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pins and needles and diabetes

jocat44

jocat44

Well-Known Member
Messages
58
Hi all,
Was diagnosed with T2 end of July put on metformin. Before I was diagnosed I was experiencing frequent bouts of pins and needles in my hands. This has continued since diagnosis, even sitting here now typing I have pins and needles across the knuckles area. Has anyone heard of a link between diabetes and pins and needles in the hands. I know in the feet it can be a sign of neuropathy. Bit worried becuase often drop things as well and have put this down to psychiatric medication. Have checked all side effects of meds and nothing down there. Just wondering whether this is something else I should be mentioned to the GP.
Thanks
Jo
 
You should definitely mention this to your doctor. There can be many causes of the pins and needles but as a diabetic it can be the start of neuropathy.
 
Yes - I had that especially in bed for some reason and thought it was because of overuse of the mouse and computer.

It's disappeared altogether now that I've taken control of my blood glucose levels.

Cramps in the calves (also in bed), getting up in the night to go to the toilet, repeating thrush, itching genitals etc have also all disappeared. At the time, I never really put any of them down to high blood glucose levels but now know that they must have been.

You don't tell us anything about what you are achieving in terms of control of blood glucose levels?

Best Wishes - John
 
Thank you both for your replies, I am concerned about the neuropathy side of things but interesting that Wallycorker has found it linked to high BG for them. I am still working on getting my bg down but readings are very up and down having been high on diagnosis. My last checkup with my GP was cancelled becuase she was sick but am due to see her this week to review whether need to increase up metformin. Most of my readings at the moment are between 8 and 16.6mmol/L so am expecting her to say that metformin needs to be doubled.
My GP on diagnosis said she was going to treat me aggressively because of my age (35), strong family history (mum was diagnosed a month before me!!), and some of the psychiatric meds I take could be at least partially to blame for tipping me over the diabetic edge but it is not safe for me to stop or cut down them.
Please bear with me I am trying to get head round this diabetes thing.
Thanks
Jo
 
Hi jocat44,

I am quite new to all this too but I have had a similar experience to you (and by the sounds of it Wallycorker too). Initially when I was diagnosed I had really bad neuropathy so much so that my legs and feet (riddled with pins and needles and some painful calf cramps). It always used to keep me awake at night for hours on end. This was the original reason I went to see my GP.

Since that time I have followed the dietary advice and just general bits of information off this site and can say without a shadow of a doubt that my neuropathy has a direct relationship with my blood sugar levels.

At the moment I am eating what my meter tells me is good for my blood sugar and as a direct result of that my neuropathy has virtually gone. I try like hell to get my readings as close to 5 as possible but as I have found thats easier said than done but I generally manage to keep to the mid-high 5's or low to the occasional mid 6's.

Further to this I would like to add that I have for a number of years experienced hand pain and had a cervical fusion for it. A lot of pain was removed via the fusion but I always had what was termed as residual parathesia and pins and needles .... well guess what ! Since taking control of my blood sugar levels and reducing them via diet and metformin (once per day pm meal) that too has virtually gone. I get the occasional twinge/pins needles sensation now and again and according to my spreadsheet (I've basically recorded everything I had done since being diagnosed) this correlates to new foods which don't agree with me (high 7's is usually the one that triggers the sensation for me)

I know we are all different, but this is just what happened to me. So for me there is a definite cause and effect.

Please get yourself a meter, have a look around this site at what people have achieved and how they have achieved lower blood sugar readings by diet and what they eat. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Simply put eat what your meter records as good for your blood. Unless your Dr or Specialist tells you otherwise.

All the best.
 
Again thanks for all the replies. Got an 18.9mmol/L today which is my highest since being diagnosed but I do know the reason for it as we went out for a meal and I had a couple of things I shouldn't have had! But it was lovely to have them! I have porridge with some sultanas for breakfast, nothing for lunch usually then a cooked meal or a salad with egg and cheese for dinner. My BG is peaking after breakfast so I am working on that at the moment. I have tried very hard to cut down on the things containing sugar and I do limit carbo but am not prepared to cut carbo out of diet completely. It would be too limiting within my diet.
Thanks
Jo
p.s reassuring to hear about pins and needles and high BG thanks
 
Hi Jocat, try testing one hour and then two hours after your porridge to see what the spike is. Some can eat oat products and some can't, this may be the cause of your spike after breakfast.
 
jocat44 said:
......I have porridge with some sultanas for breakfast..........
Click to expand...
Hi again,

Almost every cereal that I tried took my blood glucose levels to 10+ - all the ones that are supposed to be diabetic friendly e.g. All Bran, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, porridge etc. Because of that, I've cut cereals out of my breakfast almost altogether. I now eat a small selection of grilled items (bacon, sausage, mushrooms) generally with tomatoes lightly fried in a little olive oil sometimes with baked beans. If I do eat cereals at all these days then I now eat Lizi's granola - it's nut-based and hardly does anything at all to my blood glucose levels. The product can be found in Tesco but in the Special Foods section in our Tesco not amongst all the other creeals.

These days, my readings in the morning after breakfast are a lot better than they used to be. I consider that this has been a very significant contributor to my overall improvement in normalising my blood glucose levels over the past twelve months.

John
 
Thanks again for the advice regarding porridge and breakfast. I will have to do some more monitoring and try some different things to see what happens. Good job I've brought some test strips because when I asked the diabetic nurse how often I could order on perscription her reply was no more than 50 strips a month, this doesn't allow two per day!! Not helpful when you are trying to get a picture of what on earth is going on bg wise.
Thanks
Jo
 
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