t2 and podiastrist

I am so sorry about this Ally. Happily, that nurse has gone now. Let's hope she hasn't gone to another surgery.

You now need to be very very careful with your feet. You can't afford to get any injury, so never walk about barefoot or in socks. You need good fitting full shoes all the time and if you wear slippers make sure they are full ones, not backless, and have a thick sole. It is treading on things like stones or bits of grit that would normally hurt you but now wouldn't that you have to be careful of. You also need to check your feet daily (use a hand mirror) to look for any blemishes. Then keep them well moisturised, twice a day at least if you can.

Look out for any of the following signs of foot damage: Cuts, Bruising, Swelling, Grazes, Sores, Changes in colour, Ulceration, Hard skin, and also be aware of any cracking from dry skin as this could develop into an ulcer over time. Any signs of these, then off to the doctors.

ally1 said:

I have been seeing the DN nurse a few times about my numb feet, which she did the usual what I call the pin pick test on my feet. She knew about the numbness in both my feet, left foot being completely numb. She never raised any concerns. In March I demanded a appointment with the new DN nurse as by that time I was scared. She did the usual pin test and was concerned. I had the Doppler test which was fine, she referred me to the podiatrist for a more in depth test. I saw the podiatrist this afternoon, he did a more detailed test, including the metal fork prong thing to test vibrations. In my left foot, felt nothing at all, my right foot is numb from toes up to mid way of foot.
He has said I have a server form of neopathy in my left foot. In my right foot, medium to severe neopathy.
He explained that it will never go away and that my right foot would get worse.
He will write to my gp saying about the neuropathy and will also emphasise that the first DS nurse should have referred me when I first said about the numbness that I told her about about 2 years ago.
I am now just taking this news in and I am petrified and angry that the first DN nurse did nothing.

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Are you taking any Alpha Lipoic Acid? This is known to help diabetic neuropathy.

O Ally, sorry to hear this, but at least you should be getting the treatment you need now .. sending you a hug

ally1 said:

I have been seeing the DN nurse a few times about my numb feet, which she did the usual what I call the pin pick test on my feet. She knew about the numbness in both my feet, left foot being completely numb. She never raised any concerns. In March I demanded a appointment with the new DN nurse as by that time I was scared. She did the usual pin test and was concerned. I had the Doppler test which was fine, she referred me to the podiatrist for a more in depth test. I saw the podiatrist this afternoon, he did a more detailed test, including the metal fork prong thing to test vibrations. In my left foot, felt nothing at all, my right foot is numb from toes up to mid way of foot.
He has said I have a server form of neopathy in my left foot. In my right foot, medium to severe neopathy.
He explained that it will never go away and that my right foot would get worse.
He will write to my gp saying about the neuropathy and will also emphasise that the first DS nurse should have referred me when I first said about the numbness that I told her about about 2 years ago.
I am now just taking this news in and I am petrified and angry that the first DN nurse did nothing.

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oh sad to hear this....hmmmm.. it is a hard time for you balancing your different conditions..

have you tried those R-Alpha-lipoic-acid 600 mg daily to help your neuropathy, it is also an antioxydant helping to protect the nerves and tissue from the damage of higher blood glucose, but not a cure really but a support and it sometimes also helps the neuropathy a bit or more than that..
it is cheap I think on this web-pharmacie from germany, where I buy them for my mother regularly.. a very reliable web-pharmacie ; https://www.apo-rot.dk/index_detail...104&_random=-1562571500&_filterartnr=10045245

it costs around 3 £ to have it sent I think to GB

Freema said:

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I buy ALA from Holland and barrat £13.99 for 60 and they do free post over £20

Ann1982 said:

I buy ALA from Holland and barrat £13.99 for 60 and they do free post over £20

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is it the R-alpha-lipoic-acid then or just the plain one ? the R-type is chemically turned the way humans can use , where as the plain type is a mix of both types where human only can use the half part of the contained lipoic-acids

the ones I recomend are 300mg each tablets, so you need only take 2 tablets daily to get the recomended 600 mg daily dosis... it will cost for 100 pills/tablets like 35 £

where yours are only 100mg each tablet it looks like so the same amount would be 5 pill-boxes = 65 £ for the same dose daily

Watch the website for H&B sales which seem very frequent. Slippers with hard soles and well fitting shoes. A makeup mirror that magnifies for checking feet or a partner. Regular podiatry appointments with a decent foot cream to avoid problems. Try writing to you GP about the nurse and get it out of your system and avoid the stress sending your blood sugars out of line. My suggestion would be avoid the cash element if things are tight. I find music therapy helps as in alpha beta wave music on youtube - calming and helps clear the mind, also cheap. Good luck!

