DH severe foot pain - neuropathy

[Icantbelieveitsnotnutter]

Hi MNetters, hope you can help.
Does anyone have any experiences with treating severe neuropathy pain in their feet and legs? My husband is in agony with medically induced type 2 (after being given steroids for colitis), gets pancreatitis flare ups treated with creon, takes insulin for very high sugar levels which only reduce to healthy levels temporarily. He's 44, finding it hard to walk and very underweight. His feet go numb except for the pressurised burning pain. Valium, amitriptyline, ibuprofen or anything else so far doesn't help. I feel bad that nothing helps him and worried he will get worse. This has rapidly worsened in the last year, he was originally diagnosed as type 2 about 10 years ago but no longer gets the usual symptoms such as excessive drinking and urinating. He shrieks out in pain and can't bear to be touched. All I can re-iterate to him is to keep chasing his gp's, who are trying to help and testing his sugar levels, which he's a bit rubbish at remembering to do. An xray showed bone loss a few weeks back and he will have a test on his circulation soon. Any advice will be incredibly appreciated, thank you.

Is he under the diabetic team?

Thanks Elisheva, he has an appointment next month after waiting months and months. Hopefully they'll have a very good idea what to do.

That sounds horrible. I believe it’s really common side effect of diabetes so it seems wrong that they have kept him waiting months for an appointment, Has he tried badgering his GP about it.?

He needs a referral to endocrinology.

Dad had neuropathy in his feet due to spinal disk problems. He had a referral to the pain relief team and was treated with gabapentin with a fair amount of success.

As a separate issue he must get his blood sugar under control, although I appreciate this is not your issue. Long term high blood sugar causes havoc in the body.
Is he seeing a podiatrist? With neuropathy he is at huge risk of developing ulcers and he should be checking his feet daily.
Have you looked at the Libre 2 system to help him monitor his sugars?
It’s rubbish that he has diabetes due to no fault of his own, but it doesn’t sound like he’s taking it seriously enough.

If his insulin dose is not controlling his blood sugars then he needs to take more insulin and/or eat less carbohydrates. How is is diet? Which sort of insulin is he on? Is it a set dose or does he adjust it depending on his blood sugar results?

Thanks all, such brilliant advice. I nag him like heck over this and for many years I believe he's on the ADD spectrum, re various symptoms that match the vague guidlines so he's incredibly head strong and not great at taking my advice, which doesn't help! @Elisheva you absolutely hit home with this, he doesn't test himself enough and amend his diet accordingly. He's flirted with the idea of Libre 2.....I will just go and purchase it online! It's crazy how he can't stand the pain but won't monitor his levels, really frustrating. You've confirmed my suspicions about the root cause but thanks also to @DrMadelineMaxwell he would certainly benefit from having his spine checked- great idea. Also thanks @TrollsAreSaddos he's quite lax on chasing but getting better at it! Thanks also @TaraLewis I think he has an endocrinology appointment soon, but will check. He's an annoying man with his stubborness but it's terrible to see him suffer. Thanks all

I've also taken gabapentin for nerve pain, in my case for damage to 1 nerve in my foot, and have found it pretty effective. If he hasn't tried it, it would be worth asking the GP if that's an option. Pregabalin is another med used for nerve pain.

If he’s not controlling his sugar he’s making the pain much worse, the high sugar irritates the nerves.

Dh has type two and is incredibly well controlled but when he does eat a lot of sugar his feet and legs are affected.

I’ve seen gabapentin used at work successfully but the glucose control is key. Has he been given any help with his diet? A lot of diabetics aren’t & you notice women manage it much better than men on the whole. Men are very optimistic about health outcomes.

Sounds very much like diabetic neuropathy.

Uncontrolled or poorly controlled blood sugar doesn't irritate nerves, it damages nerves - diabetic neuropathy is irreversible. He may be prescribed eg gabapentin to manage the pain, but he must aim to control his diabetes to prevent further nerve damage.

Not having symptoms (excessive urinating or thirst) does not mean diabetes is not causing significant neuropathic/vascular damage, as well as a host of other problems.

Thanks all again. You've really confirmed my fears about his high sugars. They're rarely low, even after insulin so his diet will have to be incredibly strict until his pancreas can recover or be treated somehow. Your advice is fantastic.