The beginning of nerve pain?

yingal2010

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Hi there

Can anyone tell me what neuropathy pain feels like? I've been a type one for 18 years and had no problems other than battling with my weight and my hba1c! Just recently, in the last 12 months or so, I've noticed I get pains in my legs (mostly at night) which feels like a trapped nerve. I find if I dont put any weight on that leg the pain tends to not be too bad. What has made me post now is that I have started getting what feels like joint pain / trapped nerve pain in my fingers, hands and wrists and my shoulders. This began about 2 months ago and especially with the colder weather.

I don't take any pain killers for any of these pains cos I'd like to get to the bottom of this! My current medication is:

Novorapid 24 units x 3
Lantus 52 units x 1
Simvastatin 40 mg
Ramipril 2.5 mg
Omeprazole 20 mg
Probiotic tablet 10 billion (for wheat intolerance)
Citalopram 40 mg (taken for anxiety)

Obviously, I will go and see my GP (as much use as they are!) but I'd like some advice from you guys first, if you don't mind! :)

Thanks for reading

Ying x
 

WhitbyJet

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I will never forget neuropathic pain, it feels a bit like severe toothache in the feet, or sometimes like sharp, stabbing pains, prolonged, no matter what you do whether you keep your feet still or move them, or sometimes strong burning feelings, at times I compared it to labour pains in my feet, where the pain would kind of reach a peak, then fade away only to start all over again, would go on for hours on end.

My goodness, I am so lucky, I dont suffer any more, neuropathy can be reversed with good control of bg.
Best see your doctor, your symptoms may well be due to other causes, you need a proper diagnosis.

All the best, I hope you feel better soon x
 

MYY

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WhitbyJet said:
I will never forget neuropathic pain, it feels a bit like severe toothache in the feet, or sometimes like sharp, stabbing pains, prolonged, no matter what you do whether you keep your feet still or move them, or sometimes strong burning feelings, at times I compared it to labour pains in my feet, where the pain would kind of reach a peak, then fade away only to start all over again, would go on for hours on end.

My goodness, I am so lucky, I dont suffer any more, neuropathy can be reversed with good control of bg.
Best see your doctor, your symptoms may well be due to other causes, you need a proper diagnosis.

All the best, I hope you feel better soon x

I used to get it in my legs often during night while I was sleeping. The pain was so unbearable and a nerve would actually pop out of the skin and you can feel and see it.

Since I got my BG in control I now rarely have this condition and thank God for that.
 

anna29

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MYY said:
WhitbyJet said:
I will never forget neuropathic pain, it feels a bit like severe toothache in the feet, or sometimes like sharp, stabbing pains, prolonged, no matter what you do whether you keep your feet still or move them, or sometimes strong burning feelings, at times I compared it to labour pains in my feet, where the pain would kind of reach a peak, then fade away only to start all over again, would go on for hours on end.

My goodness, I am so lucky, I dont suffer any more, neuropathy can be reversed with good control of bg.
Best see your doctor, your symptoms may well be due to other causes, you need a proper diagnosis.

All the best, I hope you feel better soon x

I used to get it in my legs often during night while I was sleeping. The pain was so unbearable and a nerve would actually pop out of the skin and you can feel and see it.

Since I got my BG in control I now rarely have this condition and thank God for that.

Wow whitby jet - This 'IS' exactly how it does feel - you have described it so perfectly :thumbup:

Mine kept me awake for hours till I took very strong painrelief ' tramadol opiate's '
This would knock me out - giving me relief from the agonising pain bashing into my brain from my feet and lower legs.

This has only lessened since getting better control , only thing I have now is rheumatoid arthritis
in my feet bones and joints :thumbdown:
Made worse by the colder weather we have now in winter ...

Have to soak and cream my feet everyother night , keep feet warm , attend my monthly podiatry clinics
wear proper footwear and treat them with respect,love and care.
As my feet carry me around...

Anna.
 

yingal2010

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Well it's been a couple of days but I've still got the pain in my hands and arms but it seems to hurt more when I move and I feel a bit stiff too...! I am definitely going to work on getting the blood sugars on tighter control but think I will go see the doctor too just to see if he can help. The only thing I don't want is to end up on pain killers for the rest of my life :(

Thanks for the replies too. X
 

anna29

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Hi yingal2010.

