Preipheral Neuropathy - possible dibetic- frightend
 

Hi Hi everyone,

I will not go into great detail; if you are interested I posted a lengthy post about most of my SX.

Basically I have bee suffering for 3 months. I found just found out my 2 hour Glucose tolerance test was off.

Fasting 85
1 hour 146
2hours 150

Im sure most know the normal rage is below 140 so its slightly high.

My scariest SX is that my armsm legs and torso have developed a shake.

If I stretch my arms out away form my torso whether it be up in the air like I am waving, out to the side or in front of me the motion is normal and smooth. But when i bring it back down or close to my body there is a rhythmic shake or Jerking motion, tic, tic, tic. My back does the same thing if I bend over at the waist and come back up and my legs shake from somewhere in my torso when I go down stairs.

The arm thing stated first. All my SX started with my arms and chest and shoulders and back about 6 weeks into it everything stated to show up in my legs as well.

All my SX come and go except the shake. It is always there if I move my arms or legs in a manner that promotes it.

My right shoulder is soar feeling allot cause I a right handed so use that arm more reaching for things.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?????? Please??? I’m afraid I will lose my mobility. It seems as if I am on round two that it is attacking my arms again because it started there and I had allot of pain in my arms at first then it subsided, my legs didn’t seem to get as painful as my arms did. I tried to stop eating all sugar in the beginning because someone told me it was inflammatory. I was also in amoxicillin thinking I had Lyme (live in CT and was doing allot of yard work going in woods) so as I felt the arm pain seemed to go away, but not the shake) I began here and there some ice cream or a sandwich with white bread. I also tried to have a glass of red wine at night thinking it might help me. I rarely ever drink and I stopped that after only about 5 days because my SX have been getting stronger.

I haven’t had time to research how to eat but I am trying to be careful not to get sugar spikes. Its really hard I don’t know what to eat. I am also not very hungry. Before this started I used to eat something every 2 or three hours, of course a lot of it was high in sugar so it probably made me hungry and gave me spikes I didn’t know I was getting. Yesterday all i ate was a tangerine with some almonds for breakfast, a grilled chicken salad with spinach and Romano and croutons and ceaser dressing for lunch and a few wheat crackers with some sharp cheddar cheese and some grapes.

This morning I made two scrambled eggs with half and half and a blueberry yogurt. The yogurt was 16 G carbs. For lunch Ill have the same as yesterday. Don’t know what I’m eating tonight. I afraid because I need my arms to get better and I’m afraid they wont. My endocrinologist has not called me yet for my appointment I got referred from my neuro.

This is less food than I usually eat yet I’m not really hungry. I’m also terrified to cause more damage if indeed I have predibetic SX, I wonder if something else is causing my sugar spike, but I don’t know enough about it. I was researching MS and Lyme, I also thought I might have heavy metal poising. Some people told my I had too much going on to be the beginning of MS and many have said it could be lyme but my tests were negative.

Can anyone guide me or share their similar stories with me?

Sorry I am long winded, I am just too freaked out about all of this.

Im sorry for all your fears and concerns, I cant offer much since I am still trying to discover what is wrong with me too, but I wanted to ask/comment:

Isnt a fasting glucose of 85 normal???

I was concerned my PN was diabetic and they did a fasting glucose on me and mine was 90 and they said that is normal. No other test just that one. So if you had 85 and say you are diabetic, this is alarming for me.

Your post makes me think I should now be more concerned I could still have diabetes and have other tests.

Yes 85 is normal fasting but a 2 or more hour glucose tolerance test is more accurate. It shows if your body is controlling and processing the sugar you ingested as high levels can damage organs and tissues.

Jewels, remember, it is great that you now know what to fix! Having a goal is a good thing.

Now, it is time to learn.:D I have no sugar problems, but eating like a diabetic has done wonders for my PN and Autonomic Neuropathy which caused Dysautomia and POTS. I was terribly ill. Take a while to descibe how ill. I AM improving and my nerves are healing.

