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Diabetes Neuropathy - Leg Pain

K

Kev68

Member
Messages
22
Location
Derry
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all,

I have a dull pain mostly on the front of my thighs but sometimes on the calves. Occasionally on the thighs it feels like numbness and a bit tingly. My knee and ankles are sometimes a bit stiff but not really problematic. I have no issues with my feet however.

I never feel refreshed after a nights sleep and often have the pain in my thighs upon waking. Consultants have said its a symptom of M.E./CFS as I also have severe fatigue especially in the mornings.

So my question is - could it be diabetic neuropathy and does anyone else have experiences of something similar? I thought neuropathy started with hands and feet?

Many thanks, Kev
 
kev

How are you blood sugars across the night?
Can't diagnose but the symptoms sound annoying to say the least.
Are you taking any other meds e.g. statins (these are notorious for causing muscle pains) and do you eat plenty of veggies? Being magnesium deficient could be a cause.
Fatigue from too high bgs is very common however also a symptom of vitamin b12 issues.
Sorry - more questions than answers.
 
Hi Nicole. My BG's are good at night (and most days - being on a pump has really helped that). I take thyroid medication and low dose Amitriptyline which was prescribed to relax muscles as part of treatment for CFS. I'm not bad with veggies - could always eat more. And I take B12 tablets and last time it was measured it was just below mid of ref range which was why I started supplementing it so I would expect it to be better. I do take co-codamol when the pain gets bad. It helps but I'm very aware of dependancy issues so wary of taking it too often. What is frustrating is that the diagnosis of CFS is kind of a catch all for many medically unexplained symptoms and I would prefer to get a more accurate diagnosis. Thanks for your suggestions! K
 

Kev - you say you're on thyroid medication? How are your thyroid levels doing on that? It isn't unknown for under medicate hypothyroid patients to present with the sort of symptoms you have. In fact some even end up with diagnoses of CFS.

As you may also be aware, it is important all your vitamins and minerals are well up their ranges, as hypothyroidism can lead to malabsorption issues.

I hope when your doctor is looking at your thyroid condition he is taking note of your FT4, T3 and antibodies situation as well as the TSH. In my view, once someone is taking thyroid medication, TSH is not a good indicator of thyroid health or efficiency.

I do hope you find some answers soon.
 
Hi DCUKMod,

I have tried NDT, T4 only, T3 only, T3 & T4 combo. I've been under medicated, over medicated, properly medicated (in terms of results - which include FT3, antibodies etc). I've tried different diets, loads of supplementation, different exercise regimes and none of it has made any significant improvement in terms of pain and fatigue. I have been T1 since 1986 and for many years I didn't manage the condition well. Luckily during that time I only passed out once and had a few infections but nothing serious. I've been really on top of things from a diabetes management perspective for almost 20 years now, although I've no doubt the early years did some underlying damage.

Sorry to go back to my initial query but do you know if its possible to have neuropathic pain in legs with none in feet? Cheers, appreciate your help, K
 
Hi Kev. I have peripheral neuropathy and I have no pain in my feet. They are on the numb side though. With me the PN manifests as a really weird water trickling down my legs sensation along with an ache and almost a restless legs feeling. If you speak to your DN they can run a test on you which measures the electrical activity in your feet to see of there is any nerve damage. Hope that helps.
 

I've been fortunate enough not to have neuropathy to date, but I should think it possible to have neuropathy anywhere there are nerves, although the extremities, with their more ad more delicate nerve endings, will probably be more susceptible.

Do you eat gluten-free? I was strongly advised, based on a few factors by the Endo I see that many with auto-immune conditions do well GF. For me, my gluten intolerance means when I find myself accidentally "glutened", I have extreme fatigue, joint pains, brain fog, and erm,...... "digestive disturbances".

Some of the symptoms you describe occur across a real variety conditions, so they can, as you are finding, be tricky to pin down.
 

