Newly Diagnosed and looking for some answers.

[dandlewood]

Hey guys,
I was recently diagnosed in February of this year with an A1C of 7.1 and have been lurking on these forums ever since. There has been a wealth of information that has given me direction and solace on the beginning of this journey, and for that I thank you all. I am overweight and working on getting my body back into fighting shape to deal with this disease. I am 6'1" and I was around 320 in February and am around 284 today. I have cut my carbs down to ~ 120g per day and take 500mg of metformin and for this month my average morning fasting is about 5.7.

I work out, spending approximately 45 minutes a day on the elliptical and 15-30 minutes on the stationary bike along with stretching/situps, etc. Recently, while working out, I developed some pain in my left foot and it has started to feel cold all the time. I have rested it for a couple days and the pain has receded, but the coldness is still there. Is it possible that what I am feeling is neuropathy? I know that diabetes can lead to issues with your feet/hands, so I am starting to feel a little paranoid. I feel I should add that the feeling is localized to my toes/ball of my foot and that while it feels cold/numb, I can still feel sensation and heat/cold on the area. It just feels cold/numb when nothing is touching it, if that makes any sense.

In the same line of questioning, are you likely to develop further neuropathic issues while your diabetes is controlled?

 

[Ragmar]

Hello, are you testing before and after each meal? I only ask because Jenny Ruhl of bloodsugar101 says that blood sugar over 140 can lead to damage.

But I'm only four months In this myself so I wish you the best in your care and management

 

[dandlewood]

Hello, are you testing before and after each meal? I only ask because Jenny Ruhl of bloodsugar101 says that blood sugar over 140 can lead to damage.

But I'm only four months In this myself so I wish you the best in your care and management

Thanks for the reply and the well wishes. I hope you are having a good start as well!

I was initially checking after each meal, but my numbers have been pretty normal (under 140 post prandial) so I only check when I eat meals that have more than 30g of carbs now.

Prior to changing my diet I would have blood sugars into the 250 range. I only started checking recently, so I have no idea how long I've been in the red zone and what I can expect. I thought that, at this point, if I kept my sugars in line it should prevent any new side effects from occurring,

 

[Prem51]

Hi @dandlewood and welcome to the forum. It does sound as if the cold/pain/numbness in your foot is likely to be due to diabetic neuropathy. I'm guessing you are in the US as I think you are quoting mg/dl range figures, but in the UK our diabetic nurse does annual foot checks where they poke the sole of your feet with a soft rubber spike to see where you can feel it, which indicates that you still have feeling in your feet.
The feet are generally the first place where thicker sugary blood accumulates.
The good news is that if you reduce your bs levels your neuropathy should get better, a number of people on here have reported that their foot neuropathy has gone completely as they have reduced their blood sugar levels.

 

[dandlewood]

Hi @dandlewood and welcome to the forum. It does sound as if the cold/pain/numbness in your foot is likely to be due to diabetic neuropathy. I'm guessing you are in the US as I think you are quoting mg/dl range figures, but in the UK our diabetic nurse does annual foot checks where they poke the sole of your feet with a soft rubber spike to see where you can feel it, which indicates that you still have feeling in your feet.
The feet are generally the first place where thicker sugary blood accumulates.
The good news is that if you reduce your bs levels your neuropathy should get better, a number of people on here have reported that their foot neuropathy has gone completely as they have reduced their blood sugar levels.

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad to hear that this is hopefully nothing permanent. I'm going to err on the side of caution and schedule an appointment with a podiatrist. I have had some issues in the past (broken ankles, plantar fascitis, heel spur) so a checkup can't hurt.

 

[Ross.Walker]

Hi

Great work so far, keep it up, you will be amazed what you can achieve with this positive approach.

The pain could be diabetic neuropathy, it could be that you are working your body in a way it has not worked in a while, a lot of changes in one go can see odd things happen, yes get it checked out, but if you continue your discipline and workouts you will reduce the risks more and more which in my view is worth the effort.

Have you changed shoes recently? Are they tighter? It may be something simple that is not related to diabetes.

Ross

 

[kitedoc]

Dandlewood, You need top see a doctor about the cold feeling in your left foot.There could be one of several things causing this and better to get it sorted out ASAP. Ask your doctor to not only check for nerve damage but for circulation problems. Best Wishes.

 

[dandlewood]

Dandlewood, You need top see a doctor about the cold feeling in your left foot.There could be one of several things causing this and better to get it sorted out ASAP. Ask your doctor to not only check for nerve damage but for circulation problems. Best Wishes.

I ended up seeing a podiatrist. He wasn't super helpful, but he doesn't think my foot pain is related to diabetes, so that's a good thing. He's having some orthotics made to insert in my shoes and told me I can still work out but to dial it back and try to work other areas more. The pain component is less than it has been, but something still definitely feels off in my foot. Here's to hoping that it just continues to get better.

Also, Ross, I did change my shoes. I was previously wearing shoes that were too tight, which is how I ended up with the initial extensor Tendonitis. I'm wearing New Balance wide shoes now. They are super comfortable and fit very well. Maybe I'll buy some cheap inserts for now as I'll have to wait 6 weeks for my orthotics.