Here is a site with good recipes and information. There are others you can find too! People will help you find the best foods! There is SO much good information online!
http://www.dlife.com/

I went gfree two years ago. Then started the supplements my doctor said would help. They did! THEN, he told me in Jan. to stop sugar and bad carbs since they are not just bad for blood sugar and glycation, but also for the nerves and brain. Of course small amounts sometimes is fine for most people. Especially with fiber and protein.

Please do not be afraid. You can eat a lot! I stay FULL and lost 20 pounds!

I like having nuts mixed with a few dried cranberries. The cranberries are sweet, so just a few cranberries, but it is GOOD.

I make dark choc. candy with coconut oil and a tiny bit of peppermint oil. They look like coins. I eat one every day or two. That way I feel great eating a healthful snack and it is choc. so makes me happy!

Making healthful goodies is good because then you can keep enjoying food. There are a ton of good foods to make.

I have learned a lot. Like apple cider vinegar, a few tsp. in water lowers blood sugar when you eat.

Low fat protein, veggies, and some fruit like rasperries and others are great. Coconut oil, coconut manna are great, you can read about them.

Taking the supplements like Alpha Lipoic Acid, Benfotiamine, L carnitine, CoQ10 etc is good. The book "Minding my Mitochondria" is great. You can learn about foods that help our nerves and mitochondria.

Just take action and learn all you need to know about food. You can get this in control. :)

Nerves heal slowly, so be patient and stay on track. Stay positive. Our bodies want to heal and be well.

wow, seems like I should be doing some other tests. I don't understand why 2 doctors would not suggest more testing? Both saw i did the fasting one and had a 90 and I said to both I wanted to be sure I did not have diabetes and they both said 90 is in normal range and neither suggested any further testing.

thanks for the heads up, sorry to make this about me. But this forum is great for sharing and receiving great info.

SallysBlooms

Please define "bad carbs". I'm Type2 diabetic for 12 years, never heard of this.

Its no problem i know were all in the same boat looking for answeres. Its great if we can help each other. Tell your doctor you smell a sweet smell in you urine after you've eaten somthing with a lot of sugar. That's how I got mine, but it's true I can smell it sometimes.

Thank you Sallyblooms for your advice. I appreciate your guidance. You have a great attitude. :).

Bad carbs are anything with white flour and sugar in it.

Empty calories, things like pasta, potatoes, potato chips, turns to sugar, bad carbs.

Good carbs have fiber, whole wheats, things that dont turn to surgar instantly.

At least this is my definition. I have tried to cut out white flour and sugar and lost 11 pounds in the last 2 months.

but it is soooooo hard.

Yes, white flour, sugar, pasta. I am gluten free so.. no wheat. We eat pasta with other grains, just not a lot of it. I don't eat bread, even gluten free.

Fruit and veg. have good carbs. If you are diabetic you need to be more careful with what kinds you eat. Some are better to eat that others, lower glycemic index. I love coconut palm sugar for that reason. I can add a bit of that to tea etc.

Our brain needs carbs every day, but not the one that spike sugar. Eating them with protein and fiber is important also.

Before I drink my smoothie every day, I drink some water with apple cider vinegar. Good for keeping glucose even.

Good carbs are unprocessed. Beans, legumes, nut and seeds etc.

I love using coconut manna and coconut oil. I missed chocolate candy so now I make it with dark choc, coconut manna or oil and a drop of peppermint oil. AMAZING and healthful.:)

coconut is amazing for many things. Its the best oil you can eat or cook with.

I do oil pulling with it.

I also eat 1 Tbs a day.

I really think I may have diabetes, I smell that in my urine sometimes.

