I have had neuropathy for 6-1/2 years with diabetes probably for 10 years. My neuropathy is at moderate pain level with small fiber and large fiber getting worse throughout my body including chest, throat and other places that I would never have thought of having tingling and burning sensations. I have learned since the first week in september of 2013 to keep my blood sugars below 140 at all times and my neuropathy will start reversing. It has been 7-1/2 months and it just keeps getting worse by spreading and being more intense and I do realise that from what I have read that it will get worse before it gets better. I have read that neuropathy can be reversed in type 1 diabetics with moderate pain but from what I have also read that neuropathy in type 2 diabetics can not be reversed. December of 2008, my a1c was 9.3. I lowered it to 6.0 and kept it there until march of 2012 to a 5.0 a1c even though with good a1c I was breaking the 140 nerve damage mark without even knowing it and going up to 180 . Since september, I can keep my blood sugars between 80-110 since taking out most starches but i continue to get worse and it is still spreading and progressing. I am also taking supplements to help and I find that the best is the stabilzed R-alpha lipoic acid by dr best but it only does so much. For the last 5 years I only drink water with no fast food nor processed foods.
Iām sorry. That sounds horrible. My sympathies. I just hope I never get to that point.
I have a little in my feet but it has never got worse, more of alight numbness than anything. My A1C is between a 5.4 and 6.0, exercise a lot and keep the bs under control. I don't think anyone really knows how it works, and I have been on Metformin and have no issues whatsoever. In fact, I do everything I was able to do before..like tennis, biking, running, motocross..etc. It will improve..hang in there.
how long should I keep my blood sugars below 140 to see any good promising results of reversing the neuropathy. I am on metformin 1000 am and 1000 pm and Yes, I am taking methyl b-12 sublingual, benfotiamine, folate acid, b6 p-5-p, niacinamide, stabilized r-alpha lipoic acid, coq10, krill oil, l-arginine, magnesium malate, biotin and multi vitamin.
I am on metformin am and pm.
I learnt here that I have to keep BS under 140, of course after meals it is higher, after 1 h it should be around 140 after 2 hours it should be below 120 , I was told that here. Lows and highs are damaging. Metformin doesn't work for me, it doesn't stabiliize my BS nor lower BS , no difference. just warning. R-Ala started helping me after one week but when I stoped taking it, pains were back. My doctor said damage of nerves is done and I can't cure it. I take B1 100 B2 100 B12 100 and I was told to keep BS under 130
how long have you had neuropathy, how severe is yours, have you stopped the progression and what kinds of foods do you eat? thank you
Hi cdredbaron10,
Thank you for posting an update! I was wondering how things were going for you.
You are clearly very dedicated and work very hard to control your blood sugar! That the neuropathy is still so painful sounds awful!
I remember, from when you posted before, that there were suggestions that there might be another cause for your pain. Have you been able to explore other possible causes?
Thank you again for the update and sending you best wishes for reduction in your pain!
marty1492
well i finally got my blood sugar between 80-110 at all times since september but it just keeps spreading. I am taking out the starches out of my diet and increasing possibly something else like avocados and almond butter to make up for the calories. it is diabetic neuropathy, in the morning my feet are semi white but come night time they are red with numbness up to my knees and pins/needles on the rest of my body. i just want to know if this can be reversed as compared to type 1 or the diabetics who inject insulin since that is a fat storing hormone and they do not have to eat as much to maintain there weight as compared to a type 2 on metformin/glyburide like I am.
I made mistake it was BP that should be below 130 , BS should be below 140 I learnt that here 2 h after the meal. I have usually 110 I don't get below 110 now, before it was lower, so damage is going on, but I knew it. How long I have neuropathie= first signs 10 yers ago, how severe= with R-ala and B vitamins and diet I can walk but not too long, more than 1h I suffer pains, without all these I mention I couldn't walk (too much pain) hands are paralysed in the morning, dhiarea, problems with digesting; my diet helps : meat , cauliflower. broccoli,letuce , radish, spinach ,eggs, milk ,cream from milk, yougurt , no fruit; all food without preservatives (ecological farms).When I eat small portions and walk sugar is OK, but still there is damage in my body I feel burning toes now,and skin on feet but not 1/2 year ago.
so you are still progressing, you might be better off trying to maintain between 80-100 like dr.berstein has done. what are your fasting numbers? I am usually 85-90. my hands are stiff at night, my wrist and ankles are all day long. do you have any stiffness. do you awake in the middle of the night with dry mouth? do you still have any burning sensations and it sounds like you are still going over 140?
i forgot to tell you about the diabetic neuropathy cocktail=DPN
alpha lipoic acid, evening primrose oil and vitamin c
i take all of these and it has helped, but it is still progressing
thank you so much I will try this coctail. yes ,it is progressing, pancreas and liver produce insuline all the time and they are older and more damaged. I had 95 , now 110 in the morning,after 2-3 h after the meal I had 100, now, sometimes 130. It is still under 140 , which was supposed not make any damage.Not true. Damage is going on. but I can slower it by diet.Thanks God for Lypoic acid which helps with feet neuropathy. I read that doctors claim that A1C is usseless, which is true in my case
I examined my BS very carefully and it turned out that Metformin doesn't help in my case, BS was even higher. It didn't stabilize nor low BS.
yes an a1c is useless, try to wake up to 90 for fasting and try not to go over 110 during the day, which would give you a better cushion away from 140. eat more fat and less carbs from a low carb hugh fat diet.
how many carbs do you eat per day?
thanks for your interest.I can't get down my BS, I see it is beyond my control, unfortunately. I eat very small meals and snack like yougurt or white cheese. I don't weight carbs, just take it a very small piece with meat-usually cauliflower, broccoli, letuce,cucember or spinach. I am often hungry(small meals) so I eat every 3 hours. My diet is so strict I have no idea how to lower BS . I drink water.Sometimes after a meal my BS is lower than before.
increasing your dose of alpha lipoic acid will help lower your blood sugar. i average 90-95 1-1/2 hours after a meal or you can talk to your doctor and put you on glyburide or insulin
From what I've observed in several participants in my support group, there is not always a connection between blood sugar levels and neuropathy. Several people in my group who have severe neuropathy have "excellent" blood sugar, controlled tightly with medication and/or insulin. And others (like myself) have higher blood sugar, take no medication & have no neuropathy. If there were a connection between blood sugar & neuropathy, that couldn't possibly be the case. I realize your doctors will usually say what they're trained to say when you complain about neuropathy - "Keep your blood sugar under control & you won't have neuropathy." When they say that, they're basically being human tape recorders, & they're blaming their patients....just to provide an answer, rather than saying, "We don't really know why some diabetics get neuropathy & some don't."
I did read about diabetes drugs preventing B-12 absorbtion - & that leading to symptoms of neuropathy. Personally, I don't take any vitamin supplements, but if they helped your neuropathy, go for it.
thank you so much!!!On your advice I have just increased alpha lipoic acid by 100, I take 700 mg now and observe pains are smaller but still in the evening toes burn, I will monitor for one week and increase if necaessary. My doctor(diabetolog) didn't give me any med , he told my BS 110-130 was a dream for diabetics. Unfortunately He didn't listen my illness is progressingand BS is too high for me. Thank you so much for your advice, I was so stuck . I am seeing another specialist in a week and sugest what ypu advised me.
" you can talk to your doctor and put you on glyburide or insulin" Thank you so much. And let me ask you :how are you doing with your neuropathia nd how do you take care now?