Thanks Kazwbb. I will ask my DN for that test. Do you mind if I ask you what, if any, pain relief you use for your neuropathy? Cheers K
 

Yes I'm with you 100% on this. I am GF but when I either lapse or eat it accidentally it definitely disturbs my system and is a contributor to fatigue, sluggishness and digestive problems. I read that Gliadin, the protein in gluten, is similar in structure to the thyroid and if you have hashimotos (I do) then the immune system will see gluten as a target to be destroyed!
 

Kev - I am atypical everything. It's a wonder my brain allows my fingers to type typical.

I don't have Hashi's. In fact when I first saw my current Endo, he ordered up a raft of about 40 blood tests (in addition to the usual stuff), based on my family history of AI conditions. He was aghast I didn't (at that time anyway) have any AI conditions. His parting shot was along the lines of "keep an eye on that diabetes. LADA is a sneaky condition."

Charming.

Have you gone dairy free, as well as GF? His words on that have so far only met my deaf ear!
 

Yes I am DF as well. Like being GF its a struggle at times both in terms of willpower and "hidden" ingredients. Eating out is like playing russian roulette with my digestive system. I'm hoping that I don't get any more AI conditions - especially lupus. My mum has that and it's nasty. I would love to have a body which could properly differentiate between friend and foe. Instead it's a question of trying to keep the friendly fire to a minimum.
 

Yes, once the AI conditions start tag teaming it brings a whole new level of complexity. My late father had a whole bunch of them, but whilst he was diagnosed with diabetes, it was T3c, due to steroids to treat his RA and fibrosing alveolitis.

I do hope you get t the bottom of your leg pain. Not knowing means you can't build plans to mitigate things.
 
Jo_the_boat said:
How's your circulation Kev?
Click to expand...

I would describe it as reasonable Jo. I do get cold feet sometimes. Spoke to a diabetic nurse yesterday and she is going to enquire about the test kazwbb mentioned earlier in the thread and hopefully organise one for me.
 
Kev68 said:
I would describe it as reasonable Jo. I do get cold feet sometimes. Spoke to a diabetic nurse yesterday and she is going to enquire about the test kazwbb mentioned earlier in the thread and hopefully organise one for me.
Click to expand...

For circulation, the initial investigations just tend to be feeling for pulses in your ankles and feet. If they're unsure what's going on, or if the pulses are a but weak, they'll move onto a doppler test, where your pulses become audible. Sometimes they just use the doppler as a matter of course.

Worth having them checked.
 
Kev68 said:
Thanks Kazwbb. I will ask my DN for that test. Do you mind if I ask you what, if any, pain relief you use for your neuropathy? Cheers K
Click to expand...
I have Neuropathy in my feet and legs. For me, the pain feels like its stabbing and stinging along with a sensation of boiling water being poured on me (usually all at the same time). Its very painful and I have been prescribed a low dose of Pregabalin which helps take the edge off the pain. As I am on quite a few other meds, they have to keep the dose low. Drugs such as Co-Codamol or Ibuprofen don't help with Neuropathy pain. I'd discuss options with your GP. Good luck
 

Wow those symptoms sound awful Lindie. Hope you're coping with them. A friend has told me about pregabalin - supposedly a very powerful medication. Thanks for all the info!
 
No problem Kev. Pregabalin is used to treat Epilepsy but also helps ease the symptoms of Neuropathy. Guess it won't suit everyone but you may want to consider trying it if your GP agrees. Its worth a try if it helps. Will keep my fingers crossed for you. Take care
 
 
Your leg symptoms do sound rather like mine did, that's why I suggested possible circulatory problems.
I hate the thought of throwing drugs at things and (so far, touching wood) lifestyle changes, exercise and diet, have really helped me.
I have a specific vascular problem but also Type 2. I do get some pain / numbness in toes and fingers which I think is neuropathy and T2 related, quite different symptoms to the vascular stuff.
I hope you find out and get some relief.
 
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