Neuropathy

[lynn0713]

My daugther is 19 and is having problems with burning and tingling in her feet.  The dr. has put her on
Lyrica but this doesn't seem to be working.  She has been taking the drug a month so far.  Sometiems the
pain is better than others.  She is really depressed about this.  Does anyone have any more suggestions
or drug suggestions that she could ask for when she goes back to the dr.  Or is there any exercise she could
do to help this.  Also she is very underweight 5'5 and weighs 92 pounds.  She is going to a Diabetes Center and
working with a nutritionist to gain weight.  Would more weight help this problem. For the past 2 years her control has not been good and now she has a new dr. she likes and is working to get her numbers down.  I know getting them down helps with this problem does anyone know how long it can take.  She is extremely upset about this she has
had to drop her classes at school and can not hold a part time job now.  Any advice would be great.  Thanks.

[JDRF Volunteer SG]

I agree that normalizing her glucose levels is essential. If the damage to the nerves is not too bad or has not gone on for too long, sometimes people find that their nerves "heal" if glucose levels are brought to normal. It depends on how severe the nerve damage is and of course totally on the person's ability to normalize the glucose levels and keep them normal. I wish her the best. The hard work will be worth it if the nerves improve.

[torrem]

I am a T1 dibetic x 39 years.  I also have neuropathy (focal, peripheral and autonomic).  I have not tried Lyrica.  I am using neurontin.  These drugs take a while to build up in your body. To tell you the truth, I take a cocktail of medicines...for the pain I use neurontin 300-1,200mg. depending on the time of day, motrin 800mg, and nortryptiline as needed when the pain gets really bad.  The latter is an antideppresant that is also used for pain management.  Prozac is also used for pain managment, but it might be contraindicated because of her age. The problem (for me I am older) with nortryptiline is that it makes you gain weight which in your daughter's case it might help. It also might help with the depression.  Does she have an eating disorder?  She should probably see a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist to deal with the complex issues she is facing.

Like her, I've had to modify my schedule at work around my condition.  My work has complied because of ADA and state regulations regarding disabilites. While completing my thesis, I have had to work with my professors, because frankly, if you are medicated, you cannot think clearly and sometimes, I could not attend class.  She may be able to take on-line classes this way she doesn't have to give up school.  She needs short term goals that she can complete so she feels she has (can) accomplished something.

I found that, for me, taking care of my depression comes first because it changes my mood and the way I see/feel the problem.  Taking my meds is not a problem.  I try to conserve energy because dealing with pain can be so draining.  I ask myself, what do I do now with what I have and I go from there.  I don't deny it, I don't apologize for it (sometimes family members make you feel like you have done something wrong), and I try to look for the things that I can actually do rather than think of what I cannot do.  I try to live one day at a time.  I am not saying this to bring this issue back to me, but to help you understand what she may be going through especially at her young age.

My best to both of you.

[JDRF Volunteer CB]

I do not know much about the drugs she is taking, but I do know that with myself in the past when I have had new medication it takes a while sometimes to have a drug regulate and do what it is supposed to do.  I would ask the doctor about what is going on and see what he/she has to say.

I think your daughter will have a much better time if she does lower her blood sugars and get to a weight that is healthy for her body-type.  When your blood sugars are consistently too high a type 1 diabetic loses weight, this is often how type 1's are diagnosed because they eat and drink more then normal and keep losing weight.  If she gets her blood sugars under control I think she will keep the weight on.  I might suggest a therapist too, because I wonder if she is using the diabetes to keep the weight off.  This is a very dangerous thing some diabetic girls do to keep their weight down.  Depression often comes hand in hand with diabetes.  Diabetes is a very hard and frustrating disease.  
How long it takes-well if she breaks it down into small steps instead of looking at the big picture it often helps.  Start small, try getting the blood sugar readings under control--test more and adjust the insulin accordingly.
I would also suggest going to the www.jdrf.org website, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation website.  I think you will find some useful information there.   There is also information on the site to talk to other parents in your situation or similar situation.  When you get to the site click on ODST and you can get help from there.