Diabetic Neuropathy - Everything You Should Know About It!

Diabetic neuropathy is damage to your nerves as a secondary complication of diabetes. This damage, along with impairing your lifestyle, is highly uncomfortable and painful. This condition needs immediate medical attention and changes to your lifestyle for proper management.

There are several types of this disease, all of which can be traced to the underlying condition of excessive sugar in the body and blood. These types can also be managed by easy-to-do hacks until you get proper clinical care. They are:

Peripheral neuropathy

This is a type of neuropathy that affects the foot region, and the legs. The abdomen and back are less common target areas.

Symptoms-

The common symptoms include-

• A burning sensation in the feet
• A numbing of the feet, or a tingling sensation
• Foot pain

Management hacks-

Here is what you can do to ensure this condition does not hit you in its worst form-

• Wear comfortable and well-fitting shoes
• Take good care to clean, trim and hydrate your toenails
• Monitor your feet daily for the symptoms

Autonomous neuropathy

This is a type of neuropathy that affects the abdominal region, the digestive system, spreading out to the urinary and reproductive systems as well.

Symptoms-

These are the common symptoms you should look out for in yourself-

• Diarrhoea
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Nausea and vomiting
• A difficulty in achieving erections in men, or deficient ones
• A difficulty in achieving orgasms in women, or reduced lubrication of the reproductive organs in women

Management hacks-

Here are a few things you can do for prevention and primary care of the disease-

• Eat smaller amounts of food, and regulate your diet to increase your fruit and vegetable intake
• Seek catheterization or urinary surgery

Proximal neuropathy

This is a type of neuropathy that affects your upper leg, thigh and buttock region.

Symptoms-

The common symptoms exhibited by patients of this type of neuropathy are-

• Pain in the thigh, upper legs or buttocks
• A general lack of firmness and strength in the legs
• General discomfort and weakening in the thigh or buttock region

Management hacks-

Here is what you can do to take care of your proximal neuropathy, and avoid the most dangerous attacks-

• Talk to your doctor immediately after spotting the signs, and seek medical help in the form of prescribed medications such as anaesthetics and narcotics, or lifestyle changes
• Go for alternative forms of treatment like physiotherapy for your legs

Focal neuropathy

This is the fourth and last type of diabetic neuropathy. It is characterized by acute attacks of only selected nerves in the body and causing weakness in the affected regions.

Symptoms-

The symptoms of this type include-

• An attack on nerves in several parts of the body, including those as diverse and situated as far away in the body as the chest and the legs. It can also attack specific nerves inside the head.
• Weakness and a feeling of discomfort in the affected parts
• Double vision
• Paralysis and lack of control over movement on one side of the face

Management hacks-

These are the tips you can follow to avoid your life being severely affected by this type of neuropathy-

• Seeking immediate medical help from your doctor in the form of medications and insulin
• Anti-convulsants help relieve pain and control seizures

Diabetic retinopathy is a secondary complication of diabetes which affects parts of your nervous system. It causes extreme pain and discomfort in certain cases, and weakness in the areas it affects. To avoid sudden and uncontrollable attacks, regularly monitor your body for the symptoms, and consult a doctor as soon as you locate any.

Updates From Lybrate: A Good and healthy Diabetic diet of nutritious products can help in managing the diabetes problem. You can check out diabetic dietary supplements available at Lybrate.