[slipperyelm]

Is it looking like you will be getting some help from the doctor, then? I'm crossing my fingers for you, Nick. I think you can get some relief, one way or another. Or maybe, it will require doing several things not just one. Do not give up if you don't notice results very quickly. It can take time. Hang in there.

[Maddogg]

I feel for ya Nick, I'm assuming your a Type 1 correct? (just wondering because of your weight) I've had type 1 diabetes for 6 years (just turned 23) and I also have pretty bad circulation in my hands and feet (its been like that for the last 3 or 4 years) albeit having pretty good blood sugar control (edit: my A1Cs have been between 6 and 8 for the last 4 or 5 years) I get that pins and needles feeling once in a while but usually happens when i'm accidently cutting the circulation off to my limbs. My feet and hands are cold and feel cold to the touch 70% of the time, although I passed my last prick test (where the doctor pricks your foot with a pin needle a bunch of times...) with flying colors, the doctor pricked me 20 times and I only missed 1 or 2 of them.

There is still hope man! Start cutting back on the alcohol, 10 drinks a night (every night?) is WAY TOO MUCH, try and limit yourself to 10 drinks a week or less, and even that amount might be a little much (especially if you are inactive). Although alcohol itself can help bring your blood sugars down, I'm sure a doctor wouldn't recommend it.

Another thing you can do is increase your physical activity; join a gym or start some kind of daily physical activity regiment. You'd be surprised how even taking a brisk 20 or 30 minute walk a day can dramatically improve the effectiveness of insulin and also improve your overall health...

I have an office job so i'm stuck in front of a desk for 9 hours a day but I always make time to go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week and it keeps me in good shape. I feel the best on the days that I work out, and I wish I had more time to do physical activity so I could feel that way all the time. Not so easy in the winter when theres 2 feet of snow outside (I love doing outdoor physical activities) but household choirs will get your heart rate up as well and boost your metabolism...

I hope some of this is helpful to you... Keep in touch and let us know what happens with your doctor and appointments and such. This forum isn't very busy (sometimes its dead) but you can definitely get A LOT of good support and some fantastic information on this site.

Take her easy bro!

[Solarismach5]

Today I woke up with pins and needles and burning in my left hand/arm, its been going on for 20 hours now and I can't sleep. It's the first time i've ever experienced anything like this

Because of the panic that I might also have Diabetic Neuropathy I've been scouring information resources like mad. I'm not sure if I do have it but I am scared and I'll request some tests soon.

Here's some information I found out:

Tight bloodsugar control is essential - I'm trying to improve mine, i've moved diabetic clinics recently because i've had a lot of problems, my new clinic is doing a lot of tests and hopefully will be able to make me feel better and gain tighter control.

Good control will lessen the effects of neuropathy if you have it.

Alchohol flushes vitamin B1 out very quickly, this is why alcoholics develop neuropathy. Diabetics also loose vitamin B1 quickly, if you have both.......well I'd get a vitamin B complex just to be sure because all vitamin B's are used to maintain a healthy nervous system.

I'd also cut down the alcohol, I think this rapid loss of B vitamins is probably one of your main problems. Diabetes alone makes you lose B1 76% faster than non diabetics.

Alpha Lipoic Acid - An Anti oxidant shown to have benefits, Follow the instructions on the label and talk to your doctor especially if you are taking any medications to lower bloodsugar.

And

Benfotiamine - Benfotiamine is a synthetic thiamine derivative that become popular in Germany for the prevention of the complications of diabetes

Thiamine is basically vitamin B1 but it sounds effective, i'm going to enquire about this.


There are future treatments in trials at the moment but these are probably a few years off....

Neublastin
SB-509

I'd like to point out i'm not a expert on diabetes, not even remotely but i'm not bad on google :P It looks like there's already a lot of good advice in this post that i'm also going to follow.

[Solarismach5]

Just read why benfotiamine is better than normal B1:

"Excess amounts of vitamins that are water soluble are eliminated rather easily in the urine. But fat soluble compounds are not. While that undoubtedly increases the retention and effectiveness of benfotiamine, that means it is potentially harmful in excess."

