Neuropathy

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Permalink Reply by Katherine Boyd on July 7, 2009 at 8:04am

When I was in raging neuropathic pain in my calves, my doctor prescribed me Cymbalta, which is an anti-depressant that apparently is also used to treat neuropathy pain. They also sent me to a place that did "stim"-therapy - have you ever been to a chiropractor who sticks little electrodes on your back and sends energy through them? This place did exactly that but on my calves. I would sit in a recliner and let the electrodes stimulate the muscles in my legs - it was like exercise for the muscles but without the pain I would feel from actually exercising.

I was also diagnosed in my later teen years (i was seventeen) and I'm now 25. We may have a lot in common there. My advice for warding off the crazy leg pain is to keep kickin' butt on your blood sugar numbers and add as many walking steps to your day as you can. Exercising and glucose control are the best preventions.

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Permalink Reply by Tribbles on July 7, 2009 at 5:28pm

That sounds like a TENS unit. They are used to treat pain although the effectiveness varies quite widely from person to person. Neuropathic pain treatment is one of it's uses. There is close relation, the EMS unit, which works the same way but is designed to stimulate muscles rather than block pain and is used by some physiotherapists to repair muscle damage and strains. I've used an EMS unit but not a TENS and it's a distinctly odd sensation.

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Permalink Reply by Dave   _ on July 7, 2009 at 9:09am

Get your A1c down, if it is at an unsafe level. I had A1c's over 8 and 9 for a long time and got numbness in my feet for a few years. Going on a pump 13 years ago and dropping my A1c down to the 5's and 6's reversed the problem.

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Permalink Reply by Marie Torregrosa on July 7, 2009 at 6:41pm

I have been diabetic for 40 years. I was diagnosed with neuropathy 10 years ago. To tell you the truth, I did not noticed it until my hands began to get really cold. I was doing biofeedback for a back injury, and the sensors picked up that my hand temp was 2 degrees lower than my body's. However, although they (drs) noticed it, they did not diagnosed it at the time...my feet followed and then, one day, I was dancing and when I finished, I could not walk from the sofa to my bedroom. By the time we (the doctors and me), I had developed polyneuropathies (focal, autonomic and peripheral). I was given nortrypillin, neurontin and motrin to deal with the focal and the peripheral, and reglan for the autonomic (digestive system). I take medication for this condition every 3-4 hours of the dot. What surprises me about yours is that it has happened so early in the "game." Like I said, I've been diabetic for a long time. Some of the neuropathies are intermittent (they feel like they come and go). Others, are there for a while (I haven't been able to get rid of the focal which is present on my rib cage). We are all different, so it may manifest different on you.

From what I read, controlling the sugars delays the progression and, in some cases, it may stop it. I exercise and, since exercise triggers the production of dopamine and endorphines, one gets a feeling of well-being and pain relief. But, I've had to pace myself because it tends to also overstimulate the nerves. I agree that you should check your eyes and kidneys on a yearly basis and "listen" to your body in terms of the neuropathy. Get all the info that you can from WebMD or other sources. Again, all of our experiences are different and what we suggest may work for us, but maybe, not for you. So get informed...

My best to you, Marie

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