hi my name is sally.I have type II diabetis on insulin and oral medication.I have nerve damage in my feet to the point where the pain brings me to tears every night.After practicaly begging my doctor for medictaion he has given me samples of Lyrica to try, I have heard they are expensive.It is 4.30pm and my feet have been in constant pain all day.burning sore to touch.I am at a loss what to do.I need to hear from people who understand this pain.Those around me don't .it isnt their fault.I feel this pain changes my moods when Im normally happy go lucky.(not feeling so lucky right now)walking is getting harder for me sometimes I dont want to get up and walk.I have disc degeneration in several places now.I am not looking for sympathy just hoping someone can relate to this so I dont feel alone.For those feeling this pain my heart goes out to you

please check out our Vitamin forum, spinal disorders forum, diabetes forum, and peripheral neuropathy forum, good luck

You're certainly not alone--peripheral neuropathy of the extremities, especially damage to the small, unmyelinated fibers that subsume the sensations of pain and temperature--is certainly a common consequence of diabetes, or even of impaired glucose tolerance pre-diabetes.

Good sugar control may help in time, as can a variety of supplements, as nerves can re-generate if the process damaging them is arrested--this happens EXTREMELY slowly, though, and is often accompanied by sensations that make you think the situation is worsening (healing nerves can be quite painful as the brain learns to interpret the sensations produced by new connections).

As for the pain, many use a combination of things, not just one drug. Anti-epileptics such as gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) are often tried in concert with anti-depressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil) to get a synergistic effect. Others may find opiods or opioid analogues such as Tramadol better. Benfotiamine, a fat solubule vitamin B1 form, is also reported to help with burning pain. Each of us is an experiment of one, and has to find the protocol that works best for us.

You should come visit our neuropathy forum--the knowledge there rivals that of any research university:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/fo...sprune=-1&f=20

Hi Sallyanne, and welcome to NT. This is such a great place with lots of friendly, caring, and helpful people.

We're so glad you found us!

Thankyou for the warm welcome maryann

Hi Sallieanne,

I'm brand new here but I wanted you to know you're not alone with the pain. It's a little after midnight here and it's another sleepless night. I was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy a few years ago which gives some of the same symptoms you have. We tried all kinds of drugs and nothing seemed to work. I visited a pain doctor and he started me on Kadian which is timed release morphine, increasing the dose gradually until I got to 80mg twice a day. It worked but I had him take me off it finally because I got tired of the side effects.

I understand about the not wanting sympathy and I can't stand to have people say they were sorry that I hurt and they knew what I was going through. They didn't know. Not many people knew at all. Finding people who experience this type of pain helps. There's empathy and not much sympathy and that really helps me a lot.

Anyway...I don't have any great gems of wisdom to give you but I sure do understand your pain and just knowing there really are other people out there sure seemed to help me. Take care.