Diabetes affects your whole body. Because of this, diabetes damages nerves. They do know that having Diabetes may hurt any nerve in the body. The longer …
Healthy Living With Diabetes
For Special Patients
Diabetic Nerve Damage
Diabetes affects your whole body Because of this, you are at high risk for diabetic nerve damage or neuropathy
Most Common Kind of Neuropathy
The most common nerve damage is peripheral neuropathy This is nerve damage that affects the feet, the legs, the hands, the arms or the face Signs to report to your doctor are: numbness or loss of feeling shooting or stabbing pain tingling burning pain weakness
What is Diabetic Nerve Damage?
Scientists do not know all the reasons why diabetes damages nerves They do know that having a high blood sugar can change the way nerve cells work Nerve cells send messages from one part of the body to another They help keep all parts of the body working together
Diabetes may hurt any nerve in the body The longer you have diabetes, the higher the risk of diabetic neuropathy One nerve or many nerves can be affected Low Blood Sugar Unawareness One group of nerves in the body helps you know if your blood sugar is getting too low Damage to these nerves can make it hard to feel the symptoms of low blood sugar This kind of nerve damage is more likely to happen if you have had
diabetes for a long time It can also happen if your blood sugar has been too low very often
Foot Care
Loss of feeling in your feet is dangerous You may not feel a blister or cut Check your feet twice a day Never go barefoot Tell your doctor about any foot problem immediately
Diabetes Education and Research Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 215-829-3426
Diabetic Nerve Damage continued
Nerve damage may cause problems with your eyes, heart, stomach, bowels, bladder, sexual function and skin Some signs of diabetic neuropathy may be: Eyes and Face: double vision drooping eyelids pain or loss of feeling in face Blood Pressure: feeling dizzy when changing position Heart: irregular heart beat Stomach: feeling of fullness after eating a little food upset stomach Bowels: frequent diarrhea or constipation Bladder: no feeling of need to pass urine even though bladder is full cannot empty bladder completely - this can cause bladder infection Sexual function: men may not be able to keep an erection- impotence women may have pain or less feeling during intercourse Skin: very dry skin or frequent sweating Rev 3/02
Other Kinds of Neuropathy
Report Problems
Tell your doctor if
you have any of these problems There are many ways to treat diabetic nerve problems Your doctor will tell you the best way for you
How to Lower Your Risk of Diabetic Neuropathy
The keys to lowering your risk of diabetic neuropathy are: good blood sugar control early diagnosis and treatment
Source:idbsu.edu
