Done yesterday (20111122 Tu)

[mdlbear]

You know it's been a bad day when hearing of Anne McCaffrey's death wasn't the worst thing to happen. Or even the second worst.

The neuropathy was the second worst. Both feet, feeling like they were on fire after standing for a few minutes. Probably diabetic neuropathy, though there could be other explanations.

And then there was hearing that one of my good friends had assaulted her partner, my sister of choice pocketnaomi, in a fit of blind anger. Naomi and her kids are safe, but I was shocked and saddened. I will post more on this later. Soon.

Physical pain isn't always the worst kind.

1122 Tu
  | awake 3:30ish feeling ice cold, with L knee frozen.  Got up 4:15.
  * up 7:45; W=194.6; drugs, nose, teeth, dishes, laundry, exercise
  | no neuropathy this morning, at least.
  * 9am: leave for Menlo Park    
  * 10am:  All hands in Menlo
  : bad news from pocketnaomi
  * coming home:  pick up Humira at discharge pharm.
  * noonish pick up scooter from Bischoff's
  | the neuropathy is back; standing, especially, hurts.  Both feet.
    Almost certainly prediabetes.  Time to lose weight.
  % left work a little after 5pm.  Couldn't concentrate.  You know it's been a
    bad day when news of Anne McCaffrey's death was only the third-worst thing.
  % the air seemed beautifully clear this morning, especially driving down
    from Menlo Park after the meeting.  No scrim?
  * installed new cartridge in lp.  Overdue.  Doesn't look much darker, but
    the last thing I printed had blank streaks.
  | not so much neuropathy this evening.  It seems to be worst in the
    afternoon.

Comments

[ciarhwyfar]

*hugs*

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

I have neuropathy in my soles that way; not from diabetes; probably from a spinal source. The doctor prescribed OTC capsaicin cream to rub in 3-4 x/day PRN.

I was absolutely delighted when some mfr. came out with a no-touch applicator, like a detergent roll-on except that there's no ball; I think it penetrates through a fabric-like cap under the screw-on lid. I buy the CVS house brand now. The label says "deep penetrating & odor free"; that is correct, but it makes me sneeze once or twice even though I don't smell anything. I sit down, take off both shoes and socks, apply it to my soles, and rub them together, thus not getting it anywhere near any other part of my body.

I vividly recall two unpleasant experiences with the cream. In one case I was with dunkelpig in the ER when my feet started to burn from all the standing around. I rubbed in the cream, but I must have gotten a smear on my hand, because just after I rubbed an itch next to my eye, I was running out to the nursing station for water. "What's wrong?" "I got capsaicin in my eye and the sink in my wife's room isn't running!!" (The nurse went off like a rocket and got me what I needed.)

The other time... well, it was dark and I was reaching for the jock itch cream. 'Nuff said!

[mdlbear]

Oww! I'll take note of that; it sounds very useful.

It's good to know there are other explanations. We'll see -- I've scheduled an appointment.

[dsmoen.livejournal.com]

Thyroid is another possible cause of sole neuropathy. Mine went away when I went on thyroid meds. I still have celiac neuropathy, though.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear that pocketnaomi is safe.

I'm extremely glad to hear that her kids are safe.

It's good for her to spend a lot of time away from her partner.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

*hug*

I am feeling Weirded Out about that last thing.

I hope your neuropathy gets better soon.

[mdlbear]

Me, too. It's clear that Callie is sicker than anyone thought -- I hope she can find help.

Thanks.

[jenk]

re: neuropathy, my reading about diabetic neuropathy was that it usually develops after being diabetic for decades. Might want to look into other possibilities...

Also fyi, exercise has been shown to reduce the chances of moving from prediabetes to diabetes by itself.

(Not a doctor but many family members are diabetic and I attended a diabetes ed class recently as a friend's support person.)

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Two words regarding foot pain: plantar fasciitis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis).

One word, for both you and pocketnaomi: *HUG*

[freyjaw.livejournal.com]

Diabetic neuropathy generally shows up after quite a few years of rather high blood sugar, as in over 240 for over 10 years. That kind of scale. Actually, higher and/or longer. OTOH, there are other types of neuropathy out there and yours should be investigated. If yours is diabetic, you've been running higher sugars that you didn't know about for a good while, but that should show up on a hemoglobin A1c test (under 6 is a Good Thing).

Physical pain at least has the decency to let you know you are in pain. There is never any real doubt. Other forms of pain are far more insidious in that they will let you (or others) tell you that you are not truly hurting, that the pain can't be real, and if you only got your head right (or did this or that) you won't hurt. Note the element of contradiction there. Sucks. And this can happen in so many situations.

[mdlbear]

I've tested as prediabetic for about two years now. A1c 5.8, fasting glucose 102. So it may not be diabetic, but that doesn't say what it is. Doctor visit scheduled.

As for mental pain... yeah.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Many things besides diabetes cause neuropathy.

Also, you can be prediabetic for decades (she says, looking in the mirror) without going diabetic. As long as you keep an eye on what you're consuming, you ought to be able to avoid "flipping."

[mdlbear]

I am, unfortunately, not all that good at watching what I eat, though I'm usually pretty good at avoiding carbs, especially high glycemic index ones. I know that things would be better if I lost weight. But...

My weight was pretty stable for about five years, popped up 10 lbs when I went on antidepressants, and has stayed within about a 7 lb range since then. That's short-term. My average weight gain over the long term has been 1.5lbs/year, no matter what I've been eating or how much I've been walking. So...