Not sure

[tyler15_]

Ok, heres goes. I'm currently active duty in the Navy. I've been having these problems for about a year now, and doctors can't really diagnose me. Here are my symptoms:
-Burning/Itching/Tingling of the hands and feet, along with swelling
-Burning/Itching of red lesions (not sure if thats what they are or not, but they look like red bumps that are usually not in any particular shape, but are usually about 2-3 inches wide), i get these all over my body.
-Constant fatigue, it doesn't matter if I get 9 1/2 hours of sleep I still feel very tired and weak.

There are some other things that are going on with me, but these symptoms are my main concern. I believe it could be diabetes. The specialist I seen about a month and a half ago asked me if there was any family history of diabetes, and I told her no. I was talking to my mother about all of this and I had mentioned my doctor asking about that, and she said that both my grandfather's brothers died from diabetes (on her side), one of my other grandfathers brothers died from it (on my dads side), and she had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with me.

Does it sound like I'm at risk? Could this be whats causing my complications? The specialist had originaly diagnosed me with burgers disease, but had called me about a month later and told me that it wasn't(after they took a biopsy from my hand). She couldn't really pinpoint the problem, just that I had some type of neuropathy. What do you guys think? I'd really appreciate any info! I'm tired of this controling my life! Thank you.

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

Your symptoms don't fit the usual symptoms of diabetes, but it is true that diabetics tend to be more susceptible to some secondary conditions, so with your family history, it may not be a bad idea to have a simple blood test to find out. You do not need to guess about diabetes. A blood test should easily show whether your glucose levels are normal or not so you can quit worrying over this particular condition.

Another thought is that adrenal and thyroid problems can cause fatigue. While neither of these problems typically produce red, itchy lesions/bumps, the fatigue could be a symptom of something other than a simple skin or nerve condition, it would seem to me (I am a type 1 diabetic, and not a physician, so this is not a medical opinion, just a common sense thought). I do know that the same simple blood draw can be used to test for these conditions also. If you want to be absolutely sure about any of these, you could ask your doctor to also test for the presence of antibodies that would show whether your immune system is attacking any of these endocrine glands. I guess I would suggest that you focus on the fatigue, instead of the skin condition as another way to find the root of the problem. it is a simple blood test that would rule out or verify any endocrine gland problems.

We do wish you the very best.

[MLWTR]

The red nodules sound like they could possibly be erythema nodosum, which is seen in some autoimmune diseases, including various rheumatological diseases and gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. All of these autoimmune conditions can cause both skin manifestations and severe fatigue. You might want to see a rheumatologist, if you haven't already.

Good luck.

[limpsy]

I had those symptoms and then some when I got sick.  Only difference, other than the fact that there were many other symptoms that I had to deal with, was that I had them for about a month before I broke down and went to the doctor, you said you've had these problems for a year or more.  I think if diabetes was the case you wouldn't be here to tell us your problem.  Another thing, when I found out, I knew there was no family history at all, I'm the first person to have it in my family.
Good luck and I sure hope you don't have to live with a lifelong disease.

[tyler15_]

I really appreciate your input. I just dont know where to go from here. I think I'm still going to get checked out for diabetes. I know you said you don't think I should be here to tell you all about this, but I feel like I'm on my last limb, and the doctors seem like their just taking there sweet time. In order to get an appointment arround here you have to call a month in advance, I've just been so frustrated. The benifits of the military are great, if we just had some medical staff to go along with it!

MLWTR, you were talking about Crohn's disease, the've already rulled that out.

I'm just so stressed out about this, I get irritated and frustrated about the littlest things. I've also been diagnosed with deppression, which I feel has a lot to do with this situation. They know I have depression, but it seems they don't even want to deal with that, they put me on some medication, but thats as far as it's went.

Please help me! I don't know where to go from here. I'm ready to give up and just deal with this for the rest of my life, I'm already a walking zombie, I can't get any good sleep at night with the pain.

