Diabetes is a systemic and chronic disease that affects more than 38 million Americans and, from the moment the diagnosis is made, it’s often a race to stay one step ahead of the many complications associated with this disease.
At the top of the complications list you’ll find diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PN), which affects at least half of people with Type 2 diabetes.
Since November is National Diabetes Month in the United States, the team of experienced healthcare providers here at Midwest Regional Health Services wants to take a closer look at the link between diabetes and peripheral neuropathy.
With Type 2 diabetes, you have trouble regulating the levels of glucose in your blood thanks to two contributing factors:
As a result, the levels of blood sugar in your body are higher than they should be and this can lead to problems, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Higher-than-normal glucose levels can damage the blood vessels that service your peripheral nerves and they can also interfere with the ability of your nerves to send clear signals.
One of the reasons why we’re focusing on recognizing PN as early as possible is because this side effect is progressive. So, the earlier we can identify the nerve damage, the sooner we can take steps to contain, and sometimes reverse, the neuropathy. In most cases, reversing PN can only be done during the early stages.
So, with that in mind, here are some early signs of diabetic peripheral neuropathy:
Most people first experience areas of numbness in their feet, as well as tingling sensations in their feet and lower legs. You can also develop these symptoms in your forearms and hands.
Some people describe these symptoms as pins and needles sensations.
When nerves malfunction, they can also send pain signals that are often described as stabbing, shooting, or burning. These pain sensations often flare at night, which can make sleep challenging.
Many people with PN report having hands or feet that feel colder than usual.
Damaged nerves can also lead to muscle weakness that can render you more clumsy and uncoordinated when the neuropathy is in your lower legs and feet.
We already mentioned the importance of early intervention with PN and we want to expand on this a little. While we hate to use scare tactics, the reality is that advanced PN sets the stage for far more serious issues.
The biggest threat are diabetic foot ulcers, which develop in about a third of people with diabetes. In half of these cases, these diabetic ulcers become infected and 20% of these infections go on to end in amputation.
Now let’s go in a more productive direction because this outcome is far from inevitable. If we catch PN during its early stages, there’s much that we can do to halt, slow, and even reverse the nerve damage through:
Each of these is important, so you can expect that your personalized diabetes plan will contain all of what we just listed.
The first action you should take to stay one step ahead of diabetes-related peripheral neuropathy is to sit down with one of our specialists. To get that ball rolling, you can contact us to schedule an appointment at our offices in Omaha or Gretna, Nebraska, today.
