sudden neuropathy, scared to death, please help

[Nickneedshelp]

I dont know if this type of post fits the forum, and im sorry if it doesn't, i just need to ask for help about my neuropathy because I am so saddened and desperate. I am 22years old and I have had diabetes for 11 years now. My A1cs have averaged about 7.8-8 during the those years. Now, after about 4 years of limited physical activity, i have grown to 350lbs (at 6,3) and have begun experiencing extreme tingling in my feet at any angle but level. My Hands also fall asleep (?) at night unless i stick them directly at my side. I cannot believe that this is simply bad blood sugar, i am convinced i have kidney or liver disease since I am an extremely heavy drinker at 10-13 drinks of vodka a night. These symptoms of neuropathy have begun only in the last 6 months, and I only began to notice them in the last 3 or 4 months. This neuropathy has come on so suddenly, and i have reduced my carb intake by 80% an test my BS 10 times a day so I have almost perfect control now, but it is still getting worse. I am so scared, I feel in just 3 months I have realized my life is over, I cannot sleep, only imagining whether i can live in a wheelchair, or without arms, or blind. I desperatley need help, i dont understand how such intense pins and needles can strike over so few months. I am despondent, and I dont want to die, please help me. I have had dreams for my life and now i only dream to live another 10 years. I am so scared.

[Matt9332]

Slow down man, Go to your doctor as soon as you can, and hopefully they can resolve your problems. I feel for you and I wish the best of luck.

[Nickneedshelp]

Thank you Matt, I have an endocrinology appt in Februaruy, but I really feel something is wrong and getting worse right now. In the last 6 months I have gone from regular human being to someone with constant pins and needles in my feet, at any leverl above 95 degrees, and my hands fall aseep at night unless just right. The quickness of my descent into these symptoms makes me so scared it is a kideny or liver problem, but i dont want ot tell my doctoro that, i am shy. I dont want to lose my feet or hands, but i see this as the start from which there is no return. I want to live, I am just 22, and I feel my life is over. I told my very best friend that I am SCARED SCARED SCARED and he cant understand, my girlfirend expects me to be there for her but I am not going to last long in terms of years of life. I have been unhappy at times, but now i really want to live. Please help me, i feel so lost and alone, how could i have done this to myself?

[Evermont]

Nick,

If I were you I would:

1) Develop a plan and set some goals. You can overcome anything if you apply yourself. You seem motivated enough.

2) Maintain the improved control of your BG levels as this is what leads to the neuropathy. Your recent reduction in carbs may help. Did you cut out the bad carbs and keep the good carbs?

3) Lose weight. Do you know how? Can you exercise?

4) Calm yourself. Stress doesn't help, it just makes things worse.

5) Tell your doctor everything even though you are 'shy'. They need to hear it all so they can help you. Write a letter with all of your concerns and any info that may help and get it to your doctor a week or so before your appointment.

6) Control or quit the drinking. Get help if you need it. Can you do just 2 per day?

7) Replace your fears with knowledge. Finding DF is a good start. Welcome!

[xMenace]

Welcome Nick,

People turn themselves around daily. If you are resolved to do so, we're with ya! I can't add anything new, but it is real important to get that A1C down to 6ish.

[Matt9332]

I suggest you visit your doctor NOW.

[Dan Gato]

Nick, welcome to the forums :shakehand

I agree with everything that Evermont said.

Go to see the doc ASAP. don't wait.
Keep reading the forums.

[deansreef]

quit the heavy drinking today!!! take it one day at a time. we are all here to try and help.

Dean

[DCaplinger]

Nick:

I totally agree with everyone else here... you need to see a doctor immediately. I'd call the endo back and see if you can't get in sooner.

Remember, neuropathy can be reversed if it's treated properly and aggressively. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). You definitely need to halt the alcohol intake, and try to get physical. Even if you have problems standing, there are exercises you can do to help strengthen your legs. Make sure to work with your doctor on a plan that will work for you.

In the mean time, we are here for you. :)

Regards,

Darian

[slipperyelm]

Oh, man, you've got a lot to work on. When a lot of things have gotten bad in your health, it can be so hard to start turning any of them around because each problem area seems to interfere with getting another problem area taken care of.

All I can say is never give up. If there is even one tiny thing you can improve, do so. Then after you have made that tiny improvement consistently, see if you can improve it just a little bit more.