[JDRF-Team-JW]

I'm a volunteer who has been living with diabetes for about 11 years. I don't have any medical expertise but to be honest, your symptoms don't sound like those of a diabetic. While neuropathy is a condition frequently associated with diabetes, these symptoms alone aren't enough to diagnose you as a diabetic. The most prominent symptoms in undiagnosed diabetics are: frequent urination, extreme thirst and hunger, weight loss (in Type I diabetes), etc. It is fairly easy to determine whether or not you're actually diabetic. A simple finger stick and a more thorough blood test will give you the answer. Please check with your doctor. Chances are your symptoms are due to another condition (although I can't be positive) but either way it would be good to rule things out.
I'm sorry you have been in so much pain and discomfort and I'm sure it's very frustrating. I was diabetic for nearly a year -sick as a dog throughout- before I was diagnosed by a less-than-perceptive physician. So I understand how stressful it is to not feel well and not have the answers as to why you feel this way and what can be done to relieve the pain.
Ask your doctor to check your glucose level and take it from there. By the way, when your doctor told you you had some type of neuropathy, what has been done to help you feel better and live with the condition?
Let us know how you make out and good luck!

[tyler15_]

Thanks JDRF.

The only thing they have tried to do, to relieve the pain is put me on some antidepresants, and anticonvulsants. Neither one of the medications work, an in order to find out they dont work, they want me to take it for a month, then revisit them to let them know if the medicine is working or not. Well it takes two months (being as how it take a month after you make your appointment to be seen), for them to switch my medications. It's just been a very long drawn out process. *sigh*.

I just dont know what to do. I mean I go to the doctor on the 30th of this month, I'm going to go ahead and get the blood work done. I just don't know what else to do.

[JDRF-Team-JW]

I know how frustrated you must be and I feel your pain. But please don't give up. Sometimes it just takes time for things to get better and things happen the way they do for a reason, so although you feel like this is controling your life and you can't do anything about it, trust me: things will get better. I know waiting is very stressful. I'm an impatient person so something like this would aggravate me beyond reason but it's important to keep trying to rule things out until you finally find out what it is.  My suggestion, other than the blood test to check for diabetes, would be to get a second opinion regarding your symptoms. Doctors don't always have all the answers, and to be fair (I work with them at a hospital so I know them better now) it's not always possible for them to know everything. I think the best doctor is the one who actually admits that and seeks the council of other professionals in his field who might have had different experiences. Bottom line: doctors go by the books they've read to make the initial diagnosis, then they rely on experiences they've had in similar situations, finally they conduct trial and error tests -such as in your case: trying out medications to see if they work. More than likely your condition (whatever it may actually be) is not unusal and I'm sure there have to be others who have experienced your symptoms and have been diagnosed correctly. So don't lose faith -it'll happen. It's one thing to live with a condition that you can actually name and know what it is you have; but it's another to deal with pain not even knowing what causes it. Still, I don't think you're ready to give up yet. At least I don't want you to. Try to think positive (believe me -I know how hard that is!) and take it one step at a time. Do your tests for diabetes, get a general blood test to see if that will bring up anything, get a second, or even a third opinion, maybe try a neurologist, dermatologist, or another specialist you feel might be of help. I know it's not fun but it'll be worth it. We've all been through situations like that and it feels so frustrating and scary that we don't wanna deal with it anymore, but somehow things alwyas turn around.

Let us know how the doctor's visit will go on the 30th and if diabetes has been ruled out. Either way we'll try to help you get to the bottom of this so you can feel better soon. Take care and stay strong!

[Barbarella]

I'm confused.  You say your doctor asked you if there were diabetics in your family.  Didn't they check for diabetes when they gave you a blood test?  I don't know about the Navy, but in the Army a test for diabetes is routinely done whenever you have any kind of blood work done or give urine, and if the numbers come back to high, and will be high again at the next test they then give you a Glucose Tolerance Test.  I had that done one time because my glucose level was beyond the "normal" limits, but the Glucose Tolerance Test showed just the opposite that I did not have diabetes.  I also did have "ketones" in my blood which can indicate diabetes.  I too felt like ****. My feet burnt (from the inside) all the time.  My hands burnt from the inside.  My tongue burnt none stop.  When the Glucose Tolerance Test came back negative it was then diagnosed that my glucose was raised due to stress, and that is why I had the Ketones in my blood.  I was under severe stress at the time.  This happened several yrs ago, and I have been fine since.

Are you under a lot of stress?  You'd be surprised what stress can do to your glucose, cholestorol levels and blood pressure.

Good Luck!