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

Type 1 Nerve damage pain in legs

D

Diabeticqueen99

Newbie
Messages
3
Could anyone help me I have possible nerve damage in my legs from poor diabetes control over the years and just looking to see if anyone has any advice with pain management already on tramadol for the pain but still suffer with it if anyone could give me a few things they have tried that would be brilliant
 
Diabeticqueen99 said:
Could anyone help me I have possible nerve damage in my legs from poor diabetes control over the years and just looking to see if anyone has any advice with pain management already on tramadol for the pain but still suffer with it if anyone could give me a few things they have tried that would be brilliant
Click to expand...
@Diabeticqueen - sounds very much like Diabetic Neuropathy - I have the most serious form in feet, legs and forearms so please respect my view when I say that there is no cure and that the best remedy is to avoid pain relief if at all possible. Your brain will accept your situation and will program you to recognise the pain but not to suffer as at present. And please remember - the Opioid plague in the US is killing patients with chronic pain from ongoing illness such as Diabetes. I am sorry I cannot give you any palliative except to increase exercise - especially cycling and walking as in your case.
 
Diabeticqueen99 said:
Could anyone help me I have possible nerve damage in my legs from poor diabetes control over the years and just looking to see if anyone has any advice with pain management already on tramadol for the pain but still suffer with it if anyone could give me a few things they have tried that would be brilliant
Click to expand...

Diabeticqueen , that doesn't sound pleasant at all.

Reading on here a number of people have managed to improve or even be rid of their nerve pain by achieving, and maintaining, good blood glucose control.

If you need pharmaceutical help for the pain, it is usually a particular type of drug for nerve pain, so you would need to discuss that with your Doctor.

Some have also tried the supplement R-ALA and found it helpful. It's an over the counter supplement, but used in some countries, such as Germany's for nerve pain. I tried it for nerve pain after an operation. My pain eventually eased, but for me that's very inconclusive, bearing in mind I was still healing at the time.
 
You might look into alpha lipoic acid. I don't know if that is used in the UK but it is used in the states for diabetic neuropathy (usually in the earlier stages...people don't seem to have much relief the more severe it is). Also you could ask your doctor to check a Vitamin B12 and folate. Type 2 DM are know to have a higher incidence to low Vitamin B12 and folate levels (compared to the general population), they believe it is linked to Metformin, but Type 1 can low levels as well. Also if you take a proton-pump inhibitor (for like acid reflux) you also have a greater chance of low Vitamin B12 (as well as magnesium, Vitamin D, and some other things as well...though, to my knowledge, the only one on that list that can impact neuropathy is Vitamin B12 but I could be wrong).
 
I've had neuropathy in my feet for years, but my pain is quite well controlled on Gabapentin, but is a prescription only drug, but well worth asking your doctor about.
I hope you don't mind me saying, but from my own personal experience, I wouldn't encourage the use of tramadol - I was on it for several years for back problems, both injury related and arthritis in lumbar region, then got really bad sciatica for over 18 months - nothing helped it at all! Then a surgeon friend suggested stopping that form of pain relief and my sciatica disappeared within a fortnight! Apparently sometimes opioids can exacerbate the problem rather than help it. But if you do decide to stop tramadol, please do it with a doctor's help - you are meant to taper them off gradually, rather than just stop them.
I don't know if any of this helps you at all, but I do wish you all the best, neuropathy is hell!!
 
francesk said:
I've had neuropathy in my feet for years, but my pain is quite well controlled on Gabapentin, but is a prescription only drug, but well worth asking your doctor about.
I hope you don't mind me saying, but from my own personal experience, I wouldn't encourage the use of tramadol - I was on it for several years for back problems, both injury related and arthritis in lumbar region, then got really bad sciatica for over 18 months - nothing helped it at all! Then a surgeon friend suggested stopping that form of pain relief and my sciatica disappeared within a fortnight! Apparently sometimes opioids can exacerbate the problem rather than help it. But if you do decide to stop tramadol, please do it with a doctor's help - you are meant to taper them off gradually, rather than just stop them.
I don't know if any of this helps you at all, but I do wish you all the best, neuropathy is hell!!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much my doctor has mentioned gabapentin but is trying me on Pregabalin first to see if that works better then the medication I’m on now thank you for all your advice
 
MollieB said:
You might look into alpha lipoic acid. I don't know if that is used in the UK but it is used in the states for diabetic neuropathy (usually in the earlier stages...people don't seem to have much relief the more severe it is). Also you could ask your doctor to check a Vitamin B12 and folate. Type 2 DM are know to have a higher incidence to low Vitamin B12 and folate levels (compared to the general population), they believe it is linked to Metformin, but Type 1 can low levels as well. Also if you take a proton-pump inhibitor (for like acid reflux) you also have a greater chance of low Vitamin B12 (as well as magnesium, Vitamin D, and some other things as well...though, to my knowledge, the only one on that list that can impact neuropathy is Vitamin B12 but I could be wrong).
Click to expand...

Thank you
 
I receive B12 injection every two months, and since that my energy levels run well from injection date until 7-10days before the next.

My dilemma is the opposite. Nothing keeps my readings from dropping into figures below 4.

Two weeks until gastroenterology appointment. FOB, OGD, CT, ultrasound and then an underwater colonoscopy (that was easy, although I panicked at my lack of swimming ability, once explained I was grand ) and in the last 8 months since gaining limited mobility weight has dropped to 63kg from 109kg.

Luckily I know how to stay on top of this, although it is extremely hard on my mind & body.

Neuropathies I get nowhere with, bring back having to pay to see a podiatrist I say as NHS have no tools to give me. Private appointment however, and their report, well whoopee!! there it is neuropathies in ALL extremis.

Shop around folks. No such thing as a one-stop fixin’ system in NI.
Hope across the Irish Channel is diabetic nirvana.

Just sharing.

Good luck.
 
francesk said:
I've had neuropathy in my feet for years, but my pain is quite well controlled on Gabapentin, but is a prescription only drug, but well worth asking your doctor about.
I hope you don't mind me saying, but from my own personal experience, I wouldn't encourage the use of tramadol - I was on it for several years for back problems, both injury related and arthritis in lumbar region, then got really bad sciatica for over 18 months - nothing helped it at all! Then a surgeon friend suggested stopping that form of pain relief and my sciatica disappeared within a fortnight! Apparently sometimes opioids can exacerbate the problem rather than help it. But if you do decide to stop tramadol, please do it with a doctor's help - you are meant to taper them off gradually, rather than just stop them.
I don't know if any of this helps you at all, but I do wish you all the best, neuropathy is hell!!
Click to expand...

What kind of pain did you have? My feet have an aching/burning feeling that varies in intensity. No loss of sensation and no numbness.
 
Back
Top