I was diagnosed this July with T2 (HbA1C 93, BG 15.3) so really bad values. And looking back I now can recognize Symptoms of T2 as far back as one year before diagnosis. Feeling un-characteristically tired, almost falling to sleep at work. Specially after lunch. And guess how I treated this ? With sugar ofc ! To get more energy. And I now also recognize initial symptoms of peripheral neuropathy 9 months before diagnosis. I had slight numbness in twisted little toe. I bought silicone straightening tube for it. I started having numbness at ball of my right foot about 3-6 months before diagnosis. Which I chalked as too tight new shoes. It was coming and going. I also started eating less to lose weight to help with health problems few months before diagnosis.
Then diagnosis, I started strict diet and weight loss. I went 1st month without Insulin and got I morning BG to 8 ish. Realising I could not get it lower than that without insulin I started that. I had on and off numbness in my feet that I still passed as pinched nerve from new too tight shoes. Those were really way too narrow I I threw them away. I have broad feet and I damaged my feet before so I paid not much attention to that.
So about two months after diagnosis I the numbness in my feet started getting worse during sinus infection and flu/influenza that lasted for couple weeks. I sought helps from one Diabetes doctor who dismissed me outright as "it can not be peripheral nephropathy this soon" he did not even bother to properly examine my legs, just tested temperature and pulse with his hand (I considering of making official complaint). Then seeking help from diabetes nurse. By the time I got time for her the head cold and fever went away and by and by felt almost normal with minimal numbness in right foot. Nurse recognized liver spot like marks on top of my feet near toes. And told my feet are bloated. I got those marks maybe 6 months back they were on and off. She told it must be a reaction to insulin. I tried telling her at that point I had been using insulin for a month and I had no reaction to it. She did the actual touch sensitivity test on my soles and found one area in both with complete loss of touch and I feel that at ball of my foot and toes I had noticeably less sense of a feel. And I was told most likely boated feet as reaction to insulin. I was told to get support socks and better shoes. I put that on my list and went on. Then four days later the inf-flu-sinus-infection ***-storm came back with vengeance. Feet were getting worse every couple days. the completely numb area in my right foot was getting bigger and toes losing feelings. Even the so far much better left food started to get much worse that it even had been. I went to see new diabetes doctor I carefully chose and was told again "peripheral neuropathy should not come this soon" I tried to explain to him I might have had undiagnosed T2 for up to 1.5 years before diagnosis and my sugar intake had been insane for that whole time. He did two sensitivity tests on my feet and found areas in lost touch of sense. At the time only starting to realize the symptoms might have started before diagnosis. This new doctor was much better that all 3 doctors before. He really explained things to me in technical details a little too much info at once. He suspected (if I remember correctly) that the sugar in blood might have damaged the nerves in feet and also the netting in kidney that the protein was leaking into urine and that would cause damage to feet nerves and bloating. He suspected I might have caused the nerve damage by dropping my blood sugar too fast. He told be rapid changes in blood sugar are far more dangerous than even long high values. He ordered battery of test including the ones previous doctors had neglected to take, like cholesterol. And Creating test for kidney damage. He advised to wait 2 days after I recover from the flu before going to lab. I waited 1-1½ day as I really wanted to get result before this weekend so I would not had to stress and wait over weekend. I asked my doctor to also take b12 tests as I got a really good suggesting from this forum that being one possible cause. I have not yet looked up who said that but thank you. I will find him and thank him/her properly if that turns out to be the solution.
Friday morning I went to the test and on my way home from work bought bottle of b12 vitamin pills. I took one and in just couple hours my legs felt so much better. I was overjoyed with joy. Still slightly reserved it being placebo effect combined of getting my feet up, not to mention constantly wiggling my toes for hours to feel if they felt better. At same time I got my U-Alb and Creatin ratio results of 0.6 mml, test reference said normal value was <2.5 and neuropathy caused my kidney damage is >25mmol.
So again I felt relief, only to be replaced fear that this was false negative and I had not been eating much in days before the test and still not completely covered from the flu.
But 2/3 indicators, even if somewhat questionable are indicating all this this trouble was cause by B12 deficiency. I did not get my blood B12 test before weekend.
I might be jumping the gun here. Actually, I now starting to believe I am. This is all too good and too perfect.
I am vegetarian I do eat a lot of dairy products and eggs. I love beans. I though I was getting enough B12, but it would make sense that reducing food intake to lose weight might have dropped B12 too low.
Now it is Saturday morning I felt really tired and weak. Could be combination of mental strain over this issue and really or no food intake. Morning BG was prefect: 5.2. Feet did not feel as good as they felt previous evening. Real mental roller coaster, Really difficult to gauge how much feet did not feel yesterday by memory.
I ma getting some more sensations in my feet, like tingling, hot/cold. I constantly switching between hoping it is form feet getting better and healing and fearing it is from them getting worse. My blood sugar has been perfect I ate pretty substantial meal, larger that in weeks and 4h after my blood sugar was 6.5.
So I am cautiously optimistic, fearing a lot I am so falsely. My biggest dream is that I got this in control just in time and that T2 and sugar levels had ONLY started to damage my feet and that now doing everything right I might at least stop it and hopefully the damage done might even repair. I do realize that might not be realistic and I already had started losing hope this being able to even be stopped.
Most frightening thing is that I been doing everything what my Doctor and Nurse have told me for 3 months. I lost over 20 kg of weight in last 4-5 months. Since diagnosis, in July, only bad thing that I have eaten are cinnamon bun and one bag of caramelized almonds. Everyone tells T2 is no problem as long as you do everything right, I been doing everything right the moment I got diagnosis, but I fear I might have been it too late. And to add an insult to injury I even might have caused this complication by doing things too well.
