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My diabetic fathers legs, ankles, heels hurt

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jhon99

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My father is a 56 year old diabetic.

He is on insulin.

He has been going on walks to try keep his diabetes under control.

However in the last year he has been feeling pain in his legs. The leg it self hurts, also the ankles hurt and the heel also hurts. The pain is unbearable and sometimes he can barely walk (inside the house) . Therefore he has had to give up exercise which has had a adverse effect on his sugar levels.

He has seen his GP who has prescribed him with various pain killers/ anti depressants to combat the pain but this has not helped.

Can this pain in his legs be cured or will he have to put up with this pain for the rest of his life?
and is pain such as this common for people who suffer from diabetes?

Any help appreciated
 
Hi jhon99.
Welcome to the forum. I presume from your profile that it is your father who is a Type 2 on Insulin ?

Pain like you quote is sometimes down to the Diabetes, however it could be many other things. He really needs to see his GP and get this sorted, possibly by a referral.

Do you know what his blood sugar levels are throughout the day ? That might help us to help you.
 
hi jhon99.
Has a doctor diagnosed what s/he reckons is the problem with your father's legs? Is he on other medications apart from insulin?
 
jhon 99
In principle, walking is an excellent form of exercise. Where is your father walking? and what kind of footwear does he have? Aching legs and feet can be caused by something a simple as badly fitting shoes.
However, Poorly or inadequately controlled diabetes can cause it too.
If your father's blood glucose levels are as near as possible to non-diabetic, ie around 5 most of the time, It's unlikely to be a blood glucose problem.
Sometimes, If a diabetic makes a determined effort to improve control, the body seems to hit back and cause symptoms as it adapts.
In any case, your father should see his care team and tell them. It's very depressing and debilitating to be in pain a lot of the time.
Hana
 
My fathers sugar is around 5 to 7 most of the time. He is type2. he also takes Metformin

He walks on the pavement and wears nike trainers. which are properly fitted.

But I think his bones have Weakened because he has been a diabetic for so many years. there could also be nerve damage in the leg area which is causing the pain.

He thinks he is in the last 5 or so years of his life, before diabetes ends him.

After all realistically diabetes is a very dangerous disease and even short spells of high blood sugar over a life time can do irreparable damage. There is only so much GPs can do. They cant reverse the internal damage.
 
Doctors often can't reverse damage, but patients sometimes can and your father is far too young to be thinking he's near the end of his life. There are diabetics around who have reached 40 or 50 years on insulin. My own husband is 62 and has multiple complications, after 35 years, but is far from ready to go just yet. I'm a 62 year old T2, who is very fit and well.
Your father's BG numbers are pretty good( I take it those were blood glucose numbers not HbA1cs)
However, from Bernstein's point of view[ I follow the work of Dr Richard Bernsein], they could still be better. It's not an easy thing to do on insulin, but non-diabetics have BG levels around 4.5 - 5 nearly all the time.
Rather than give up on life, it might benefit your father to tighten up his blood sugar control even more. It would take a lot of dedication.
What's your father's weight like? If he's heavy, that might impinge on the legs and the general level of health.
One thing that might help is Bernstein's doctrine of small numbers.
He advocated, LOW amounts of carbohydrate in the diet combined with low doses if insulin, maintaining low BG numbers. You need to read the book for the details.
another suggestion
Could your father try swimming or aqua- aerobics for a while? Also has he een the odiatrists? As a diabetic, he can refer himself. Just look up the number and give them a call
 
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