Need Help Peripheral Neuropathy/Diabetic Neuropathy

[ageingpartyfiend]

I don't even know do we have such a thing. I'm trying not to stress and just continue about my day and wait for the blood test results from my GP.

That's it man, one step at a time.

Accept we don't know yet, speculation just seems to always take us down a (usually not neccesary) dark tunnel. Be present in the moment...this very one right now...is all we can do really

Have as good a day as possible - anything you can do today to give you some naturally good feels? Best wishes

 

[elgoucho9]

The thing is with no research of my own i'm literally getting nowhere at all. They just tell me nothing is wrong. But between the weakness, swelling in the left side of my chest, numbness in hands and feet, and discoloured toenails...there is definitely something not right.

Part of me is almost hoping the bloods come back to show i definitely do have diabetes so then we can get to what's causing the swelling in my chest and nerve damage.

I'm quite concerned about the blood flow as my feet seem to be numb virtually all day. Training light weights legs/push/pull programme and doing 10k on the exercise bike daily seems to help a bit, but then a while after that the numbness is back.

I've completely stopped eating all sweets and junk food. And not eating between meals or smoking weed. So i'm doing everything i can to try and help matters.

 

[4meSM]

Ok so I didn't read all the messages so tell me if I'm missing something.

If it's something that's been going on for 2 years then it's most likely not an emergency, unless it has gotten dramatically worse over the past couple of days.
Are you diabetic? Why did you say that you think you might be? It's a very easy condition to diagnose... When was the last time you measured your blood glucose?
I don't know how old you are but AFAIK diabetic neuropathy usually takes many years to develop.

I'd say wait for the test results and have a talk with your doctor, make sure to mention if you have family history of autoimmune diseases and/or cardiovascular conditions.

 

[ageingpartyfiend]

The thing is with no research of my own i'm literally getting nowhere at all. They just tell me nothing is wrong. But between the weakness, swelling in the left side of my chest, numbness in hands and feet, and discoloured toenails...there is definitely something not right.

Part of me is almost hoping the bloods come back to show i definitely do have diabetes so then we can get to what's causing the swelling in my chest and nerve damage.

But where are you getting with it? Is it helping or just spiking anxiety? There's a million rabbit holes to fall into which can make things a whole lot worse - I've seen it over and over again...I'm definitely an advocate of taking our wellbeing into our own hands though man and not always 'outsourcing' it, but we need to know what we are dealing with first

Invitation is to wait until results come (can;t be long for sugar-levels?), and go from there. At the very least by then you will be able to rule a few things out, or they may even pinpoint your problem. It could be all manner of things, shit's complex! You could take some pre-emptive measures like cutting your sugars/bad carbs down etc, so at least you'll feel like you are doing something potentially helpful (you seem good at that anyway tbh)

I'm sure you're aware, but your adrenals could be quite fried from the heavy stiumulant use. This can heal, but we need to be aware that keeping anxiety down is really a must, and in and of itself will be much more helpful for your wellbeing than dark speculation (no judgement bro...been there and still am on/off)

 

[Jnowhere]

Elgocho9, my dad had diabetes and his feet were a major problem, they always gave him
Neurontin(mis) gabapentin and it helped but he hated it. His feet were always numb, he didn't take it much. He was a doctor(surgeon) and went to other doctors.
You mentioned pregab( Lyrica) very similar, hate to say this, but as far as I know, and I knew all his meds, no other drugs would solve the issue. I suppose pregab and gabapentin are very similar, unfortunately. No other drugs were ever mentioned or persrcribed for this issue, he would have loved an alternative but he couldn't find one: sorry to tell you this

 

[elgoucho9]

But where are you getting with it? Is it helping or just spiking anxiety? There's a million rabbit holes to fall into which can make things a whole lot worse - I've seen it over and over again...I'm definitely an advocate of taking our wellbeing into our own hands though man and not always 'outsourcing' it, but we need to know what we are dealing with first

Invitation is to wait until results come (can;t be long for sugar-levels?), and go from there. At the very least by then you will be able to rule a few things out, or they may even pinpoint your problem. It could be all manner of things, shit's complex! You could take some pre-emptive measures like cutting your sugars/bad carbs down etc, so at least you'll feel like you are doing something potentially helpful (you seem good at that anyway tbh)

I'm sure you're aware, but your adrenals could be quite fried from the heavy stiumulant use. This can heal, but we need to be aware that keeping anxiety down is really a must, and in and of itself will be much more helpful for your wellbeing than dark speculation (no judgement bro...been there and still am on/off)

With no research i don't know what tests to get done. Without researching for myself the GP's arent recommending a single thing. They wouldn't have tested for diabetes if i hadn't asked them could it be that. I wouldn't have known my symptoms pointed towards this without doing my own research.

It makes me far more anxious not knowing what's wrong with me than it does reading what it could be and having tests done.

 

[ageingpartyfiend]

With no research i don't know what tests to get done. Without researching for myself the GP's arent recommending a single thing. They wouldn't have tested for diabetes if i hadn't asked them could it be that. I wouldn't have known my symptoms pointed towards this without doing my own research.

It makes me far more anxious not knowing what's wrong with me than it does reading what it could be and having tests done.

you know you better than anyone else does for sure

hard to believe they didn't go for diabetes test straightaway given your symptoms, sounds like a shit gp unfortunately

Still think that at this point trying to let go of thinking about it until you get your test results is your best way forward though

When we get anxious it can be really difficult to differentiate between that and intuition though, that's for certain

 

[Flynnal]

Can you expand on this please. I'm googling but have very little biological knowledge and doctors are useless. What makes you think this and what tests would be best to diagnose it?

It's quite simple. It appears that this is caused by damage to blood vessels that supply the feet. The discoloration seems to be a problem with circulation. It's no secret that poor circulation causes discoloration as well as pain and numbness.

Since the patient complains of multiple symptoms and this is progressing, getting to a doctor or specialist very soon is imperative. These things can progress to lethal if left untreated.

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Liver impairment

This was my thoughts just off the cuff.
Ask for a liver functionality test if thinking this path may be an issue.
And if pregabalin helps most in other areas maybe it is time to talk to doc to get back on this substance. IDK.
We can only offer opinions/personal experiences; so just keep that in mind, yes?

 

[paranoid android]

I have trigeminal neuralgia and im o n a combo of morphine and gabapentin for it which works great. It seems to be a common combo from what ive read. Lyrica works better though. Also ive heard baclofen works great for trigeminal neuralgia so it might work for you to

 

[golego55]

I suffer from peripheral neuropathy and Lamictal (lamotrigine) has helped. After discovering the issue of peripheral neuorpathy my doctor and I tried out several medications. These included Lyrica and Neurontin. Neither worked for me but Lamictal did. You might see if it can help you.

 

[Flynnal]

Apparently lithium can also help with neuropathic pain, but only for mild neuropathic pain. For more severe pain, there is carbamazepine, valproate, lamogtrigine, and the gabapentinoids. I would be hesitant to use the last option since coming off them makes me feel super depressed and insomniac.