Neuropathy / Carpal Tunnel / or poor circulation?

[Kim_in_TN]

Every single night I wake up with my fingers completely numb and tingling. My doctor prescribed me these carpal tunnel arm braces, but they are huge and like I'm in a cast or something. My husband is so afraid I am going to sling my arm and bust him in the face! The things have long iron bars that go under my palms up my wrists a good ways!:eek: I'm just wondering if this is truly carpal tunnel or could it be neuropathy.

The only thing that I have had at times that seems like possible neuropathy is a burning sensation in the bottoms of my feet when I am in bed at night. I only have that now and then and it is the weirdest feeling. It's like someone lit a match and is holding it on one spot on my bottom of my foot. Is that neuropathy?

Thanks for any information!

[CaptainMike]

My only symptom of diabetes was 'carpal tunnel' like neuropathy. (that and feeling tired all the time) In fact Carpal Tunnel is what the doctor diagnosed me with, but I requested to have blood work done, because I wanted to check my cholesterol after finding out my Mother had very high LDL numbers. That is when I found out I had fasting BG of 260+.
After I got my averages down consistently under 120, the carpal tunnel symptoms just vanished.
Hope that helps.
Mike

[susique333]

Carpal Tunnel plus numb hands while sleeping is what made me go to the Dr. last yr. and subsequently found out my sugars were high. I had used a wrist brace initially thinking I pinched a nerve but that brace did nothing. I still suffer from tingly hands all night long and it does not matter what position Im in. And I too have had the burning feet, like the sheet is too heavy or something. If I reposition the foot it will go away. Now youre making me wonder. Im on 2000 mg of MET per day and my fasting this morning was a sucky 167. (woke up late)

[Kim_in_TN]

Well, I figured carpal tunnel made some sense because I do sit at my computer (at home) for hours each day. But I don't get pain while I'm doing that. I thought with carpal tunnel that it became uncomfortable to do the repetitive things? That's something I'm not sure about and need to research a bit.

I did read last night (while researching neuropathy) that the two can be related. I can't remember which comes first, but one can / does cause the other. Of course after posting this, the numbness / tingling in my hands wasn't nearly as bad last night ... just like when you complain at the doctor's office and then you say "well, it isn't hurting right now, but it will!" LOL!

[susique333]

Carpal Tunnel May Predict Diabetes (http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/carpal-tunnel/news/20060822/carpal-tunnel-predict-diabetes)

Just found this. Interesting!

[JadeMonkey]

I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel last month, after finding out I was T1 last November. I had the same thing where I would wake up at night with my left hand painfully numb/tingling. My wrists also get the same way if I'm doing something out in front of me, like reading a book, or if I have my hand on the top of the steering wheel while driving.

I got a wrist brace and that has helped tremendously. I don't get any pain or odd sensations while typing but I got a set of wrist wrests for my keyboard and mouse and that seems to have helped a good bit at keeping the symptoms and pain down.

Apparently the easiest way to check if it is carpal tunnel is to turn your hand over, palm up, and tap in the middle of your wrist where the big bundle of tendons and nerves is. If you hit the right spot and can feel it shoot up your hand to your fingertips (typically your thumb, index finger, and middle finger) and/or down your arm to your elbow, you've probably got carpal tunnel.

Maybe try a different brace? I'll try to post some details on mine. Like I said it has made things much, much better.

-Jade

[Kim_in_TN]

Thanks for the article, susieque! It is very interesting and I am guessing they find more supporting statistics in the future!

[jimhodges]

Kim, my experience was similar to yours. Back in the 90's I started with a feeling that there was something in my shoe under the ball of my foot. It felt like I was walking on a small rock or bb.
From there it spread to the balls of my feet and then to my toes and more recently my lower leg. I had the burning and occasional sharp twinges that lasted a few seconds.
I now have numb fingers that also tingled in the begining but don't much now. I had some tendonitis issues in both arms for a while but it just went away and I never thought about a connection.
I would not personally doubt that it could be both. I don't even bring up my neuropathy at the doctors any more as they just look at me and say "yeah thats what you've got".
For whatever it is worth mine started four or five years after my diagnosis.
Jim

[BlueSky]

Every single night I wake up with my fingers completely numb and tingling. ...
I get this often too. It started suddenly and I haven't spoken to a doctor about it yet. But I think that it is a blood circulation issue. I wake up and my fingers are numb. Flexing the fingers helps - it feels like circulation is being restored. Sometimes the whole arm is numb and I can't even move it. Turning over and moving the arm around (I have to use the other arm to do this!) helps. It soon feels like normal again. It doesn't look like neuropathy to me.

[Jan B]

Kim,

I used to get that a lot, but it's been quite a while since I had that happen. Since I quit smoking, and took true control of my diabetes back, many things about me are better. Before I came to DF, I thought I was doing ok . . . I wasn't. Through the years, I got upset at doctors blaming every little issue on the D, but there is a lot of truth to it. I didn't get decent sleep at all for 7 or more years, primarily because of frozen shoulders. Now I sleep again and I'm still in awe of the feeling.

All that to say, maybe if your A1c comes down, these things will go away, or improve??? I don't think I'll every get my hands back without arthritis, but I'm still hoping I'll get better, not worse. You could also be sleeping wrong -- cutting off your own circulation -- any chance?

BlueSky - have you had these problems since your A1c scooted up a bit (too much vacationing and celebrating!)?

[Larry H.]

I don't know either which issue I have. For quite some time when washing my feet I noticed my toes seem rather dull and sometimes when I walk my feet tingle underneath. I have very cold hands as well as feet in winter, so I sort of related it to that, but it could be early signs of a long term period of higher numbers than I realized at the time.

[pokie]

I have recently started on Neurontin for neuropathy in my feet. The stabbing pain, pins and needles, tingling, etc... that can wake me up in the middle of the night have begun to improve. I read somewhere that diabetics are something like 30% more likely to suffer from nerve entrapment isues like carpal tunnel and sciatica. I have suffered from sciatica as well as symptoms of beginning carpal tunnel.

[Kim_in_TN]

I've begun to notice that it hasn't been as bad lately ... since my BS readings have been dropping. I hope it's not just a fluke! I did sometimes think that I was sleeping on my arm wrong or something but I will purposely sleep with my hands extended in a relaxed position to try to prevent that.

I don't know, all of this can be so crazy, can't it?

[Johny]

I was diagnosed as having Peripheral Neuropathy about 5 years ago, my main concern then was severe burning feet & prickling jabbing sensations in my feet.
The cause was prediabetes and low b12, i done all the right things and healed a lot, but the last 12 months i let myself go and started eating anything and got real fat again, then
was diagnosed as diabetic 2, just before the diagnoses i was starting to notice sharp prickling feeling in both hands, now i have got my blood sugars under control again my hands are ok again.
Prior to my feet starting to burn i had carpal tunnel problem in one hand, a nerve conduction test said both hands were affected but one was worse than the other, the other hand has not given me any trouble still, i had the operation for carpal tunnel and its been fantastic ever since, my symptons were a very swollen and throbbing pain in my hand, but i often wonder if my hand trouble was the beginning of neuropathy problems.
I do think our blood sugars have a lot to do with nerve problems.

Johny :)