually manage to cheer me up lol I hope you have someone who manages to make you smile hope you feel better soon

Yes I do have people like that and they help a lot Thanks for your good wishes. Hugs

 

[andcol]

Hi Boo pins. The blurring vision coming and going is being caused by rapidly varying Blood Glucose Levels. This is likely being caused by what you are eating. When you go to see your doctor about the pain make sure you mention the blurring vision as well. Make sure you tell the doc whether the pain comes and goes or if it is constant and if it is cyclical tell him how it fits in with the blurred vision.

 

[Boo pins]

Hi Boo pins. The blurring vision coming and going is being caused by rapidly varying Blood Glucose Levels. This is likely being caused by what you are eating. When you go to see your doctor about the pain make sure you mention the blurring vision as well. Make sure you tell the doc whether the pain comes and goes or if it is constant and if it is cyclical tell him how it fits in with the blurred vision.

Ok thanks I am eating more healthily now so hopefully this will improve things thanks again for all your help x