I’ve been a type 1 for about 3.5 years.
Twice in the last month I’ve had a low in the 50’s and noticed slight numbness in my hand mainly down the pinky side to the tip of my finger.
My A1C since diagnosis has been between 5.4-5.7 and my Time in Range is 95%+
I would say I only hit 200 maybe 1 time per-month.
Just concerned am I developing neuropathy or is this just a side effect of a low but not actually damage done?
If you’ve only felt this symptom when low, then it’s reasonable to think that no long term damage has been done. Most of what I’ve read about diabetic neuropathy is centered around extended and persistent hyperglycemia. I have neuropathy in my feet and have felt it in my hands and forearms as well. I’ve lived with T1D for 38 years and didn’t exert good control until 10 years ago.
The neuropathy that I’ve felt in my hands was the feeling of wearing a glove and feeling less sensation. This occurred during a time when my glucose control was poor. When I regained control, the feeling returned to normal and I haven’t felt it for many years.
Homeostasis in the human body is a theme that occurs in many physiological systems. Homeostasis I not just about being low or high, instead it’s about “just right,” like Goldilocks. So, while I know that persistent high blood sugars do lead to neuropathy, it makes sense that sudden low blood sugars can also produce complaints from the nerves.
I would take comfort from this reality and not worry too much about diabetes complications. You’re doing a great job!
It is almost certainly NOT neuropathy.
Were you using your arms a lot at the time you were getting your lows, like weight lifting? I have noticed a few occasions over the years that an untreated low while walking or running can progress to some numbness in my legs. Presumably because my legs needed glucose but it was in short supply because of my low BG. It resolved as soon as BG normalized and definitely not a sign of neuropathy.
If it happens again it can be a good sign of impending low BG which you should treat. All T1s need to learn what low BG symptoms to watch for, and the more telltale symptoms you learn to recognize, the better.
I get tingly when my blood sugar is low. It’s not the same as neuropathy. It usually goes away after I get some carbs.
Neuropathy is almost always bilateral.
Usually starts in your feet because the nerve pathway is longer and more susceptible to more nerve damage.
I was having numbness in my left toes a few years ago.
Before I got my shoe off, the doctor told me it’s not neuropathy if I’m other foot was fine.
Turns out it was not neuropathy, but Dupuytrens contracture.
So yea. Take a deep breath. You are likely just fine.
Numbness in various odd places is a known but not often mentioned hypo symptom.
For me the hypo numbness is often in my lips/face or the tops of my legs.
Dr. Google lists “a sensation of pins and needles” as a hypo symptom, but yeah, I couldn’t find it on any reputable organization’s website. I guess it’s just mentioned enough that only Dr Google, who can see the entirety of the web at once, knows this.
Similar for me. But sometimes also sweaty forehead if dropping fast, which is what my mom checked on me every night before she went to bed after my initial diagnosis.
Tingly face when low. And grumpy. My wife still asks what my glucose is, if I’m not filled with cheeriness.
And I’ve had the CGM > 1 year already!
Sounds like a low BG symptom. It’s highly doubtful that is neuropathy.
Thank you all, glad to hear it down’t sound like neuropathy.
I know I’m late to the party, ChrisP, but when the you’re bG gets low, the body’s self-preservation mechanisms save the sugar for critical organs, like your heart and lungs, even to the expense of sending sugar to the brain, which MBM suggested in his “grumpy” comment.
I’m no endocrinologist, nor do I play on on television, but my guess is your body has decided finger tips is a good place to not send sugar when your supply is low.
Doug (Type 1 for 62 of my 54+ years)
Maybe you want to edit your sign-off above to read, “Type 1 for 54+ of my 62 years.”