Why would my dr say I don't have it if I do? Im really confused now but my gut says i have it. Maybe I will buy one of those home glucose kits and try to diagnose myself. :(

Well I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. This isn't the forum for D discussion. But I will say I eat EVERY thing, in moderation. My A1c is always low 6

I completely disagree about whole wheat. It's as bad for a diabetic or prediabetic as white flour. Wheat is wheat is wheat. It's like saying that since cigarettes are harmful, I'll only smok mentholated filtered cigarettes.
It's best to avoid all gluten, as well as sugar.
A piece of whole wheat toast has a higher glycemic index than table sugar!

Really??

Thats interesting. Im new to the whole thing so I sure could be wrong but everything and everyone I talk to says to switch over to wheat instead of white because it takes longer to digest that white does.

So what are you saying, no bread at all????? White and wheat same as each other? That is so contrary to everything I have read and if its true, well what the heck do you eat for bread???

Hi, your symptoms are not the usual symptoms caused by prediabetes or diabetes, the most distal extremities are affected first [feet], burning, tingling and sharp jabbing feelings then over time it can creep up the legs and then the hands are affected.
My neuropathy was caused by prediabetes which has completely resolved these days but took a few years to heal fully.

By the way some people can have normal fasting levels even when a person is diabetic, a 3 to 5 hour glucose tolerance test is a very good test to see how your body reacts to sugar, plus insulin levels should be taken through out the test.
A glucose monitor is very helpful to evaluate what and how much foods affect your sugars, if you take a reading 2 hours after the first bite of a meal, then it is easy to work out how much you can have of different foods without spiking.

I do hope you can find the culprit causing your symptoms.
good luck
Brian

Very interesting information on this post about diabetes.

Anyone have a suggestion for the best/easiest glucose meter I should buy from walmart?? Or are they all the same and easy to use? When I looked last week there were a variety of prices, namebrands, and was not sure which direction to go.

Stacy,
Yes, really. All wheat, including the most expensive stone ground organic, etc.It has all been modified and changed, to a point where it does damage to your body. Ask your same friends what a wheat field looks like, and I'm sure they'll describe the "amber waves..." of tall, graceful stalks in the wind.
A modern wheat field only comes up to your knees. It has big, thick stalks and huge awns of grain that are easy and convenient to harvest. It's very profitable; and very harmful.

It is no conincidence that since the USDA started promoting their "healthy whole grain" diet for the last 30 or so years, diabetes and obesity have soared. If conventional wisdom were correct, we'd all be lean and healthy.

I read william Davis' book, "Wheat Belly," and have changed my diet accordingly; no gluten. I eat much less bread. When I do need a piece of bread, I use a millet chia bread that I buy at Whole Foods. It's actually very tasty, and friends who are not gluten free enjoy it.

Unfortunately, I have found that getting healthy is not easy or convenient; not the least of which is being branded as a fanatic by your friends. But I have not found any foods that taste better than being healthy.

Some of the best are available free online. Google: free glucometer
Some require Rx -- some do not.

Doc

My doctor wants me to read "Wheat Belly." I haven't yet because I have been gluten free for two years and I know quite a bit about the problem with wheat, but I do need to go ahead and read it. There is just SO much wheat gluten in most foods and cosmetics. One problem is the amount everyone gets. And of course the processing.

I did get the book about sugar he wanted me to read and I LOVE the book "Minding my Mitochondria." Written by Dr. Wahls about MS and how she got better. It is helpful to know for many other illnesses. There are so many things we can do to improve illnesses with food and supplements.

I have toyed around with the idea of being gluten free but I always move on because I just dont think I can do it. Im still having a hard time giving up white bread and now Im told even wheat breat is bad...its so depressing. I know health is more important, I just set myself up for failure trying to give up ALL bread. :(

On several occassions--
 

--we have discussed the newly emerging research that impaired glucose tolerance or pre-diabetes can result in neuropathy, especially painful small-fiber kinds, well before frank diabetes would be diagnosed by blood sugar results, and that a lot of doctors still don't know this and think neuropathy only results from well-established diabetes.

Here's one such thread (take a look at the references):

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...1828#post21828