Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BadMoonT2 on October 16, 2011 at 5:58am

Neuropathy happens over time. Mine actually got worse after I got my A1C below 6 then it started improving.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Marie on October 19, 2011 at 1:13pm

really? thats interesting

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Permalink Reply by Janet Fanning on October 15, 2011 at 9:24pm

just plain neuropathy perhaps? See doctor soon ...I take Tramadol for neuropathy and it seems to work without knocking me out. Could the pump have given you an infection at the pump site especially since its a new pump and that could make you feel like the symptoms you were talking about too.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Marie on October 15, 2011 at 10:37pm

im not sure... and I went to the neurologist and he said no neuropathy... =/

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Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on October 16, 2011 at 4:53am

I asked on the other page and you didn’t answer, but what tests did the neurologist run to rule out neuropathy? I ask because a couple months ago, I participated in a webinar on neuropathy. One of the things said was that someone would be sent to a neurologist because their doctor suspected neuropathy, but the neurologist would not be able to diagnose it and send them back to their doctor saying it was not neuropathy. I laughed and basically called the guy an idiot for that statement. About a week later, I had an appointment with my neurologist and brought that up. She agreed with his statement. There are several kinds of neuropathy and it can affect small or large nerve fibers – the test for one will not pick up the other kind. Even if you had testing done, if you were not tested for both large and small neuropathy, it could be dismissed as not being neuropathy when it actually is.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Marie on October 19, 2011 at 1:16pm

The only thing he really did was test my reflexes... He didn't do many tests... The good thing is that I'm going to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota so hopefully they will help me. Thanks for your reply, sorry I didn't get back to you.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Marie on October 19, 2011 at 1:13pm

i've been to a neurologist and he said I don't have neuropathy. :/

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Permalink Reply by Holger Schmeken on October 20, 2011 at 7:33am

To me the point is that high glucose levels mess up the metabolism. High glucose levels also mean that the insulin levels were too low - even affecting the immune system. By reverting back to normal glucose levels people often see all sorts of temporary effects:

-retaining water in the skin
-electrolyte levels of the blood returning to normal
-free floating triglycerines being transformed to fatty deposits. These deposits are also created as a preparation for the next crisis (=absence of insulin)
-more active immune system starts to repair the damages of the high glucose levels. This is the root of most eye complications because the repairing can overreact leading to the build-up of of small blood vessels in the eye. Also the nerves will be repaired and this might be the reason for the pain.

Actually I thing you should seek ways to support your metabolism to revert to normal operation: vitamins, potassium, lots of drinking, good glucose control and so forth. Hopefully it is just a matter of time that these effects will normalize again.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Marie on October 20, 2011 at 9:51am

Thankfully, I don't have any of the effects that you listed. I'm having nerve issues. I'm hoping that they are just temporary.
I drink a lot of water and i'm trying my best to keep my blood sugars in control. I have gastroparasis so my digestion is all messed up. I'm not sure how serious this condition is or if it can be reversed.

Thanks for your comment

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Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on October 20, 2011 at 10:57am

I started to answer you above where you mentioned the neurologist only basically tested your reflexes & said you did not have neuropathy, but I also wanted to answer this so will post both responses here.

I hate to tell you, but neuropathy has really not been ruled out as a cause of the pain. I am actually on disability because of the neuropathy. I had pain years before I lost any of my reflexes. To rule out neuropathy, you really need to have both a nerve conduction test done plus an EMG.

Gastroparesis is actually a form of neuropathy, so technically, you do have neuropathy if you have gastroparesis. That is nerve damage to the stomach. Although it is not going to kill you, it does make blood sugar more interesting to manage. There are a bunch of us here with gastroparesis that still manage to control our blood sugar. Gerri also has gastroparesis and also does quite well with hers. With tight control, you can reverse it bit that is not going to happen over night Dr. Bernstein had it and it took him 14 years to reverse his. I figure I have about 10 ½ years to go!

I have heard both good & bad things about the Mayo Clinic. I know someone else that went there that has gastroparesis. She was told by them that she would never be able to get her A1c below 7 with gastroparesis. I know that is not true because I have been doing it for 3 ½ years – all but one of my A1cs have been in the 5s. The one that wasn’t was 6.1 so that wasn’t exactly horrible. Gerri’s A1cs are in the 5s also. If they try to tell you it isn’t possible, send them here & Gerri & I will teach them a few things about gastroparesis!

I would not tell them that you had a neurologist that ruled out neuropathy unless you also add that they did not do the testing. Hopefully they will do the testing for you. I know you really don’t want to hear that you have neuropathy, but unfortunately, I really believe that is what the problem is – I thought that before you posted you had gastroparesis.

I wrote an article about managing blood sugar with gastroparesis if you want to check it out.


http://kellywpa.com/2010/03/14/managing-blood-sugar-with-gastropare...

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Marie on October 20, 2011 at 11:10am

Thank you so much for taking the time to write me a comment back. Yah I figured that the neurologist didn't do the right testing to see if I had neuropathy in my legs. Why would I get these problems when I start to get things under control? Is that my body trying to get used to the new normal?

I honestly don't know how serious gastroperisis really is. Maybe I'm not taking it as serious as I should? I have always had a hard time controling my bg levels and no this is making it way worse! Sometimes I just want to give up because I try so hard and I get no good results. Why would I want to control my bg if Its going to keep/make me be in pain? I'm still trying hard because I have a little hope left.

I hope Mayo Clinic really works for me. I need an answer. This is really my last resort. I don't know what I'm going to do if they tell me they don't know or that it is all in my head. Thats actually what I'm starting to believe.

I will absolutely read your article. Thank you so much

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Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on October 20, 2011 at 11:26am

First of all, it is NOT in your head so don’t ever let anyone convince you that it is! Unfortunately, it is common for things to get worse when you first start getting your BS under control – but the good news is that it will get better.

It is very possible that you have had gastroparesis for awhile without realizing it. Back in 1995, I was admitted to the hospital with a stomach virus because I was really sick and dehydrated. I think it was an upper GI that I had that showed I had delayed stomach emptying. No one said anything to me. In 1998, I had another test that showed I had food in my stomach when it was fasting. No one said anything again. I found out when I got copies of my records. In 2003, I got really sick and that is when gastroparesis came up – 8 years after a test first showed I had a mild version of it.

Like I mentioned on the gastroparesis group, you may have a mild form or a more severe form. Did they do the gastric emptying test? There are several tests that will show your stomach is slow in emptying, but the gastric emptying one will actually measure how slow it is. They assign a percent to how slow it is so you will know how bad.

I don’t think they will tell you it is in your head. You need to find someone that will do the EMG & nerve conduction test and that will show you what it is. By getting your BS under tight control, that will help improve the symptoms and start the reversal process. It will take awhile to get it reversed, but it is possible.

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