Peripheral neuropathy is the most
common form of diabetic neuropathy with this condition affecting
about 60 to 70 percent of all persons with diabetes. It damages
nerves in the feet, legs, arms, and hands.
Symptoms include:
- Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain, altered sensations, and changes in temperature, especially in the feet
- A tingling, burning or prickling sensation that begins in your toes or the balls of your feet and gradually spreads upward
- Sharp, jabbing or electric shock-like pain that’s worse at night
- Extreme sensitivity to the lightest touch or no feeling at all
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Muscle weakness and difficulty walking
- Serious foot problems, such as ulcers, infections, deformities, and bone/joint pain
- Loss all feeling in the affected limb/limbs (for example if you get a small rock in your shoe, you might not feel it and continue walking on it, causing further injury to your foot)
Knowing the symptoms means that you
must take action. Most people with diabetes and peripheral
neuropathy do nothing and ignore their feet. This is when ignorance
can cause an amputation. Am I scaring you yet? I hope I have your
attention because being part of a support group has taught several of
us many valuable lessons and caring for our feet is as important as
managing diabetes. Examining your feet, especially the bottom of
your feet daily should be as important to you as taking a blood
glucose reading. It's important to protect your feet from injury,
especially if you have little or no sensation in them. This means
wearing good shoes or slippers, even indoors.
In the Southwest, patients should shake
out their shoes before they put them on just in case a scorpion
crawled in.
Foot protection is the key issue with
peripheral neuropathy. Take care of your feet on a daily basis and
if your doctor is not inspecting them, get yourself set up with a
podiatrist for at least twice a year foot inspections. It is always
wise to be safe rather than have an amputation.
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