If you see your GP - let us know what is suggested .
As all/any info can help others with any neuropathic pain .

Do let us know how things progress with yourself .
If anything else can/does work to avoid painkillers for you.

Anna.
 

spats

Member
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How long have you been on simvastine??? I get neuralgia with statins which may be reversible, unlike true diabetic neuropathy Get on the list for the foot clinic and take extra care of your feet and legs from NOW Even if this is a false alarm, pain should always be taken seriously. Seed the Doctor or specialist nurse NOW!
 

Klang180

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130
I am sorry to say that i think this has probably got a lot to do with your weight and control. The good news is that if you tighten up your control and your diet you will probably have a reversal of these feelings.

Your rap sheet of medications is pretty telling and is not what you'd normally want to be on in the long term IMHO.

I know how hard it is to get back on track and how hard T1 is every single day but you know the best thing is the more you control it and the better you know your condition the better your life gets. Trust me, i have done everything from bad to good control from max to min effort and i am much much happier on a well monitored max effort approach. I have much more freedom and know what is going on without living from test to test.

I find it really useful to record everything i eat on Crono Meter and in addition write every dose, carbs, ratio and exercise i do in a book. If that sounds like a lot of work let me tell you it beats going out and worrying whether you;re going low or high, going to sleep not knowing where you are going and the general panick you might have if you are to be away from your machine for a couple of hours or more. It really is worth the effort so seize the day before it is too late.
 

Superchip

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Drop the dreaded statin for a month or two, see if that helps.

Superchip
 

Sid Bonkers

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Klang180 said:
Your rap sheet of medications is pretty telling and is not what you'd normally want to be on in the long term IMHO.


What is so telling about a Type 1 diabetic being on insulin? To make a statement like that without knowing the medical history of someone is totally out of order IMHO.



@Ying. Diabetic neuropathy can manifest in many ways from sharp stabbing pains to a constant severe ache it is also described by some as creeping or crawling skin.

While as others have said it can sometimes be reversed or improved by getting tight control of blood glucose levels it is also true that once nerve damage occurs it is almost always irreversible so early intervention would seem the key to reversing it or improving long term prospects.

It is said that something like 60 to 70% of diabetics will have some level of neuropathy and in many cases it can remain undiagnosed. Risk increases with age and longer duration of diabetes, the highest rates of neuropathy are among people who have had diabetes for at least 25 years.

One of the best sites for information on diabetic neuropathy that I found on the internet is http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/n ... hies/#what

You have already given yourself the best advice though Ying when you said:
yingal2010 said:
Obviously, I will go and see my GP

Good luck and do see your doctor :)
 

yingal2010

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Messages
48
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Spicey food, taxi drivers, hypos & hypers, pigeons, hospitals, dentists, my GP, my ****** immune system.
Spats, I'm on 40 mg of Simvastatin a day. I get my feet checked every 6 months and they are always absolutely fine. Im still taking the Aspirin 300 mg once a day and it seems to help a lot. I have got an appointment for next week for the doctor so I will see what he says too. Thanks!

Klang, I am more than sure you are right on this one. My weight has crept up the last 5 years and my control has got worse as a result. I have been working on the sugars and the eating better for the last week or two and the pain has lessened, I dont know if this is related but I will take it as a good sign. Rap sheet of medications....lol...to what meds do you refer? I'd rather not be on a lot of those things but apparantly the Ramipril and Simvastatin are preventative at the moment. The Citalopram is because of an anxiety issue not related to my diabetes. I will take your advice about writing down what I eat and recording my blood sugars more regularly! I will definitely try and seize the day! Thanks.

Superchip, I tried stopping the statin a few months ago but it made little difference to be honest. I will ask the doctor about it though. Incidently, I find the colder weather helps with the pain as well and heat just makes it worse.

Sid Bonkers, I get the dull ache which seems to come and go in cycles as well as pins and needles in my hands but the pain in my legs is like a trapped nerve! Its worse in the legs at night. Going to see the doctor soon so hopefully he will be helpful!

Thanks for the advice everyone and I will let you know how I get on.
Cheers. Ying x