Long story but I though it was worth telling as it might give someone else some information and also I love any info anyone of you might have related to this. I would like to note I have no problem with my sugar values. They had been constant 5.0-5.5. latest doctor told that it being too low target and let it raise 6-7 range. After meal values have been 6.5-9.1(once), mostly lower 8's. I specially would love info on U-Alb-Creatin ratio test and how eating in previous days might affect it.
Then diagnosis, I started strict diet and weight loss. I went 1st month without Insulin and got I morning BG to 8 ish. Realising I could not get it lower than that without insulin I started that. I had on and off numbness in my feet that I still passed as pinched nerve from new too tight shoes. Those were really way too narrow I I threw them away. I have broad feet and I damaged my feet before so I paid not much attention to that.
So about two months after diagnosis I the numbness in my feet started getting worse during sinus infection and flu/influenza that lasted for couple weeks. I sought helps from one Diabetes doctor who dismissed me outright as "it can not be peripheral nephropathy this soon" he did not even bother to properly examine my legs, just tested temperature and pulse with his hand (I considering of making official complaint). Then seeking help from diabetes nurse. By the time I got time for her the head cold and fever went away and by and by felt almost normal with minimal numbness in right foot. Nurse recognized liver spot like marks on top of my feet near toes. And told my feet are bloated. I got those marks maybe 6 months back they were on and off. She told it must be a reaction to insulin. I tried telling her at that point I had been using insulin for a month and I had no reaction to it. She did the actual touch sensitivity test on my soles and found one area in both with complete loss of touch and I feel that at ball of my foot and toes I had noticeably less sense of a feel. And I was told most likely boated feet as reaction to insulin. I was told to get support socks and better shoes. I put that on my list and went on. Then four days later the inf-flu-sinus-infection ***-storm came back with vengeance. Feet were getting worse every couple days. the completely numb area in my right foot was getting bigger and toes losing feelings. Even the so far much better left food started to get much worse that it even had been. I went to see new diabetes doctor I carefully chose and was told again "peripheral neuropathy should not come this soon" I tried to explain to him I might have had undiagnosed T2 for up to 1.5 years before diagnosis and my sugar intake had been insane for that whole time. He did two sensitivity tests on my feet and found areas in lost touch of sense. At the time only starting to realize the symptoms might have started before diagnosis. This new doctor was much better that all 3 doctors before. He really explained things to me in technical details a little too much info at once. He suspected (if I remember correctly) that the sugar in blood might have damaged the nerves in feet and also the netting in kidney that the protein was leaking into urine and that would cause damage to feet nerves and bloating. He suspected I might have caused the nerve damage by dropping my blood sugar too fast. He told be rapid changes in blood sugar are far more dangerous than even long high values. He ordered battery of test including the ones previous doctors had neglected to take, like cholesterol. And Creating test for kidney damage. He advised to wait 2 days after I recover from the flu before going to lab. I waited 1-1½ day as I really wanted to get result before this weekend so I would not had to stress and wait over weekend. I asked my doctor to also take b12 tests as I got a really good suggesting from this forum that being one possible cause. I have not yet looked up who said that but thank you. I will find him and thank him/her properly if that turns out to be the solution.
Friday morning I went to the test and on my way home from work bought bottle of b12 vitamin pills. I took one and in just couple hours my legs felt so much better. I was overjoyed with joy. Still slightly reserved it being placebo effect combined of getting my feet up, not to mention constantly wiggling my toes for hours to feel if they felt better. At same time I got my U-Alb and Creatin ratio results of 0.6 mml, test reference said normal value was <2.5 and neuropathy caused my kidney damage is >25mmol.
So again I felt relief, only to be replaced fear that this was false negative and I had not been eating much in days before the test and still not completely covered from the flu.
But 2/3 indicators, even if somewhat questionable are indicating all this this trouble was cause by B12 deficiency. I did not get my blood B12 test before weekend.
I might be jumping the gun here. Actually, I now starting to believe I am. This is all too good and too perfect.
I am vegetarian I do eat a lot of dairy products and eggs. I love beans. I though I was getting enough B12, but it would make sense that reducing food intake to lose weight might have dropped B12 too low.
Now it is Saturday morning I felt really tired and weak. Could be combination of mental strain over this issue and really or no food intake. Morning BG was prefect: 5.2. Feet did not feel as good as they felt previous evening. Real mental roller coaster, Really difficult to gauge how much feet did not feel yesterday by memory.
I ma getting some more sensations in my feet, like tingling, hot/cold. I constantly switching between hoping it is form feet getting better and healing and fearing it is from them getting worse. My blood sugar has been perfect I ate pretty substantial meal, larger that in weeks and 4h after my blood sugar was 6.5.
So I am cautiously optimistic, fearing a lot I am so falsely. My biggest dream is that I got this in control just in time and that T2 and sugar levels had ONLY started to damage my feet and that now doing everything right I might at least stop it and hopefully the damage done might even repair. I do realize that might not be realistic and I already had started losing hope this being able to even be stopped.
Most frightening thing is that I been doing everything what my Doctor and Nurse have told me for 3 months. I lost over 20 kg of weight in last 4-5 months. Since diagnosis, in July, only bad thing that I have eaten are cinnamon bun and one bag of caramelized almonds. Everyone tells T2 is no problem as long as you do everything right, I been doing everything right the moment I got diagnosis, but I fear I might have been it too late. And to add an insult to injury I even might have caused this complication by doing things too well.
Long story but I though it was worth telling as it might give someone else some information and also I love any info anyone of you might have related to this. I would like to note I have no problem with my sugar values. They had been constant 5.0-5.5. latest doctor told that it being too low target and let it raise 6-7 range. After meal values have been 6.5-9.1(once), mostly lower 8's. I specially would love info on U-Alb-Creatin ratio test and how eating in previous days might affect it.