Hello! I am new here. I am 65 years old and a T1 for 56 years. I have been lucky to avoid many common complications, but i have Proximal Neuropathy…and the pain is awful. My question is this: is there a treatment that helps? I’ve used ice, heat, hot tubs and a percussion tool but nothing helps more than 15 or 20 minutes.
I am taking 800 mg of Ibuprofen in the morning, followed by 2 ES Tylenol an hour or so later. Compounded of course by the slow- very slow- digestion. Lately i have added 1/2 of a Tylenol #3 about noontime. Then I can function for the afternoon!
Is this unusual? I have had neropathy forever but never this bad pain. BTW, my last hgba1c was 6.8.
@Beth123 Hi Beth, and welcome to the TypeOneNation Forum! As you continue reading on this Forum and posting your comments, you will bump into many Members who like you who have successfully managed their diabetes fo over 50 years; we enjoy sharing what has helped us survive and offer encouragement to the newly diagnosed.
Personally, I can’t offer anything helpful about “Proximal Neuropathy”; did your diagnosing provider suggest that this condition might be connected to diabetes? Like you, I’ve been diagnosed with the much more common peripheral neuropathy - but that hasn’t bothered me. I hope someone else here might be able to share.
Proximal Neuropathy involves hips, thighs, low back and sometimes bladder. For me it has been a rule out diagnosis. Meaning my back, hips and thighs hurt and have for years, but nothing shows up in any tests. Proximal occurs mostly in T2 , but here I am! The skin of my thigh is very sensitive, too.
Thanks for your feedback!
The thigh pain is new. I know I won’t die from pain, and i know it will lessen or go away at some point. But Holy Toledo, Batman, this hurts!!
Hi @Beth123 .
I don’t have neuropathy to the best of my knowledge, but was diagnosed with mild peripheral artery disease recently, so I went online to see if I could find any herbs or teas that might be beneficial for circulation - my husband is from West Africa and appreciates the value of nature in healing. I don’t see anything as a cure but use it as a supplement to what I’m doing.
I discovered that Turmeric (popular in Indian cuisine), cayenne (if you like hot spices) and moringa (yecch) were good for circulation so I’ve started drinking moringa tea (yecch) each morning, sprinkling the spices on my food, and taking a cayenne supplement as well. There have been a few times when I forgot for a few days, and the cold feeling came back until I got back on track; otherwise it hasn’t bothered me.
There are others listed online and I don’t know if any work better than others do - the ones I picked a couple (turmeric and cayenne) I knew I liked, and apparently I hit on something. You might check online and see if there are any natural things that might give you some relief.
That said (disclaimer alert😉), even with herbs, spices and teas you should do your research as some can interfere with medications and blood sugar.
Hello, I’m T1d for 30 yrs now. I had peripheral neuropathy several years ago in both legs for over a year. For another reason, I started taking supplements called 7-keto. The extracts in them are green tea extract, guayana extract, 7-keto dhea, gymnema leaf extract, bromelain 600 GDU, & grapefruit extract. Somehow this combination worked for me and in a week my pain subsided. Seriously. I of course got my BS’s in better shape after going they that. I still take them daily because they worked for me so well. There’s diff brands of this out there and I’m not in any way promoting this brand I use, but it was and is something that worked for me
I’ve been a Type 1 for 66 years (as of 4/9 anyway) and have had some peripheral neuropathy in my feet for at least 35 years. Though it’s a different form of neuropathy it seems to be caused by the same problem.
I saw a recommendation for 2 supplements that are readily available: 1. Alpha Lipoic Acid (or ALA), and 2 Evening Primrose Oil (or EPO). I took EPO for a few months which gave some relief, so I added ALA and had much better relief after that.
These are very popular in Germany and most of Europe, though much of the rest of the world should be hearing about it eventually.
The online company is Vitacost, and the brand is Beverly International 7-Keto. This brand is high quality or I wouldn’t be buying it for over 25 years. I buy my protein powder and 7-keto regularly from Vitacost. I really hope it helps you too because I know how daily pain can really wear you down. Good luck!
It’s actually for weight loss or toning up in the gym, so that would be for someone who wants results. I’ve only taken 2 in the morning and two around or after lunchtime when I was in neuropathy pain. I take only 2 in the morning daily now. Start with 2 and then see how it goes. It’s mostly green tea extract and if anything you would feel like you do when you drink coffee, which I love!
I have just ordered the 7-keto. I’ll let everyone know how it goes.
It occurs to me that folic acid, one of the B vitamins, helps with cellular/tissue repair. It is added to fortified foods, but I dont eat enough processed food to get a lot. I think I want to take more than I get in green leafy vegetables, so I am going to order some of that, too.