Sleepless nights because of pain

You could ask your doctor about taking magnesium supplements.

Have you been told what's causing the pain @gally?

gally said:

Hi everyone I haven't been on here for quite a while but recently have been suffering sleepless nights because of pains in legs burning feet and really bad foot and leg cramps I was diagnosed type 2 in 2012 my blood sugar readings are said to be excellently controlled or so I'm told by my DN I work full time but I am struggling to do my job as my legs hurt so much I am on my feet all day How do people cope holding down a full time job with so little sleep and painful legs and joints is there any remedies anyone can advise Pease

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Hi @gally have you looked at the side effects of Simvastatin. A number of members here have suffered from leg pains etc due to taking statins

gally said:

thank you all for replying i am no longer on simvastin i am now on avortastatin but i suppose all statins have the same side effects i have been on statins for over 10 years and never suffered any side effects up to now i have a doctors appointment for next week still in agony and in terrible pain when i walk its fine when i wake up in the morning but gets worse has the day goes on hope i can get this sorted soon xxx

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Can you take co-codamol ok? I'm taking painkillers too but I'm now seeing a physio who has given me a few tips to help relieve my painful pelvis/back. GP referred me. I now also take codeine on top of co-codamol but you must take advice from a gp, even if just from a telephone consultation which you can ask for tomorrow morning? Don't suffer unnecessarily.
What painkillers have you tried?

I can relate to your pain. I have lived for almost 11 years now with pins and needles, constant cramp and lack of sensation in both legs and feet and spasms in the left leg when it gets really upset. I know the cause though - my spinal cord was crushed in a RTA by a very large truck. I'm alive though and I can walk after a fashion. My sleep is disturbed though as it is very difficult to get comfortable. There are a number of things I have found help me and give some , if only temporary, relief. I see a physio every 4 weeks for deep tissue massage and to stretch the muscles. It's agony at the time but it helps for quite a few days afterwards. Part of my problem is fluid in the left leg does not drain properly due to the damage caused by the accident so it has to be "encouraged" out. I also have compression socks that were fitted and supplied on prescription. These things are murder to get on but boy are they firm and they do help with the fluid issue. Another thing the physio recommended was a massage stick.I got mine on Amazon - 66fit trigger roller massage stick. It's about £9. When I go to bed I can get cramp on top of the cramp that is there all the time and the muscles in the legs go rock solid. Just rolling this stick on the muscles unknots them and give some movement. I also go to Aqua Fit classes as I don't have to worry about falling over and these classes help release the muscles. There's 2 other things that help me - the Revitiv Medic - Ian Botham was advertising it on TV. Not cheap - £250 the one I have but it does help. It is essentially a TENS machine but a powerful one. The other is Club Cleo massage boots. They were about £70 but I've had them since they operated on my spine 11 years ago. They are similar to the Flowtron boots they put on you in hospital after surgery which leaves you immobile. I try to avoid taking painkillers regularly as they cause their own problems. I've tried most things but these ones work for me - obviously I don't use them all at once but vary according to what I feel at the time. If I was you though I would be wanting to get to the bottom of what is causing it and is it fixable? Mine isn't so I just get on with it but exercise and movement does help. To be honest after 11 years this is my "normal" now. Hope there are some useful ideas here.

Sounds as though you don't test your blood but rely on your annual (?) hba1c tests to see how controlled your diabetes is - suggest you get a meter and test before and after a meal, I suspect your levels aren't as good as you think, getting it back in to normal range will help ease the pain.

gally said:

Hi everyone I haven't been on here for quite a while but recently have been suffering sleepless nights because of pains in legs burning feet and really bad foot and leg cramps I was diagnosed type 2 in 2012 my blood sugar readings are said to be excellently controlled or so I'm told by my DN I work full time but I am struggling to do my job as my legs hurt so much I am on my feet all day How do people cope holding down a full time job with so little sleep and painful legs and joints is there any remedies anyone can advise Pease

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Hi i really do sympathise and know how you feel,i have neuropathy in both feet and legs with severe leg cramps,and dont sleep at all when they are really bad,i know keeping your sugers under control helps,but have you tried R Alpha Lipoic Acid ?it has to be the R one,have a read about it ! also rub castor oil on your legs every night,this really helps as it kind of numbs the pain,plus keep your B vitamins up,hope this helps

gally said:

