• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Diabetic Neuropathy (Left Foot)

Ians1964

Member
Messages
8
Hello friends.

I have been suffering terribly with neuropathy for over 6 months now and over the past few weeks the pain has become so severe I am taking regular prescribed morphine along with the gabapentin and amytriptaline which have absolutely no effect on relieving the pain or symptoms.

The pain is with me constantly and reduces me to tears regularly (that in itself is so depressing for an 18 stone ex county rugby player) and I get only 2-3 hours of unbroken sleep at night if I’m lucky. I’ve tried heat, cold, elevation, massage, acupuncture and pretty much everything else I can think of and get absolutely zero relief, and my GP says there is nothing more he can do for me.

Is there anyone who has any advice on what to do next please? I have read that TENS may be beneficial and wonder if anyone can help with that idea before I spend more money on things that won’t work?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Ian
 
Ask your G. p to refer you to a Neurologist pain management centre. It is your right to see an expert in all kinds of pain being neuropathic then a NEURO pain management seems correct I have my PM by my Neurologist & the PM centre within the unit.
 
 
Hi, I’ve been suffering from Neuropathy in both my legs and feet 15 years plus now. I’m on 30 mgs Zomorph twice daily, Oramorph 20mgs before going too bed and as and when I need it,
 
 
Hi - my neuropathy improved very quickly after I got my BG back in normal range. It had been pretty bad - no sleep, "burning feet", all that. Nothing really touched it before.

It has not gone completetly - still a probably permanent very mild tingle - but that's OK compared to how it was.
 
I had VERY sensitive feet that burnt terribly at night, i couldn't stand any covers on them at all. I suffered this for over 4 years, prior to diabetic diagnosis, they only improved dramatically when i did a strict Keto diet to lose weight. Ironically i was diagnosed as prediabetic shortly after this. Now fully diabetic with more controlled sugars, although still stupidly sensitive, the burning has almost disappeared, and has reached the point where if it flares up, perhaps once a month, it only happens when they get too warm, so cooling them down works quickly.
 
Ian, I can sympathise with you. I’ve had painful neuropathy in both feet for about 8 years or more. I have tried many of the related drugs but found pre-gabalin works for me. I’m in Sheffield and was referred to the pain clinic at the hospital. I’m sure you’ll have a similar clinic in your area, you may need to do your own research to point your gp in the right referral. Hope that helps, Andrew

(mod edit to take out name of hospital)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I sometimes suffer from Neuropathy pain in my feet and was advised (some years ago) by a Podiatrist to wrap Opsite around the top of my foot - where it was hurting. It really does work. Opsite is available on prescription from your GP or Diabetic Nurse. I hope this solves your problem. It did me.
 
Hi Ian, there is a very good Youtube web site called "The Nerve Doctors". In a presentation posted a year ago the following Neurotrophic Nutrients were recommended to repair and regenerate the nerves, Benfotiamine (B1), Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate (B6), Methylcobalamin (B12), Folate (B9), Alpha Lipoic Acid (apparently used widely in Germany) Acetyl-L-Carnitine and L-Citrulline. I personally use Alpha Lipoic Acid but my condition is nowhere as bad as yours. I would post a link but this is my first posting so it will be deleted. Just be aware any treatment will take several months.
 
I have had diabetic neuropathy for many years and the answer to my pain relief was PREGABALIN !!!
 
I‘m so sorry to read about your pain. Relentless pain is so cruel. I agree about following up with A Neurologist, if possible. I have seen some commercials in the US about new medication for nerve pain. I think one of them I saw was Qutenza. It’s a topical agent. I have no experience with it, though.

Also, a very large teaching hospital located in Durham, NC ( not sure if I can list names of providers) had good results with an implanted stimulator, called Senza PDN. I‘ve also read about stem cell implants. I might check with a large teaching hospital that might know more about that.

Have you tried acupuncture? It helped me tremendously with some other issues, but I’ve heard it’s an option for neuropathy.

Lastly, I might also ask your doctor to check your vitamin b12 level. That kind of deficiency is reported to cause nerve issues. I recently started taking injections for B12 and since then, I’ve seen improvement in several problems I had.

I hope you can find some answers to help you. I’ll look forward to seeing how it goes.
 

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I did invest in a TENS machine and I am happy to say that with a 60 minute treatment in the morning and again before bed, I am getting a 50% reduction in pain. I have also pushed my GP for a neurologist referral.
 
Great to hear TENS is working @Ians1964

I took Amitryptaline for neuropathy for a few years. Since losing weight and having blood glucose under control I'm no longer taking the Amitryptaline.

The pain hasn't gone completely. But it's at a level that I don't notice it most of the time. And it doesn't keep me awake any more.
 
Are you taking Metformin? Max dose long term?

I take methyl B12 from piping rock every day.
Another thing that helped me is HBOT - Hyper Baric Oxyen Treatment.
It pushes 20x the normal amount of oxygen into your body fluids so oxygen gets everywhere.
Nerves use up to 30% of your body's oxygen, so when they are swimming in it, they are happy and 'calm' down.
Stem cell divisions are shown to increase too, so during HBOT and after your body functions better.

[Edited by a moderator to remove prescriptive advice]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I will certainly get my B12 levels checked and possibly start taking oral supplements if they are suitable? I have only ever taken 500mg of Metformin since my initial diagnosis 10 years ago. I have always remained borderline diabetic and my last H1 results were 40. I have asked the medical practitioners endlessly why I should have neuropathy with a history of perfectly controlled blood sugars and I am yet to receive a conclusive answer.

I have just finished two 1 hour treatments with my new TENS machine and I am happy to report that it reduces my pain to simple tingling and this will now last for 6-10 hours, so I will look forward to some sleep tonight.

For anyone else out there suffering badly with neuropathy pain, I would strongly recommend TENS. My machine cost me £25 and 20 replacement electrodes (I haven’t needed to buy any yet) are £9
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…