Aches and pains

[claxton]

Hello Everybody.
I have only just signed up to the forum but was diagnosed with type 2 about 5 years ago.
Problem I'm having is aches and pains. Mainly on the outside of my left hip and left side of my back and ribs. Also my sholders (mainly left shoulder) and the top of my back. All these areas are also tender when pressed. The doctor seems baffled at the moment (I also suffer from COPD and IBS) my stomach also gets extremely bloated at times.
I am wondering in the absence of a diagnosis wether these pains are anything to do with the diabetes.
I would be interested to hear anybodys views.
Thanks.

 

[IanD]

Hi, we need more info - but what has your Dr said?

What is your diet & what are your sugar levels?

Often aches & pains improve with improved sugar levels, & a change to a low carb diet.

 

[claxton]

Hello Ian.
My diet changes from time to time due to IBS. My blood glucose levels are generally well controlled morning reading usually about 6.5. I have had a cat scan of the abdomen which showed nothing significant. Also had a cat scan of the chest due to COPD and it showed a condition called bronchiectasis. My Doctor who is probably sick of the sight of me by now doesn't know what is causing the pain. He is refering me to a gastrologist (again!) and a rheumatologist. I was curious as to wether these symptoms could be explained by diabetes (nerve inflammation of some kind?) , and if any body else had experienced something similar.

 

[wellwell1212]

I sympathize with you Claxton, I have been T2 diagnostic for about 10 years and particularly in more recent years, have I suffered from aches and pains similar to that you describe. I am a 58 yr old male and I am not sure that these pains are wholly attributable to T2 :? I have largely got rid of the shoulder and neck pains by regular exercise, a new non-driving job and a new bed but, I have this regular pain in my right hip which can travel down my right leg, a bit like sciatica, that has appeared in the last couple of years. I think this newer set of aches and pains are attributable to the sedentary work environment I am in and probably a new set of chairs could help it. In my experience, Doctors are only going to put you through painful cortisone to no avail. Go to an older doctor for a more sympathetic approach and investigate gentle exercise, would be my tuppence worth ... good luck with it.

 

[viviennem]

Are you taking statins? they can cause muscle and joint aches.

There is also a condition called "spinal stenosis" - lumbar or cervical. Lumbar, which I have, is caused by arthritic overgrowth of the bones of the facet joints in the lower spine, which can trap the nerves to the legs. When it flares my right hip feels as if someone has pushed a skewer into it and then held a Bunsen burner under to other end. I get numbness and tingling on my lower leg, and was once bent double for about 7 weeks with a permanently-cramped muscle at the front of my right thigh. "Pain" is an inadequate word.

Stenosis is quite common but often goes undiagnosed. My GP referred me to the Senior Physiotherapist at our local Spinal Rehabilitation Unit, who referred me for an MRI scan - there it was! 25 years later :shock: .

It was good to get a diagnosis - physios are better at this than GPs - and I take a small dose of an opiod every night for nerve pain, which keeps things under control.

It might be worth talking this over with your GP.

Viv 8)

 

[IanD]

I was diagnosed D 12 years ago, when I complained of a numb feeling particularly in my right thigh. Also I felt that that leg was going to give way when playing tennis - though it didn't. Diabetes - HbA1c=8.6, & the numbness was neuropathy. It didn't go away with improved BG. I was away of it, but was nsty sometines:-
after Dr gave me simvastatin (for cholesterol) I got serious pains; my legs were too heavy to lie on my back & I had to sleep with a pillow under my knees; giving up the statin (10 mg ) cleared that pain in a week;
then Dr tried niacin 500-1000 mg; in 3 weeks my BG had gone up 0.5 & the leg pain was returning.
All this time I was eating the NHS-DUK high carb, low salt/fat/sugar "healthy eating" diet & playing tennis; the numbness never went away.
After 7 1/2 years the neuropathy really set in & I felt I was becoming disabled. My HbA1c was 6.7 - which was considered acceptable by my Dr, who suggested hospital investigation.

I've just reviewed my posts April/May 2008.
Although I was then suffering muscle pains, I was still confident of the NHS-DUK diet. Mid May I switched to low carb, & the relief was rapid. From August 2008 I have been out of pain & am fully active.