The tingly pain and numbness in your hands and feet might not entirely be from your diabetes. There are other things that can cause it. Even over weight can contribute to it. The bulk of your own body can press on nerves and constrict blood vessels so that you don't get good circulation to your arms and legs. The positions you sleep in can exacerbate it. It is not necessary diabetes only causing it. Losing a few pounds might help get you some relief. I got a lot, but not total, relief from the same in my arms and hands when I lost weight, so I can give personal testimony to that particular "miracle."

I don't know if you are on a medicine for insulin resistance, but metformin can cause a deficiency of one of the B vitamins. B vitamins are necessary for healthy nerves!! This can be supplemented, and many doctors are recmmoneding it for their patients on metformin.

Alcohol interferes with getting enough of certain B vitamins, yet as I said, B vitamins are essential for healthy nerves! Even if you do not stop drinking, you should tell your doctor how much you drink so that s/he can put you on the appropriate B-vitamin supplements. Really, this is pretty standardly done for alcoholics. That might help keep the nerve damage from getting worse as quickly as it has bee up till now. Maybe it would even allow some reversal of the problem? Of course, getting off the alcohol would be a huge help to your health, I think.

I encourage you to tell your endocrinologist or any other doctor about this problem. Don't just go in there and tell them you are doing better on blood glucose control and get a lab report back showing an improved A1c. Tell them this real problem that is interfering with your life and making you depressed and scared. They have some ways to address it if it is due to nerve damage.

Please look into whether the over the counter supplement R-alpha lipoic acid such as in the brand "Insulow" might be helpful to you. There are other brands of it, but I don't know their names. Incidentally, this brand also has a B-vitamin in it, since R-alpha lipoic acid is another substance that causes one to need more of the B-vitamin (biotin). Anyway, I have read that alpha lipoic acid can help nerves heal, too. (For me, what I see it doing is to bring down my BG. I'm type 2.)

Good luck. You've got a lot to work on, but there are quite a few things you can start to do and try to get better. I really hope that will happen for you. Others have before you, so why not you? Please try not to feel hopeless. I know it is scary, but you can probably turn some of it around. (You do know that all that alcohol can get in the way though, right?)

[Nickneedshelp]

Thank for your support guys, I am feeling alot of relief today and am getting bloodork done thursday. I am taking 3 5000mcg b12 vitamins sublingually, making my urine appear an intense neon yello. The thing i am desperate to find out is if this sudden neuropathy could be caused by kidney or liver failure. I kno alcohol can cause neuropathy too. The suddeness of my symptoms have made me really nervous that i have a major, specific problem causing this besides my heaviness, non stellar average blood sugars or inactivity. Is it possible that liver or kidney failure could do this so quickly?

[Cyborg]

If it truly is neuropathy there are medications available that can help the symptoms or even reverse the neuropathy itself. Keep the best control possible as that will also help. Make sure you are on the correct medication(s) and/or insulin for your (confirmed) type of diabetes and get your a1c down. Do these things and your chances for complications will be greatly reduced. Every 1% drop in a1c can help reduce your risk for complications by approximately 40%. Good luck...

[parrotletzoo]

Remember with neuropathy sudden improvements in blood sugar control can make the pain and tingling seem worse which can be frustrating. It may seem worse before it gets better and may take awhile to have improvement but dont give up. The better your blood sugar control the sooner the pain will start to subside. (it took over a year of A1c under 7 for my neuropathy symptoms to go away) Omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils are good for nerve health and so is vitamin b6. Other people have pretty much covered it, so good luck, keep posting and welcome! ;)

[notme]

Nick you will find a lot of support here.

The dark colored urine could possibly be from dehydration. Please up the water intake and decrease the alcohol intake.

You do have some work ahead of you. If you are motivated, you can reverse neuropathy. Your doctor should be able to help. AA might be something you should think about doing.

Good luck and check in often.

[Nickneedshelp]

Thanks again guys. To notme, my urine is bright neon yello, not dark, a sign that a have a lot of B vitamin passing through, so i dont think that is a bad sign. I am going to my GP today for a massive bruise and ankle injury from a fall, but I am alo going to pour out my heart about my neuropathy and hope for lyrica or neurontin, a b vitamin shot and hopefully ambien to help me sleep sans vodka. I have been so despondent about my situation lately that i have only been able to lay in bed and fear my future and I hope some ambien can help me sleep so i can get on a regular schedule and ecercise. sorry for my spelling but 4 of my keys dont ork (-see). The info I have found here has really helped me believe my neuropathy can be reversed, and I have already restructured my life greatly to do so.

[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]

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]

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...