Metformin 850mg x 3 daily
Type 2. Numb right foot for over ten years - never had any problems.
Aspergers syndrome, arthritis, etc, etc

Oh dear @ally1 - You don't seem to have had any turns of good fortune during your time dealing with diabetes. I'm sure there must be times when it feels you have everyone's share of misfortune and luck.

I can totally understand that you are disturbed and angry by these developments. It's a lot to take on board.

In your shoes, I would be seeing my GP, face-to-face and asking him what specialist care he will be organising for me, moving forward. I would be asking for a referral to both a specialist diabetes clinic and someone with specialist knowledge in neuropathy.

@ally1 - Please do not change your medication, or how you take it, without the direction and support of your wider medical team. If your team feel your mood is more balanced and stable on your current medication, perhaps they might consider tweaking your diabetes meds to try to bring your bloods into a tighter range.

It's all such a balancing act.

I can't say how much I wish you well Ally. Try to give yourself some time to take on board this latest bit of news. Surely a bit of luck must be in the pipeline for you soon.

@Freema - I have read your post number 5 in this thread a few times, and it sort of reads as if you are floating that Ally does without her anti-psychotic medication in order to reduce her blood sugars? I feel certain this isn't what you are suggesting she does, as that could be dangerous to her wellbeing.

Hi @ally1 I hope that you feel a bit better today about the shock you've had regarding your foot. I like the post from @ellat257 two above this one where she says that she has had a numb foot for more than ten years without any problems. Like yourself ellat has other medical conditions too and is doing fine. Although your DN was wrong not to refer you to the podiatrist, you have the means to get the right help now, I think that @AndBreathe s advice to see your GP and ask for further treatment/referral is excellent. As always I wish you the very best

ally1 said:

Thank you. I am on esa at the moment and short of cask at the moment until I get paid next week. I will go through my cash status to see if I can afford to buy it next week

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Call pip hun. They may be able to reconsider your original claim.
I hope something good can come from this, if nothing else. Hugs galore chick!

ally1 said:

I have been thinking about my neuropathy and to be honest, I am now petrified.
I am so scared as Don, t know what to do. I know I have to wait for the podiatrist to write to my gp.
Will I be checked more by the DN or gp.
I have now got it into my head that I will have my legs amputated or even go blind/ have a stroke or heart attack/ kidney problems.

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Ally - I can only imagine how you are feeling right now, and I'm sure there will be more emotions to get in the way over the next couple of weeks.

In your shoes, I'd get myself an appointment in the diary with my GP (the one who appears to have started listening where you are concerned) so that you already have that when the letter arrives from the podiatrist. In that appointment I would be asking my Doc what plans there were for my care, bearing in mind this worrying development.

In the meantime, as well as making the appointment, you could start writing a list of the questions you would like to be answered, such as:

- What is his reaction to the podiatrist feedback
- What are his planned next steps
- Ask for a referral to a specialist diabetes unit or team, as it would appear your condition is proving very challenging for the surgery team
- Ask for reassurances that your psychiatrist will be involved in future planning

Ally, those are only thought starters but going to that appointment with a plan/list would be important to me, because it could help ensure I stayed on track with what I wanted to achieve and probably prevent me becoming too angry or emotional at a time when really what I needed would be answers.

Do you have anyone you can take to that appointment with you, for a bit of moral support and to help ensure you achieve your objectives?

Please do try to stay as calm as you can. Unfortunately, stress isn't too helpful in any of this, but yet again, you seem to be getting more than your fair share of that landing in your lap.

Ally; you are much, much stronger than you realise. Hang on in there.