Im hurting really bad in my legs and feet..I work 19 hours a day which is not helping. But I'm in constant pain and i cant take the meds that the doctor gave because I work so many hours. My feet are numb and I have very sharp pains run through my feet and legs...Please help if you can.
I'm sorry about the pain you are experiencing. Have you been diagnosed with Diabetic Neuropathy? The best treatment for Neuropathy is to get your blood sugar under control You don't say in your profile what your A1C is. I'm a little confused why your long hours would interfere with you taking the meds the doctor gave you. It only takes a minute to swallow a pill.
Finally, I gotta say I don't think working 19 hours is healthy for anybody, with or without D and at this point you have some diabetic complications you need to handle before they get worse. Your feet, your health and your life are more important than your job. I'm not being naive I know we all need to earn a living and in this economy some jobs don't pay enough to live on without working extra. But to be blunt (but not uncaring) if you lose your feet you won't be able to work at all. Please consider looking for another way to earn a living that has less grueling hours and devote some time to taking care of your Diabetes and taking the medication your doctor feels will help you. I'm glad you're here.
Anybody else have thoughts for Arty, such as your own experiences with neuropathy? I'd hate for poster to not get responses to his concerns.
Neuropathy can be reversed by controlling your blood sugars. Many people think that keeping post meal spikes below 140 can reverse the damage.
In my case this has proven to be true. At diagnosis 4 years ago my 1st finger stick was 392 I doubt if I was ever below 140. I took staying below 140 very seriously and was soon able to achieve that goal. My neuropathy got worse before it got better, this is a common experience. The burning in my legs and sharp pains in my toes gradually got better and then disappeared. The feeling in my feet is still coming back, don't know if it will ever come all the way back though. I do take a high quality B multi vitamin and I think it be helping, but with something that heals so slow it's really hard to say if it is really making a difference.
Here's a good blog post about why it takes so long to heal.
Bottom line is do what ever it takes to get your blood sugar under control. For me this has meant finding the right drugs and eating low carb.
That sounds like neuropathy. It's hard that you can't take the meds b/c of work but I've read a lot of people don't get that much relief from the standard litany of painkillers for neuropathy anyway. I agree with Zoe about the 19 hour shifts being tough for anyone. I worked some 12-14 hour days waiting tables when I was *a lot* and that was pretty tough but nothing compared to 19. One thing that I have seen people and medical studies have reported to have been effective in treating neuropathy is marijuana which most jobs that work you for 19 hours would probably frown upon too. I agree with Bad Moon about getting on top of diabetes too. I see on your page that you are taking oral meds. If that works for you, that's ok but, if your BG runs high enough that it's causing neuropathy, it might be worth it to explore other treatments up to and including insulin. Insulin is a whole separate set of challenges but might offer quicker results. You are clearly a hard worker which is what it takes so I figured I'd put it out there. I hope it works out!
I'm a type 1 and have had pains in feet and legs together with some numbness. I also started to get numbing in my hands and arms a few years ago. My A1c at the time ranged up to 8.5%. When I regained control of my BG (last A1c 6.1%) by going low carb, my neuropathy symptoms slowly subsided. My arms and hands have returned to normal and my feet and legs are almost normal. I still have some pain on the bottom of my feet but it's tolerable.
Like others have said, get your blood glucose under better and sustained control and you have a good chance for the symptoms to recede. Sorry you're having to deal with this. Do yourself a favor and spend some serious effort to get things under control. It's not easy but it can be done!