Curing Neuropathy

[gobbly2100]

I have had neuropathy for quite sometime now due to lack of blood sugar control and I was wondering if it is possible for thing to get better and start feeling atleast some feeling again.

I have the type of neuropathy that effects your legs, I really hope it can get better with good blood sugar control because if not then I will feel a little cheated I htink :(

Someone please just tell me it can get better.

Oh yeah, since I have been controling the diabetes much better the pain is worse so if someone could shed some light on that then that would be great.

[OmniPodder]

The pain is probably worse because as you are controlling it better, the neuropathy is slowly fading and you are beginning to feel any pain or stress that has been put on your legs previously (just my guess).

[Vince]

I just asked about this myself yesterday in the Type II threads because the same is happening to me right now.

I didn't feel any numbness or neuropathy at all until I got my GLs under control. A month or so later my legs felt like they caught fire. Especially at night when even less blood is circulating to my legs.

I use Diabetaid Pain and Tingling Relief Lotion. It's basically a topical analgesic with a ton of lotion mixed in. It won't help with the internal tingling in the legs but it stops the pain of the blankets/bed touching you and causing discomfort. Bought it at Walmart for about $5.00. It helps.

[56sushi]

I can't offer you any comfort-just letting you know that my son (coldfront) is having the same problem. His glucose control has been fairly good but he is newly diagnosed. He has both burning and terrible muscle pain. Is now on elavil to try and ease it. Last night he called actually crying (not at all like him) and said he couldn't walk without holding onto the wall. He hasn't had a decent nights sleep in weeks. His doctor insists that young Type 1's don't get this problem only older folks who have had poor gc. This forum is the only place he has been offered support for his perception of his symptoms.
I will pass the lotion info. on to him, Vince. It may offer him a little relief.

[LancetChick]

A little while ago I think I read someone's post who said that the pain increases as the blood sugars are brought down to a more normal level, but I can't speak from experience. Neuropathy is reversible, though, so your efforts are not in vain! (Wouldn't it be awful if they were?)

[gobbly2100]

Well my pain is not really really bad but it is quite annoying, I just really wonder how long it could take to have normal feeling limbs again lol

Hearing what you have said makes me feel sad knowing how bad the pain can be for them :(

Will there ever be a cure maybe for this like an injection or something around the infected area does anyone think?

[Jedi99]

Hi I have not found out for sure but I think I have a mild case of Neuropathy hope not but, one of my baby toes hurts like@$@#%%##@( I can move it no problem but feels like it is broken when a bedsheet touches it) I could wake the dead with how it hurts. I also notice that now that it has been about 1 month since being confirmed as a type2 and bringing down my blood sugars quite alot, my legs bother me a little bit,however with me it is mostly VERY dry skin on the bottom of my feet which accounts for the burning feet which gets much worse at bedtime. So when I see my doc this week we will see where I am at:eek:

[KickStart101]

I can't offer you any comfort-just letting you know that my son (coldfront) is having the same problem. His glucose control has been fairly good but he is newly diagnosed. He has both burning and terrible muscle pain. Is now on elavil to try and ease it. Last night he called actually crying (not at all like him) and said he couldn't walk without holding onto the wall. He hasn't had a decent nights sleep in weeks. His doctor insists that young Type 1's don't get this problem only older folks who have had poor gc. This forum is the only place he has been offered support for his perception of his symptoms.
I will pass the lotion info. on to him, Vince. It may offer him a little relief.


Hi, I had heard your story about ColdFront before but I
couldn't believe it since I've had Type 1 since 1961 and
didn't get numbness or pain until one day I felt numbness
in my 1 toe in 1999. Getting my sugars back under control
got rid of the numbness without pain thankfully.

I had to look up this short term diabetes neuopathy
anyway cuz "I'm curious" and low and behold. No cure
except for better sugar control but this does exist and
this is far from the only case.
I'm amazed. Again goes to show we are all different and
we are in the minority and sometimes with the majority. ;)
Tell ColdFront's Dr. that he is wrong.
Great Health and prayers for your Son.


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Note: Performing your original search, neuropathy young diabetics, in PubMed will retrieve 42 citations.

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1: Harefuah. 1994 Nov 1;127(9):305-9, 359. Links
[Severe neuropathy in a young diabetic][Article in Hebrew]
Weintraub N, Plaut S, Shalev N, Sharan H.
Young Adult Diabetic Unit, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tikva.

A 19-year-old woman with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) of 3.5 years duration had been suffering from recurrent episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), dizziness, and weight loss (16 kg, 29%) for 6 months. History and physical examination gave evidence of severe peripheral and autonomic neuropathy. Radionuclide retention on gastric emptying test at 60 min was greater than 90% (normal < 60%). On autonomic cardiovascular testing there was evidence of both parasympathetic and sympathetic damage. There was no evidence of nephropathy or retinopathy. Optimal diabetic control using 4 insulin injections (2 u/kg/day) and high-dose cisapride terminated the vomiting, and she regained the weight lost within 5 months. This case is unique in that severe diabetic neuropathy followed relatively soon after onset of disease, without other microvascular complications. The correct diagnosis of gastroparesis as the cause of the recurrent DKA and weight loss, and the specific prokinetic therapy and nearly normoglycemic control of the diabetes led to dramatic clinical and functional improvement. Specific prokinetic therapy and the nearly normoglycemic control of the diabetes led to dramatic clinical and functional improvement. Gastroparesis can cause recurrent DKA even in young patients with IDDM of short duration.

[FTW]

The first step is to get blood sugars under control. It won't improve until that's done.

Then, some people have been able to reverse neuropathy by taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, aka ALA. Doctors have been using it for neuropathy in Germany by IV. It's available in pill form in the US at places like Wal-Mart.

It's an antioxidant that doesn't stay in your body long. The dose is 200 mg 3x daily.

Some say that you should take biotin with the ALA, (one of the B vitamins), because there is one study out there that found ALA depletes biotin. (You should be able to search these boards.)

I've read it's common for pain to INCREASE intially as the nerves "wake up" and begin to repair themselves.

I don't have neuropathy but have been taking a 200 mg dose in the morning as an anti-oxidant.

I hope this helps!

FTW