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Numbness in feet and hands

J

JediMindTricksWS

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all, as I mentioned in other threada, Im a newly diagnosed T1D, insulin treated for about a month now.

Just wanted to share a few things I have been recently experiencing...which is, that Ive been getting alot of numbness and tingling in my feet and hands, which is making it VERY VERy difficult to sleep at night (seems to worsen during bed time hours). Anyway, I have messaged my doctor and he said it was related to high glucose. I do have a scheduled appt with him today, to see what I can do...

Has anyone else experience this very uncomfortable numbness? If so, what have you done to help manage/alleviate the pain? exercises, messages, yoga?
 
Hi yes high sugar levels cause Neuropathy. The doctor can give different meds for this that personally haven't worked for me a lots of other people I have spoken to. Been suffering this for 14yrs taking magnesium helps and on bad days when going to bed rub vicks vapour rub on legs and feet and wear pj's and loose fitting socks it calms it down enough so you can get some sleep
 
T2 here, hope this may be some use.

I had severe neuropathy in my feet while my BG was high. High for me is an HbA1c of 44, which is where I was when it started. I had the pins and needles, burning feet, and "needle stabbing" pains. Much worse at night time. I understand (Bilous and Donnelly, Handbook of Diabetes) that the pain is caused by glucose damaging the myelin sheathes around nerves - the longest nerves are most susceptible.

I found that the only thing that helped, but not always, was to get up and walk around. Obviously doesn't help with sleeping, but did reduce pain. Absolutely nothing else worked.

I got my BG into normal range in 2020, and the pains went within a few weeks. I have a very slight residual tingle (but not pain) which is probably permanent damage.
 
JediMindTricksWS said:
I do have a scheduled appt with him today, to see what I can do...
Click to expand...
Hi @JediMindTricksWS just wanted to check in with you see how your doing and how you got on with the Doctor?

How is the pain/tingling if the feet and hands?
You said it was worse at night making it difficult to sleep, from my experience and what I've read this is due the effect gravity has on our body's organs when lying down. @KenneyA say above the thing that helps is getting up and moving around you're no longer lying around and gravity has a different effect, it takes less effort to put blood to the extremities whey your vertical especially at night.

Think of it a little like turning the lights and heating of towards the end of the night in the house.

I find wearing big fluffy socks in bed helps as does a hot water bottle. I hate wearing socks in bed but with out them just now it hard to make it through the night. There are still a lot of night were nothing helps except getting up for a few hours until I am tired enough to pass out.

For me there is just no point lying there in bed stressing out about not getting back to sleep.
Our nervous systems slows down at night allowing us to sleep, this includes a lower heart rate and reduced body temperature less heat is pumped to the extremities like hands and feet.

Its a nuisance but I find it helps not to go to bed until I'm tired enough to fall asleep, I know it sounds obvious.
Hope your doing better.
 
I’ve had that same issue when I was first diagnosed and starting on insulin, the tingling and numbness in my feet would always flare up more at night and keep me awake. For me it started easing up once my numbers became a bit steadier, but in the meantime I tried little things like stretching before bed or using a warm compress on my feet, which helped enough to get some rest. It’s definitely uncomfortable, but it did get better over time, and talking it through with my doctor was really helpful too.
 
UPDATE: So its been about two weeks since my DRs visit. As mentioned here, it is due to my high glucose (obviously). I mentioned to her that the pain is taking hours out of my sleep, not to mention te quality of sleep is next to nothing. This neuropathy is now taking taking over my eating habbits, as I am now trying to nap during my breaks and lunch at work, rather than eating. I lost a little more than 10lbs since my appt.

Anyways, the DR prescibed me gabapentin and recommended me to take 100-300mg a day as needed. The first day I took 100mgs before bed, that seemed to work just fine (wasnt sure I was just psyching my self out of the pain, or coincidentally the pain just decided to disappear for one night). The next night the pain came back (still on 1 dose). So the following night I decided to up my dose to 200mg, but that didnt help either, as I felt the pain come back, if not worse. I decided to up my dose to recommended max 300mg the next night. That still didnt help that night.

Messaged my DR telling her that the meds prescribed isnt work, and if she can either prescribe me some different meds, or recommend some exercises. So, she messaged back to let me know she prescribed me with a higher dosage of the same meds. Now at 300mg per dose, but recommened I take 600mgs before bed (thats double what I was orignally taking). She also suggested I take thisb dosage for about a week, before upping to 900mg max if the pain does not subside. Its been almost a week now on this 600mg per night dose...and still no change in pain. Im just about ready to give up on these meds.

Any more recommendations here would be great. Thanks!!!
 

Hi @dudethurein thanks for your reply!!!

Question, when you say you "it started easing up once your numbers became steadier". Can you explain a little more? Where was you levels at when you noticed the pain, and where did you need to get it down to before you felt a little comfort?

Good thing that Im hearing in the comments, is that it does get better within time etc. Which is very hopeful for me as this pain is consuming alot from me at the moment.
 
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