Hi everyone , my name is Crystal. I'm new here , so nice to meet ya'll!! I'm getting ready to go to a doctor's appointment , but I value more then one person's opinion. Umm , I was diagnosed with diabetes September 9 , 2011. Yeah I'm new to everything! Ever since I have become diabetic , I have pretty much became a hypochondriac , my husband's words , not mine. Every ache , pain , scratch , anything scares the living life out of me! But my doctor tells me I'm doing wonderful. I've lost a total of 51 pounds, and my sugar levels stay in the double digits mainly.
But here lately , I been having the most worst pain in my lower legs and feet. My feet get really cold , and turn white. My legs always are red unless I have them elevated. I work out as much as I can , and watch my diet closely. I've been reading about this 'Diabetic Neuropathy' , but to be honest with you , I can't understand how I could get it! And this scares me , I'm only 23 years old , I never imagined myself at 23 with such a serious disease. But I was pretty much going to get diabetes since it runs on both sides of my family. I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I'm just so frustrated and angry at myself , and wondering how I've ended up this way. I cry countless nights to myself , and my husband. I'm so scared and lost about all this! Can anyone please give me any advice before I drive my husband crazy?
I think that in most cases, neuropathy stems from uncontrolled BG for a fairly long period of time, and since 090911 is probably not wrong enough, particularly if your BG are in double digits all the time at 23? Maybe it's not unheard of but I don't think it'd be neuropathy with what you are describing? That results from not enough circulation and I think exercising helps that too.
Which means it must be something else? Which isn't good either? I had some knee stuff going on that seems to be helped if I don't cross my legs when I sit, maybe it's something odd like that?
I figured it could be bad circulation. But this pain is intense and frustrating. It gotten worse here lately , but luckily I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Yeah at times , my sugar levels get down to 79. My doctor told me I'm doing wonderful , but I always have a annoying voice in the back of my head. Thank you though. :)
I *think* a lot of people just go to "forum" and see all the posts, so you should be ok?
Please don't be angry at yourself. You did nothing to bring diabetes on. Not your fault! As you said, it runs on both sides of your family & you have POS.
Let us know what your doctor says. The good news about neuropathy, if it's even that, is that nerves heals with more normal BG.
Pain in legs can be caused by a vitamin deficiency; which over a period of time can become crippling.
Hope you figure out what's going on.
Welcome. I think you will find that many of us have gone through similar feelings after diagnosis. It is something that you will need to work through. I look back on my diagnosis and think of it as a time where I basically "died" and had to go through a grieving process. I can distinctly note going through the five steps of grief outlined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her "On Death and Dying." The five stages are D'Nial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.
At the time, I really struggled with self-blame and fear over my upcoming death. In truth, my death was really about having to leave my old life behind. My death is years away and I am not helpless and I can live a long, healthy happy life. And eventually I came to realize that even if I had made some less than optimal choices in my life, my condition is primarily a result of genetics and environment that I had little control over.
You need to remind yourself that things will get better. You will regain your health. And you too can life a long, healthy happy life.
ps. Check out your legs and the pain. Maybe neuropathy, maybe something else. But remember, neuropathy can heal.
pps. People basically don't get complications and die from their diabetes, they get complications and die because they don't take care of their diabetes. It sounds to me like you are taking great care of your D.
Feet cold and white, legs red and (I assume) warm? I'm thinking it's definitely something circulatory-related, particularly of one leg/foot seems to respond differently than another.
Be warned that I am way outside of my area of knowledge or expertise here, so don't let what I'm about to say scare you. I could be way off. I recently read about a hockey player(hockey is a passion of mine) who was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg. According to the article, the player had been "having some pain in his left leg for a couple of days" and he "underwent an MRI today that revealed the blood clot. The official diagnosis is thrombophlebitis, which is an inflammation of a vein caused by the blood clot." Blood thinners often are used to treat it, but it's important to catch so the clot doesn't push its way through to the lungs, which could be severe.
Now, keep in mind that sports teams are quicker to give MRI's to professional athletes, so I'm not saying that you'll need one. But I'd suggest finding a doctor who can rule in ... or rule out ... thrombophlebitis as a possibility.
I know I might be just feeding your hypochondria (perhaps needlessly), but I do think it's worth checking out. Please come back and let us know what happens.
