Burning/Tingling sensation in toes

Hi all.  I have a strange question but I need reassurance that everything is alright.  I will fill you in quick on  my health.  I am 19 years old, I have polycystic ovarian syndrome with severe insulin resistance(pre-diabetes); stage 3 prolapsed uterus; osteoarthritis in lumbar spine, bilateral hips and cervical spine; migraines, chrondromalacia, thoracic outlet syndrome, and neck/shoulder muscle spasms.  About a week to two weeks ago I was taking a shower and noticed that when the water hit my toes they began to burn and tingle.  I can best describe it as if the water was really hot, the feeling you get in that situation.  The only difference is that the water wasn't hot.  This has happened almost everytime since then.  OVer this time I also get this feeling if my feet get really really cold.  I have absolutely no idea what could be causing this.  I am having surgery in three weeks and I am just concerned about this.  THank you in advance for any help.
AManda

[JDRF-Team-BL]

I'm no doctor but with the symptoms it sounds like the beginnings of Neuropathy in diabetes, which your prediabetes condition could be bringing on. It is something you ought to be telling a doctor for treatments to alleviate this ailment. Also bringing your blood sugars as close to normal as possible is the best way to help prevent diabetic nerve damage. Hope this helps., Bret

[JDRF Team SGG]

My twin sister and I are both type 1 diabetics, and she has an uncommon condition which makes her hands and feet very sensitive to hot or cold. Many people with this condition cannot even put their hands into the freezer to pull out a package of frozen food because the extreme hot or cold temperature causes pain in the extremities. This phenomenon is called Raynaud's phenomenon. Do a search on the internet using this term and you can find out more about it. It is true that if your glucose levels have been high for a period of time, you may be developing neuropathy, but the fact that your symptoms seem to be triggered by hot or cold would make me look closely at Raynaud's phenomenon. You may ask your doctor to check you out for both conditions. You might also ask your doctor to look closely at ALL the medications you are taking for your various physical ailments (if you are taking medications) to see if this symptom could be a side effect of one of them.

I would encourage you to discuss this soon with your doctor -- don't put it off and wait to see what happens. If it IS the beginnings of neuropathy, you may be able to reverse the damages IF YOU GET THE GLUCOSE LEVELS NORMALIZED BEFORE MUCH TIME HAS PASSED. if neuropathy is starting and you wait too long, the damage is not treatable. We wish you the best.