Hi everyone I haven't been on here for quite a while but recently have been suffering sleepless nights because of pains in legs burning feet and really bad foot and leg cramps I was diagnosed type 2 in 2012 my blood sugar readings are said to be excellently controlled or so I'm told by my DN I work full time but I am struggling to do my job as my legs hurt so much I am on my feet all day How do people cope holding down a full time job with so little sleep and painful legs and joints is there any remedies anyone can advise Pease

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Hello gally. I have had neuropathy now for over 20 years and it took me 2 years to convince my Doctor that I was Diabetic and had neuropathy. The pain in my legs and feet got so bad that I was over-medicating on anything I could lay my hands on. Then the Doctor put me on Amitryptiline and another table whose name I have forgotten. From then on the pain became more manageable and I only take Amitryptiline whenever the pain stops me sleeping. The lower half of my body is now almost completely numb and my hands are quite numb - but persistent pain and burning feet is much better.

Hi, I suffer with Cellulitis and Lymphoedemm plus others, I take Quinine Sulphate Tablets for cramp before going to bed and they have work for me for more then 20 years, I know have to wear Special Stockings which are supplied by the Lymphoedemm Nurse, they have to measure your legs so they fit, bin using them for some time and they reduce any swelling and are great at night as they also reduce the pain, only take co-codamol for pain relive Two 4 times a day, and I am only just thinking of trying to sleep in bed, 9 weeks ago I was rushed in with Sepsis and lost 36 hours wear I can not remember anything I was in Rhesus for over 4 hours, so at the moment I am sleeping in a Chair I made. I am over 70 so things take more time to heal.
Regards Peter

ickihun said:

Can you take co-codamol ok? I'm taking painkillers too but I'm now seeing a physio who has given me a few tips to help relieve my painful pelvis/back. GP referred me. I now also take codeine on top of co-codamol but you must take advice from a gp, even if just from a telephone consultation which you can ask for tomorrow morning? Don't suffer unnecessarily.
What painkillers have you tried?

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absolutely right ,you must take advice from a GP ,Co-Codamol comes in three strengths 8/500mg,15/500mg/30/500mg, the first figure donates the strength of Codeine in mg the second is Paracentamol,so if also taking Codeine phosphate as well ? be aware of the issues of Constipation which Codeine may well cause

Bluepoppy said:

Hi i really do sympathise and know how you feel,i have neuropathy in both feet and legs with severe leg cramps,and dont sleep at all when they are really bad,i know keeping your sugers under control helps,but have you tried R Alpha Lipoic Acid ?it has to be the R one,have a read about it ! also rub castor oil on your legs every night,this really helps as it kind of numbs the pain,plus keep your B vitamins up,hope this helps

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Virtually all the ALA you buy is a 50/50 mix of R-ALA and S-ALA. So if you buy, say, 600mg capsules then you are getting 300mg of R-ALA and 300mg of S-ALA. It is cheaper this way than buying pure R-ALA which is only available in lower doses and is a lot more expensive. I have checked with manufacturers and the purity of the R-ALA they use in the mixed variety is the same as they use in the pure variety.

I'm having palpatations tonight (3.39am)
I've had 5 hrs sleep to be woken by ruley 3yr old.
I'm in pain in my pelvis/back so have taken co-codamol and codeine at 2.22am but not kicked in the pain relief. I'm giggly as i am always with codeine but no pain relief and breathlessness in rest still obvious and giving me chest ache.
I'm fed up with mild heart disease symptoms. I wish it was all resolved. I want to get back to cycling and swimming with my sons. I'm dreading seeing the cardiologist. He won't see me til all scan test results are in. Still no date for angiogram. Next thursday I'll have an echocardiogram to get muscle checked. God help me if my beautiful muscle is damaged. I'm going to a&e with heart attack symptoms to be told all inconclusive. I know how I am feeling. ill. I'm toughing it out when I just feel like collapsing into a huge fat heap on the floor. I'm staying strong for my kids and partner. Sleep is off and on. Roll on scan results.

@ ickihun

This sounds so familiar to how I was for several months pre-diagnosis. I was 'surviving' on 3-4 hours per night, but it was taking a massive toll on me. I was having terrible stress at the time from my employers (the job I could do fine and enjoyed), and all the med results told me my heart itself was fine but the stress was causing my muscles around my heart to spasm which caused the heart attack symptoms.

After diagnosis I was put on statins to reduce my cholesterol, but this caused immense pain in my legs (simvastin and atorvastin) from muscle wastage, so against my gp's advice I came off them, amended my diet with LCHF and increased my exercise, thus reducing my cholesterol that way. (And silencing my GP !) The meter given at diagnosis showed I was off the top of the scale, and had to be put onto insulin immediately as I was at a life-threatening level (so that bit's different to you), however my hba1c reduced rapidly and with improved conditions at work since diagnosis, those pains are now few and far between.