I can understand about being hypersensitive about what is going on with your body. I won't say hypochondriac because until someone has gone through a traumatic experience as many of us here that changes your life in some of the most minuscule of ways. I don't know if you had experienced getting really ill before getting diagnosed, but I think that this compounds how sensitive we can be when something goes awry. We now have to be our doctors each day and follow-up periodically with the one's that hold a medical degree. So I think when we are asked to be come tuned-in to what our bodies are doing as well as taking care of them so we don't get complications in the long run...it can make a person sensitive to the any change we encounter. I think it's quite normal. Hang in there. It will lessen as you get a handle on everything and figure out what is what, what's worrisome and what is just part of your new routine. You've come to the right place. I wish this site had existed when I was diagnosed. Glad you're here!
here's a discussion that includes a link to the Mayo Clinic's def of Raynaud's
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/worried-about-my-feet-and
Hi girl, welcome to the community. You are so young to be going through all this, but its not that unusual. The Polycistic ovary syndrome contributes to your condition because of the hormones. Being frustrated and angry is so normal!!! Study over the internet all you can on the syndrome and diabetes. Its a long haul but you can learn to deal with it. I've not any experience with this, but never give up hope!
Thanks everyone , I'm getting ready to leave for my appointment. I started crying when I read all your replies. I can't help but be scared , I don't want nothing bad to happen to me. I want to live a long healthy life. Little things scare me , I'm just a big baby I guess you could say. I'll post updates later. Once again , thank you guys so much. And God bless.
You're not being a baby at all. No one wants bad things to happen to them (well, for the most part, anyway). I questioned whether or not to post what I did earlier, but to me the worst thing of all is not knowing.
That's true. I would want to know what's wrong so I can try to take care of the issue at hand. But my doctor told me it's not Diabetic Neuropathy. He prescribed me some pain pills , and I have an appointment for an ultra sound on my legs. Some relief since talking to my doctor , but still a bit scared as to what they'll find. I'm just going to be saying alot of prayers , and pray God gives me strength. I'm so mentally and physically drained right now. Hardly any sleep , and these pains make it hard for me to sleep. I really appreciate you all. I'm glad there is a website like this to encourage and support people with diabetes. I'm coming to terms with my situation , and you guys are really helping me. I don't find this that much scary anymore. Thank you all once again , and God bless you all.
if your numbers were high for a while, it could just be your body (muscles, cells, etc..) getting used to normal blood sugars. I had horrible leg, muscle cramps initially - my Endo told me most diabetics have cramps and muscle aches. I still can get them when my blood sugars are off or I go high-low quickly, etc.. I'm a type 1 but I think it would be the same for you too. Some people get very cold (I do) when I start to drop low (or, if you're not used to normal numbers) you could still feel that. Are you on Metformin, I've heard a number of people mention cold feet, etc.. Have you had your potassium levels checked?
you're doing great. Again, many people experience leg cramping pain from blood sugars. Did they check your potassium? I know this is overwhelming, it still feel overwhelmed..but, you'll get through it - you're doing this! you're doing great and never feel badly about expressing your fears, it's why we're all here, we're all kinda scared too, sometimes at least, but this site is full of support too.
Just wanted to get my 2 cents in here. You do not know how long you had high bs many endos think from 5 to 10 yrs for some type 2s so you could have develped neuropathy. It is not normal for the legs to turn red so I would get that checked out. There are things you can take if this is neuropathy but to be honest I have had it for many years and what you describe sounds like a circulation problem.
Ugh !! Now something new , my veins in my legs r getting darker , and bulging out. My husband thinks I'm freaking out over nothing , but I been doing some research , and boy , that was a bad idea. I'm thinking about going to the ER before my next appointment , but I don't know. Pain and aches in my legs and feet , discoloration , and now darker bulging veins in my legs. I need to stop , but I wanna be sure to get all this taken care of , so I can even be a happy , healthy old lady. Hah.
Please go to the ER about the change in symptoms..Do you have good insurance coverage? I see you live in Piqua. Isn't Piqua in central Ohio? I live in Columbus.A good university/teaching Hospital, such as the one at OSU here in Columbus, may be your best option. You could just have "happened" to be in Columbus and gotten sick...
Was the doctor an endo,Gp, or and internist who prescribed the pain pills..Sounds like you need a specialist, and I do NOT think you are a hypochondriac.
God Bless, Mrs. Poth
Praying for you
Brunetta