Rapid onset neuropathy
Hi
I haven't posted here in a while and I'm regretting that because I remember this community was always helpful, so I'm back and looking for help.
I'm a female, type 2 diabetic, was diagnosed at 21 (No factors whatsoever), now it's 10 years later and my control has been consistenly in the 7-8 range (7.7 now). I take levemir and humalog because they seem to work better than pills.
So my problem is this: back in september a couple of fingers on my left hand started tingling and going numb, which I immediately went to doc for, they did xrays, mris, found a slightly bulgind disk in my neck and assumed that was responsible though they said it was mild.
A couple of months later, I woke up with horrid muscle spasms coming from behind my left shoulder blade and radiating down my left arm... this went on for two weeks, no sleep, just constant excrutiating pain, which eventually docs said must be a pinched nerve, but no drugs helped at all, including a corticosteroid shot.
The spasms eventually died down, but I'm still in constant pain, like horrid nerve pain, feels like the muscles are gonna rip, throbbing, plus burning. New MRI didn't show anything new and as of this week I'm having similar though less significant pain in my other arm and occasional shooting pains in my legs.
Meantime I've gone to PT, chiropractor, accupuncture, got blood tests and painful nerve tests, but they didn't give me anything concrete. Nerve specialist said "I don't know, I've never seen these symptoms in young people".
And I've asked several times about it being neuropathy and have been brushed off by every doctor becuase I "haven't been diabetic long enough or severely enough", but I'm getting the strong feeling that they're wrong.
I have a pain management appointment this week and a neurologist in a month and a half... I don't want to resort to shots in my neck vertebra if it's not the problem, but I don't know how one finds out for sure whether it's neuropathy.
Also, if it is, which I suspect, I've read that it CAN come on suddently and severely and there seems to be so little they can do. I'm kind of freaking out, especially given that none of the strong meds have worked, and taking ibuprofen constantly is not ideal and has caused other issues like sun sensitivity (and I live in TX).
I haven't had a good nights sleep in two months, and I cannot imagine continuing to have this kind of pain forever or it getting worse. Im 31, can't work, can only drive short distances, can't sleep, having a really hard time.
And maybe this sounds like a crazy question but I've heard trauma may induce nerve damage, has anyone heard this and does it sounds plausible that if it was a pinched nerve originally, it could trigger nerve pain/neuropathy elsewhere?
Does anyone have any input on what I can ask the pain managment specialist or any opinions/experiences with nerve meds.... (I know they have some crazy side effects).
Or basically is there anything that you've found that helps improve or manage this issue when it happens? Anything natural help?
Thank you for listening,
I haven't posted here in a while and I'm regretting that because I remember this community was always helpful, so I'm back and looking for help.
I'm a female, type 2 diabetic, was diagnosed at 21 (No factors whatsoever), now it's 10 years later and my control has been consistenly in the 7-8 range (7.7 now). I take levemir and humalog because they seem to work better than pills.
So my problem is this: back in september a couple of fingers on my left hand started tingling and going numb, which I immediately went to doc for, they did xrays, mris, found a slightly bulgind disk in my neck and assumed that was responsible though they said it was mild.
A couple of months later, I woke up with horrid muscle spasms coming from behind my left shoulder blade and radiating down my left arm... this went on for two weeks, no sleep, just constant excrutiating pain, which eventually docs said must be a pinched nerve, but no drugs helped at all, including a corticosteroid shot.
The spasms eventually died down, but I'm still in constant pain, like horrid nerve pain, feels like the muscles are gonna rip, throbbing, plus burning. New MRI didn't show anything new and as of this week I'm having similar though less significant pain in my other arm and occasional shooting pains in my legs.
Meantime I've gone to PT, chiropractor, accupuncture, got blood tests and painful nerve tests, but they didn't give me anything concrete. Nerve specialist said "I don't know, I've never seen these symptoms in young people".
And I've asked several times about it being neuropathy and have been brushed off by every doctor becuase I "haven't been diabetic long enough or severely enough", but I'm getting the strong feeling that they're wrong.
I have a pain management appointment this week and a neurologist in a month and a half... I don't want to resort to shots in my neck vertebra if it's not the problem, but I don't know how one finds out for sure whether it's neuropathy.
Also, if it is, which I suspect, I've read that it CAN come on suddently and severely and there seems to be so little they can do. I'm kind of freaking out, especially given that none of the strong meds have worked, and taking ibuprofen constantly is not ideal and has caused other issues like sun sensitivity (and I live in TX).
I haven't had a good nights sleep in two months, and I cannot imagine continuing to have this kind of pain forever or it getting worse. Im 31, can't work, can only drive short distances, can't sleep, having a really hard time.
And maybe this sounds like a crazy question but I've heard trauma may induce nerve damage, has anyone heard this and does it sounds plausible that if it was a pinched nerve originally, it could trigger nerve pain/neuropathy elsewhere?
Does anyone have any input on what I can ask the pain managment specialist or any opinions/experiences with nerve meds.... (I know they have some crazy side effects).
Or basically is there anything that you've found that helps improve or manage this issue when it happens? Anything natural help?
Thank you for listening,