Thanks for the information.  It is encouraging to know that getting tighter control of my numbers can help the situation.  I am also hoping that increasing my exercise regine will help too!  I have been tweeking things yet again and am really happy that my morning numbers are down considerably.  I am using the R+ Alpha Lipoic Acid, biothiamine sp?, cinnamon and chromium in the hopes that they will help with BG control and help protect my vascular system.  It is hard to know which of the things are helping or if it is a combination of the diet, exercise and nutracueticals.  Whatever it is I am feeling encouraged about the numbers.  I have been below 7 every morning this week and in the high 5's / low 6's for most of the week.  This flows through to my lunch time numbers being lower too!  I hope that I can keep them there.

Sally, are you in Canada?  There was a really good article in the latest Diabetes Dialogue that talked about exercise programs for people with mobility challenges.  You could check the www.diabetes.ca to see if they have the magazine online. 

Does anyone else have helpful advice or information?

Faith

Feb 8, 2012 -- 3:12PM, dcapo35 wrote:

Hi - When I was diagnosed in 10/10 @ 300 glucose level. I had horrible pain in my feet and calfs - just as you describe - burning and tingling.  I immediately cut out all sugar, white flour and any sweetners and only ate 20 carbs a day.  Within a month, my am testing was 100 or below and the foot/calf pain had subsided.  A year later, I lost 100+ lbs too and have upped my carbs to 40 - 50 g a day.  It may just be me, but I have found if I go above that level of carbs for more than a day or two, the burning returns.  If I eat "clean" a few days, the pain goes away again. 

I hope this is helpful and that you can find what works for you. 

Thanks for your post it just shows lowering carbs can help many,    what a great story. 

Jan 27, 2012 -- 5:52PM, faithr wrote:

Thanks for the input.  I test at least 2X a day, sometimes more, depending on my readings and whether my routine has changed for the day.  I am still so new to this and am trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.  My premeal numbers are in the 6 range which is where my Dr. wants to see them at this point and usually my after meal reading is somewhere between 7.1 and 8.5.  I am still finding my morning fasting level are higher than I would like.  Often it is around the 7.4 range.  I have been messing around with various strategies to try to address this but my dietician thinks I may require one more metformin at bedtime.  I swim laps 5 mornings/week and have added in 3 - 45 minute treadmill sessions per week to see if that helps the overall situation.   I will see my Dr. at the end of the month and will have a better idea then.  I am anxious to see what my A1C is.  At diagnosis I was at 12.6. 

I started taking R+ ALA the first month after diagnosis at the 200 TID level.  Perhaps this is what is helping.  A friend of mine suggested the B12 and I will look at bumping that up. 

Do you have a sense of what causes flair-up of the foot pain. Now that it has settled down a bit I am starting to whonder if red meats cause the pain to be worse?  Last night my feet were burning more than they had since before I was diagnosed.  My numbers were good even though I had eaten out that night and the night before. 

Thanks for the reminder to be patient.  I tend to want everything to get better instantly. It is still early days and there have been lots of improvements.  Did you find that the foot pain got worse again before it got better?  At this point the foot pain it is, by far, my biggest issue with diabetes.  In the four years prior to diagnosis I had already drastically changed my lifestyle, lost 100+ lbs, started exercising regularily, eating better etc.  From a diet and exercise perspective, diagnosis meant that I needed to further refine what I was doing but didn't require drastic changes.

I am open to any suggestions people may have or any tips that can help me feel better and be healthier.

Thanks for the info  you know its amazing you lost the weight and yet still became   type 2.         I hear all the time  a diabetic should lose  5%  and they can go off meds,   oops sorry that did not work and what about the thin ones to begin with.    My neuropathy got better but it never went away but I ran very high numbers   for a very long time and must have had high number for a few years had not been to a doctor in about 3 yrs and just moved to Missouri  had not even needed one.      I would for sure increase the B-12 and see if it helps  I know things are so much better than what they were,   I used to lay and bed and thnk someone was throwing gas on my legs and setting them on fire it was that bad. 

Before I gave you my depressing story, I'd thought I cheer you up with Skittles, our 10-year old rescue pup! She seems to know when my feet and ankles are really bad, and she always comes over and lays next to me, giving me tons of kisses.

As for the neuropathy thing. I've had it for close to 20 years now, and it is the most painful, life disrupting disease I have. It strikes me in the wee hours of the morning, and I no longer get to sleep until around 5 AM.

I started using Morphine Sulphate, ER 30 mg tablets twice a day, ten years ago, and for the breakthrough  pain I have 15 mg Morphine IR, that I can take three times a day. I also take Tylenol and Gabapetten (300 mg capsules up to 6 per day). For the bad days, I use diabetic creams, and I actually pray a lot more than I did 20 years ago.

The feet are so  numb; the doctor has removed in-grown toenails without the need to give me a local, yet the pain ranges from sensations like a hot vice grip being tightened, to insatiable itching that I couldn't get to with a ten-foot pole. The Neuropahty has spread to the ankles and when it hits its like a vice grip, tightened and causing tremendous aches that radiate down into the feet and upward into the calves.

I am now using motorized carts when we shop or go out to fairs and amusement parks. Walking is excruciating, and when the neuropathy is raging, I usually get sympathy pains that manifest in fibromyalgia symptoms.

I face this, as some level, 24/7/365. There is no relief, just moments of respite. I wish I had a better picture to paint for you, but I don't.

Now before someone says something about controlling my sugars, let me assure you that my A1c's range between 5.5 - 5.8, with the most recent being 5.8, so my numbers are fairly tight and under control. My neurologist states that I have rapid onset neuropathy, and she expects it to one-day  progress to the internal organs. Oh joy!

I just have to grin and bear it, and one of the things I did to help other with multiple chronic conditions was write the book, Thorn Daze! It is my story, and it tells how in spite of the thorns God has seen fit to allow to remain in place, I continue to move forward in ministry through His strength. I do know God does not always heal us like we, or others think we should be healed, but instead, He leaves the thorns to keep us humble, and make us a stronger witness for others.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it. Sorry if it was depressing. However, it is the truth, and I can't change that. All I can change is how I choose to live with, and live above the suffering I have been given! <3

When I was diagnosed, the neuropathy that I had was mild, so I did not need anything. However, there are many who find capscum creams to be helpful. You can buy them at most pharmacies without a prescription. Some also, as Fur pointed out find that taking ALA to be helpful.

I would also have your B12 checked, as it can be part of the problem, and might require some supplementation. (This is especially good to check if you are on metformin, as metformin can cause a deficiency in B12)

peripheralneuropathycenter.uchicago.edu/...

I would like to mention that my neuropathy was reveresed by getting my numbers in control...but, it took over a year to do so. Just thought I would mention that it is possible to get better.