Anyone have any ideas... and slimy hands are driving me nuts
 

I've been suffering fatigue, poor concentration for several years. In December last, was diagnosed with diabetes (but only just within the blood sugar range). When I say fatigue, I mean falling asleep at my desk fatigue, and in meetings etc... not just 'a bit tired'). In March, I had a virus/high temperature and started to get burning in my palm and fingers. A month later, I had another virus/temperature, and since then nerve pain has spread to all four limbs.

Symptoms include muscle cramps, it feeling like a saw's been taken to my wrists, needles and burning in my toes, sensations like my fingers breaking. My walking's also been affected. Legs sometimes go weak, and feels like I'm drunk below the waist. Muscles in shins and forearms sometimes go rock hard. It feels like needles are pushed in my finger joints. There are times when the nerve pain leaps around my body like tasmanian devil. In fingers, then hip, toes, arms... a few seconds in each... brief pause, then off it goes again! It's like living with a small, malevolent gnome who's equipped with a hammer and a spike.

MRI scans show nothing. Neck x-ray shows some deterioration, but I've no pain in my neck. Traction tried... no change in the nerve pain I had in the hand (at the time of the traction).

They've tried me on gabapentin (no impact on nerve pain, but I felt as high as a kite - and incredibly happy!). Walking was getting worse quite rapidly and I was existing on 3-5 hours sleep a day with nerve pain preventing me from sleeping.

Then they moved me to pregabalin. A little improvement in nerve pain, definite improvement in walking and some improvement in sleep, but some side effects I don't like. My hands feel like they've been dipped in oil (a really horrible sensation). I have 'brain farts'. I do a lot of writing, and reread a paragraph to find 'word substitution' and on rare occasions I've missed a letter out (imagine a paragraph with no 'e's). I also feel grumpy. Ratty as hell. It's not me, I don't like it.

Next we're probably going to try duloxetine as the side effects of pregabalin aren't pleasant for me.

The neurologist is convinced I don't have MS. While I do have diabetes, the symptoms all started in the hands and only recently moved into the feet. I don't have the tender spots you'd experience with fibromyalgia. Tests have ruled out lupus. The closest I have to a diagnosis is an odd variation of chronic fatigue syndrome and maybe a bit of diabetic neuropathy too.

..the most recent weird symptom is a feeling that my hands are slimy. I can't find any reference to this on the net. Washing doesn't help. It lasts anywhere up to a day, then *poof*... it's gone? Could it be a side effect of pregabalin Argggggg

Does anyone have any ideas (or does my ex-mother-in-law have a voodoo doll and set of pins)?

Joe
(apologies... think I posted this in the wrong place before)

Oh... one other thing
 

Having nerve conductivity tests this Friday. Does anyone know what these are??? I have foot and leg and arm ache today. Life is never boring at the moment. Never quite sure which bit of me is going to have something invisible pummeling at it.

I've named my condition Brandon. It's clearly some form of invisible gnome who has a grudge. It gives me something to swear at while I'm walking round Tescos (even if that does get me funny looks).

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

I think you should visit our Peripheral Neuropathy forum and
start to read. Diabetes is sneaky and there are things YOU can do besides take serious RX drugs which do NOTHING for the process you are going thru. They only hide symptoms.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html

Are you taking any medications? Statins, or oral drugs for your diabetes? Statins are known to cause PN. Metformin, often used in type II diabetes, can deplete Vitamin B12.

First off you need an accurate assessment of B12 status. Please get a test if you haven't already, and get the numbers and post here. You should be at least at 400 US units. Post your concentration if not in the US.

Magnesium is lost by diabetics thru the urine. When it becomes low, all sorts of problems start to appear as magnesium is essential in hundreds of reactions in the body. When low many nerve issues appear, as well as muscle cramping and weakness.
Here is our magnesium thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html

Also very important is Vitamin D. Many people have low Vit D levels, and when this happens your immune system is weak and cannot fight off infections and viruses.
Here is our Vit D thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread92116.html

These are just starting points. For diabetics there is also a useful supplement called lipoic acid. This specifically can help with neuropathy. We discuss this on the PN thread often.

There is alot of information on this forum, and people who have helped themselves when doctors reach a point of uselessness. So pull up a chair and a cuppa, and take advantage of our information and support.

Thank you Mrs D
 

I have been tested for vitamin B12 deficiency and all clear. I eat a fairly balanced diet.

I am taking metformin and simvastatin since being diagnosed with diabetes.

By RX drug, do you mean gabapentin and pregabalin (I've an enquiring mind lol... it'll bug me if you don't say... and I'll be searching for hours :winky: )

...and Mrs D, thank you for an incredibly prompt response, and for the offer off information and support. I run my own forums advising others on family law... and it's nice to be on the other end for a change. Have a lovely weekend.

Joe

You must get the numerical result of the B12 because lab ranges for this are outdated, and doctors follow the old numbers which are very low (and still called normal). If you don't live in the US we need the concentration as some countries report differently and that changes the numbers too.

Simvastatin is a known PN causer. We discuss this on PN forum.
We have posters who were damaged by this drug:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post665830-5.html
This link is only a beginning.
Search Dr. Beatrice Golomb MD who specializes in statin toxicity and also Jay Cohen MD, and Dr. Graveline MD who is a doctor himself and former astronaut.

Statins also cause diabetes you know. That information was released rather recently. Also implicated is damage to memory and brain. Dr. Graveline lost his memory on Lipitor and wrote a book about it.

Metformin will disrupt B12 in many patients. So the B12 level you have now is very important. Eating well is not going to work when a drug is doing mischief in your body.

All people on statins should be taking CoQ-10... this is made in our bodies and is blocked by the statins. When this is low, muscles suffer and esp heart muscle can become weak. Over time you may develop congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy.

If you continue with statins, you can expect to become worse. Nothing we have here in the research to help diabetics will help you nerve-wise when you take the statins. It is a tough decision for you, and only you can make it. I only provide the data that is mounting today about this subject.

Typical RX treatments for PN are gabapentin/Lyrica, Cymbalta or other SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants (which are more helpful than the others), Namenda (for difficult patients not responding) and various pain medications.

Statins
 

Thanks for the information. I'll read up.

Slimy hands
 

Have you ever heard of anyone getting a sensation of slimy hands, either from PN or RX treatments?

The palms of the hands are a well known acupressure point location. This means there are nerve bundles concentrated there. But it would be difficult to say on the internet what is really going on with you. You have so many medication issues, that many factors are present.

People with nerve damage get all sorts of odd feelings, when the nerves start to go haywire. But it is hard to say for you.

The sooner you come to the PN forum link the more others can reply to you. Most do not leave their home forums often.

a couple ideas
 

I agree with the other member who discouraged the meds. It amazes me that our society thinks it's ok to prescribe meds without knowing what the problem is. It sounds like a nerve problem and meds can definitely make things worse.
I have chemical and food sensitivities, and these exposures affects many systems including the nervous system- even can do permanent damage over time. Have you looked into that possibility. Of course, mainstream doctors won't acknowledge it or do the appropriate tests for it. You would have to see a physician specializing in Environmental Medicine. It may not be the answer to your particular problem, but it is worth looking into. Studies are finding more and more links between food allergies/sensitivities / chemical sensitivities and several ailments and diseases. Here are a couple organizations you can find online:
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine
The Chemical Sensitivity Foundation

Hope this helps.
Seren