Yeah i think i have a real issue on my hands. I had been advised by my physical therapist to use the aircast boots less each day and most days i only wear if im going to the store but by the time Friday come around my ankles are swollen up again. Then i put the boots back on and the swelling goes away.
I do recommend the elimination diet. Gluten is the first thing to try. Corn, soy and dairy are also common allergens. I was at a friend’s house and she had used soy sauce with wheat and within hours my hands were stiff and swollen. I’m starting 30 days of a strict diet next Monday and then will add things back very slowly and see what I need to steer clear of. I’m guessing wheat and corn will be out of my life permanently but I am rooting for whey so I can eat some dairy.
Tarra, here’s a link to a book chapter excerpt from Joslin’s Diabetes Mellitus that discusses the topic of joints and diabetes. I good resource if your interested in learning more about the topic… (I apologize if its a bit technical, its a medical text).
Thanks Tim for the information.
Hey Tarra, some years ago I was diagnosed with a ‘diabetic shoulder’ which the physiotherapist said she treated regularly with type 1s. My GP did not believe such a thing existed and I ferried comments and literature between the 2 of them for months. She gave me some basic exercises to do which are not over-physical, and I have not experienced the problem since. I also do at least 30 minutes of walking daily as part of the general exercise regimen, which she said would be both helpful and preventive of future problems
Best with it all,
loz
hmmm
It seems there is some truth to the we have bad joints thing…
I managed to get frozen shoulder back when I was uninsured. I spent 18 months using lots of aspirin, and stretching it a lot. Finally after all that it went away… It seems like frozen shoulder is really common…
I kind of wish that back when I was a kid the Doc’s had warned me about it, I would have spent more time staying stretched out to avoid it.
Ivan!
wow Tarra. seems like youve been through some tought times with the joints !
I broke my tailbone Feb.08’ and have had THE worst expreiences after that. I also have a very arched back, so anything is painful. sitting for too long in any position, standing too long, the cold weather all aggravates it.
By any chance , is there anything you (or any one here) recomends as far as reducing pain without taking painkillers?
also, what is a “diabetic shoulder” ?
diabetic shoulder is a nasty one, the range of motion is decreased and it tends to feel like you have sand in the joint.
Least thats what it did to me, I spend the better part of 18 months holding onto the good shoulder with the bad hand to take the stress of the bad shoulder… Then out of the blue it just got better one day.
Ivan!
Oooooh - I took a look - that book would inflate my hypochondria exponentially!!!
I’ma actually best biking than when I was twenty… go on Kathy!
…doesn’t sound fun.
Ill stick to just hearing about it ")
How’d you get it? Does it just come by itself?
- IvaN
not sure how it happened to me…
I had a disagreement with the gearshift on my car and was a bit sore, then I woke up one morning with the same arm hanging off the bed backwards at the shoulder.
Ivan!
I broke my tail bone too but that was six years ago. The first year it was not fun but after that i never really had any issues with it. I would recommend stretching exercises. I did some after i had my tail bone issue and it seemed to help with the pain after a while.
I have a host of tendon problems which have caused two frozen shoulders and a couple really painful long-lasting foot problems. I have NO autoimmune disease of any kind, but I have had higher than normal blood sugars all my life.
What I read was that tendons have a pretty marginal blood supply at best, so they are the first tissue to suffer from higher blood sugars clogging up tiny capillaries. Another explanation I’ve seen is that the tendons get “crispy” with the overexposure to higher sugars.
I have been running near normal blood sugars for a decade–highest A1c 6.3% and mostly in the upper 5% range, but the tendon problems just keep on coming. I haven’t developed any other complications, though.
I was diagnosed with frozen shoulder back in the summer. I have been doing pt but not really noticing a huge difference. I have been thinking about accupuncture…how long before you noticed an improvement?
I think it was about 5 treatments. The one I had in CA was much better than NJ - traditional Chinese.
really ?
well mine does hurt and it seems to hurt more when its cold, not sure if thats in my head or if it really does.
and what kind of excersizes… like any normal ones ?
Stiffer? Perhaps, although I exercise a lot and do quite a bit of both dynamic and static stretching so I don’t really notice it. That said, in September I had to have surgery on my left shoulder to remove an inch of bone from my clavicle, as the clavicle had begun to grow into the ac joint and wear it down. This was probably due to weightlifting (the condition is called weightlifter’s shoulder, ha) but I suppose it is possible my diabetes contributed in some way. I also have a mild case of trigger finger in my right pinky that I need to get fixed, but I’m not relishing the thought of yet another surgery.
I’m sorry you have to go through this, debb. Does the surgery permanently fix the fingers, or is it like the carpal tunnel surgery, where the problem can resurface?
I had the tests for RA for that reason but was assured that I have old fashioned OA. I take fish oil, turmeric, and a few other supplements for inflammation and a Glucosamine/Condroitin pill for my joints. I have noticed a lessening of my symptoms. Just a FYI.
I had not known about the frozen shoulder, etc diabetes connection, although it may all go along with inflammation. Thanks to you all for sharing your experiences…I have started back doing my shoulder stretches.