The first thing to try is a low carb diet, with increased fat as it comes - full fat cheese, etc. Obviously I don't know what sort of diet you follow for your various conditions, but the low carb options will improve your sugar control, which may be the key to reduced pain - as it was with me. My levels dropped to about 6.

I test every day, at least once & occasionally several times. I have found a cereal breakfast (a deliberate experiment) appeared to be OK with a 2 hour BG of 5.1. The 1 hour BG was 14! That means that even though spot readings may be OK, & even the HbA1c be below 7, massive spikes are occurring.

I recommend you consider how to reduce carbs from your diet. I use fresh food, & lots of powdered nuts (ground almonds & coconut flour) as porridge & as flour for cooking. I can let you know basic recipes. Ignore the DUK warnings of the dreadful consequences of a low carb diet. They haven't found any, & after nearly 5 years low carb, I am fit & well without any neuropathy.

Hope that helps.

 

[whelk]

... or you could read the DUK advice and make your own judgement:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/Our ... -diabetes/

You can do something entirely different from low carb and the DUK advice, which is much more effective.

 

[wellwell1212]

This thread has got me thinking, no mean feat might I add :lol:

I think what I have is probably more likely to be nerve damage related. That said, when I am sitting or lying down, I am fine. Its when I start walking any distance the pain starts from my hip and walking is a painful experience. I have had to give up my gym in recent months because of aches and pains and that is a major bind for me since my T2 health regime is based around exercise, diet and drugs (Metformin SR 1K twice daily and x2 Glic 80mg daily).

I think I have to seriously attend to my diet on an ongoing basis.

 

[whelk]

This thread has got me thinking, no mean feat might I add :lol:

I think what I have is probably more likely to be nerve damage related. That said, when I am sitting or lying down, I am fine. Its when I start walking any distance the pain starts from my hip and walking is a painful experience. I have had to give up my gym in recent months because of aches and pains and that is a major bind for me since my T2 health regime is based around exercise, diet and drugs (Metformin SR 1K twice daily and x2 Glic 80mg daily).

I think are have to seriously attend to my diet on an ongoing basis.

That sounds a bit like Sciatica. Needs a scan to locate the cause.

 

[wellwell1212]

Could be Whelk, I need to bite the bullet and get down to the Quack :roll:

 

[Kelp2112]

I suffer with an aching heel and ankle, I see that aches and pains get better with low carb diet, how on earth do I manage then when carbs are all I pretty much eat.
I am do fussy with food!! Suggestions please!!
Type1 as well.

 

[IanD]

I suffer with an aching heel and ankle, I see that aches and pains get better with low carb diet, how on earth do I manage then when carbs are all I pretty much eat.
I am do fussy with food!! Suggestions please!!
Type1 as well.

Welcome to the forum, where I hope we can help. Advice is from experience - shared experience, tried & tested, but we are not medically qualified. I was diagnosed 12 years ago. I have no adverse symptoms now.

I note from your profile that you are T1, so T2 advice may not be appropriate, though I was initially persuaded to try low carb by a T1 - Fergus. He researched diet & diabetes after a hypo while driving. I can give a link to an article in the "Sweet" mag wher he told his story. If I can make contact with him, I'll get an update. Basically he found reducing carb reduced his insulin requirement, & improved every aspect of his health.

Fergus - Sweet mag.

You - we - have a chronic condition & cannot digest carbs without generation excessive blood glucose, resulting in potentially dangerous complications. Controlling carbs with insulin may result in weight gain. What do you eat? We are not talking about the dreaded Atkins diet, but, a reduction in the obvious carb foods & an increase in proteins, fatty foods & veg.

My diet includes foods made using nut flours in place of wheat & other carb flour. I have a porridge made from a mix of ground almonds & coconut flour, & a cake-bread using nut flour, butter, olive oil & lots of egg, with an assortment of flavours. Fat rich foods are very sustaining - they have nearly double the energy of carbs, & are more sustaining. Full-fat cheese is very good for snacking.

The advice is in contrast with what you will get from dietitians & Diabetes UK, but I have convinced my Dr & dietitian of the benefits of a low carb diet. 4 1/2 years ago it was painful to get out of bed - going from lying to sitting could take 5 minutes. Stairs were a struggle. Now, at 73 I enjoy tennis, table tennis & badminton.