Right i'm getting this......if I can find it...

[slipperyelm]

Solarismach5, regular water soluble vitamin b-1 (thiamine mononitrate) is really cheap. I buy it in a bottle of 100 pills for $2.99 (but wait for a buy one get one free sale!). Each of these 100 mg pills is 6667% of RDA. I break them into quarters or smaller and can take a bit multiple times through the day, making sure B-1 is constantly available even though it is excreted very quickly.

[Nickneedshelp]

I visited my GP on Friday and did not tell about any of my diabetes problems, I had ankle and buttocks injuries i needed help for and a sleep problem (because I try to sleep at night and think about ho long I may live, and if that life is sans arms, legs and eyes). so i chickened out about telling him, but i dont think he could have addressed my problem ithout some tests, the tests I am getting in the net couple of days. I am desperate to see my microalbumia numbers to see if i have begun to have kidney failure. I have regained my desire to live full force, and I am going to deal ith all the problems as disciplined as possible. strangely, i had a BG of just under 300 all night because of a BG of 30 right before bed. I drank a bunch of chocolate milk and did not take enough insulin to counter the remedy. The strange part is, after that super long period of very high glucose, I have had almost no symptoms of neuropathy. Has my high blood glucose just damaged the nerves enough that they dont feel for a short period.?

[Nickneedshelp]

Ps. My present plan, that I have been doing for a month, (besides the vitamins that i have just started) is this:

Carb intake 40mg daily
through the use of fage greek yogourt, salad, lean ground beef, cheese and some other meats, but overall a very small volume of intake

Vitamins daily
B12 1000mcg sublingual
Biotin 3000mcg
Fish Oil 3000mg (all types in correct ratios)
Daily Mulitivitamin.

[Maddogg]

Originally Posted by Nickneedshelp

Ps. My present plan, that I have been doing for a month, (besides the vitamins that i have just started) is this:

Carb intake 40mg daily
through the use of fage greek yogourt, salad, lean ground beef, cheese and some other meats, but overall a very small volume of intake

Did you mean 40g or 40mg of carbohydrates? I'm assuming you meant 40g because I consume over 5 times that amount on most days. I wouldn't be able to stand up if I only had 40g of carbs daily, I need AT LEAST 40g per meal, and i have 4 or 5 meals a day! Did your doctor (other than Dr. Atkins lol) advise you to consume so little carbs? Or are you just trying to lose a lot of weight?

[Jill-O]

My hands also will fall asleep most ways I want to lay at night, but I do not think that is neuropathy. I think it's just that I'm wanting to lay a way that's putting pressure on nerves. Maybe that is also the case with you?

I've had some "advanced" eye problems that I'm being treated for. Even though I've only known I'm diabetic for a year, the eye problems say I've had it for a LONG time.

So, when the eye problem was diagnosed, I had to do this 24 hour urine collection (pee in a bottle for 24 hours). I couldn't even think about it, and what it might mean, w/o feeling like my joints were made of jello. I was sure my kidneys were in bad shape. I was VERY scared.

It turned out, my kidneys were fine. I hope that will be the case with you as well, and that this scare was only just to get you back on the right track.

Keep us posted and good luck!

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Maddogg

Did you mean 40g or 40mg of carbohydrates? I'm assuming you meant 40g because I consume over 5 times that amount on most days. I wouldn't be able to stand up if I only had 40g of carbs daily, I need AT LEAST 40g per meal, and i have 4 or 5 meals a day! Did your doctor (other than Dr. Atkins lol) advise you to consume so little carbs? Or are you just trying to lose a lot of weight?

Remember, fat and protein also have calories and can raise bg also...

[1st_rate_mate]

Alcohol causes neuropathy with a frequency 10 times greater than diabetes.

Quit drinking all together.

The combination will lead to axonial aptosis (nerve death) especially in your feet (leading cause of non-accident related amputation).

Nothing to fool around with dude!

Ask willie nelson how he deals with it.