I was incredibly grateful to be diagnosed with D. I was so ill at the time I feared I may have cancer again (had it and beat it 30 years ago), and was worried I didn't have the strength to go though it all again. However, with the help of the medics/insulin/LCHF and exercise/and you fine folks (not forgetting family and friends), I'm now 'fitter' than I've been in years. I no longer need insulin thanks to LCHF. How permanent this is, time will tell, but am happy with BG results so far, currently being in the normal range.

For any muscle/joint pain now, I use Phorpain gel, which provides instant relief and allows that part of my body to relax which then sorts itself out. Initially I got it for some damaged/torn discs from an RTA 25+ years ago, but after checking with the docs, it is safe to use for me to use elsewhere. NB I can put it on my chest because I know 'what' that pain is in me - others need to check, as it won't mend a heart disfunction!

Codeine Phosphate 30g can dull the pain, but I can't drive while taking it so that's a no-no for me other than at night, so I tend to avoid it if at all possible.

Nidge247 said:

@ ickihun

This sounds so familiar to how I was for several months pre-diagnosis. I was 'surviving' on 3-4 hours per night, but it was taking a massive toll on me. I was having terrible stress at the time from my employers (the job I could do fine and enjoyed), and all the med results told me my heart itself was fine but the stress was causing my muscles around my heart to spasm which caused the heart attack symptoms.

After diagnosis I was put on statins to reduce my cholesterol, but this caused immense pain in my legs (simvastin and atorvastin) from muscle wastage, so against my gp's advice I came off them, amended my diet with LCHF and increased my exercise, thus reducing my cholesterol that way. (And silencing my GP !) The meter given at diagnosis showed I was off the top of the scale, and had to be put onto insulin immediately as I was at a life-threatening level (so that bit's different to you), however my hba1c reduced rapidly and with improved conditions at work since diagnosis, those pains are now few and far between.

I was incredibly grateful to be diagnosed with D. I was so ill at the time I feared I may have cancer again (had it and beat it 30 years ago), and was worried I didn't have the strength to go though it all again. However, with the help of the medics/insulin/LCHF and exercise/and you fine folks (not forgetting family and friends), I'm now 'fitter' than I've been in years. I no longer need insulin thanks to LCHF. How permanent this is, time will tell, but am happy with BG results so far, currently being in the normal range.

For any muscle/joint pain now, I use Phorpain gel, which provides instant relief and allows that part of my body to relax which then sorts itself out. Initially I got it for some damaged/torn discs from an RTA 25+ years ago, but after checking with the docs, it is safe to use for me to use elsewhere. NB I can put it on my chest because I know 'what' that pain is in me - others need to check, as it won't mend a heart disfunction!

Codeine Phosphate 30g can dull the pain, but I can't drive while taking it so that's a no-no for me other than at night, so I tend to avoid it if at all possible.

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@Nidge247 you are a true WINNER!

Last time i did lchf seriously i got palpatations so im wondering if they have come back after just a few days of low carb?

Lchf brilliant for lowering liver enzyme output. (Fatty liver) which I need urgently, hence lchf again.

I use a rebounder ... mini trampoline ... this keeps water retention at bay and my legs/feet haven't ached since I started using it daily ... no puffy ankles or that horrible burning sensation ...
They're not expensive ... I bought mine from Argos and they can be stored upright against the wall when not in use ...
If you're unsteady on your feet then some come equipped with a bar to hold on to ....

ickihun said:

@Nidge247 you are a true WINNER!

Last time i did lchf seriously i got palpatations so im wondering if they have come back after just a few days of low carb?

Lchf brilliant for lowering liver enzyme output. (Fatty liver) which I need urgently, hence lchf again.

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Why have you been dipping in/out of LCHF? I have been so pleased with the difference that I've stuck with it and now feel great, with my health reaping dividends? Just wondered - I know it doesn't work for everyone?

The first 10 days were a bit rough as my body adjusted to burning fat rather than the carbs/sugar, but after that all the foody snack cravings went as I was no longer hungry between meals, and I've found now without all the high carb top-ups, it's no dearer (and far healthier) to stick with LCHF.

Im up all DAY and NIGHT because of head pain, migraines, I feel like just dying

Ketogenic diets seem to help some people with migraines. It would be worth a try but you would need to be very careful with your insulin needs. I was told that peanut butter, cheddar cheese, and chocolate were the three most common migraine triggers, however, anything can be a trigger