Peripheral Neuropathy

Welcome, GrammyG. I'm sorry about the neuropathy. 5.9 A1c is about an average 125 blood sugar which is not a critical average, but it's only an average. This means your blood sugar could be much higher and then lower to get this average.

Neuropathy which is caused by diabetes is the result of very high blood sugar over a period of years. How high the blood sugar has to be in order to cause neuropathy differs in people, however. This is why even elevated blood sugar needs to be controlled.

I don't know of neuropathy being reversed. The pain may be eased by some drugs. Here is a link to what the Mayo Clinc has about this: www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-neuropathy/basics/treatment/con-20033336

If this is caused by your blood sugar, then you should also be tested for glaucoma by an ophthalmologist. Glaucoma can cause blindness.

Since the doctor believes this is diabetes, you need to be testing your blood sugar everyday and you need to have a food plan in order to keep your blood sugar lower to normal levels. This is something your doctor needs to follow-up on. Please make sure this is done.

The sooner your blood sugar is brought to normal levels, the better it will be for your overall health and possible stop the increase or spread of the neuropathy.

I'm glad you posted! Please post any questions you have!

Yes, his suggestions are reasonable: control your blood sugar, eat a healthy diet, exercise, stop smoking and don't expose yourself to other toxins, manage stress, take some supplements (although some of these may not be effective to every person) and protect your feet.

First and foremost, control blood sugar. Uncontrolled, high blood sugar over an extended period of time can lead to neuropathy. However, since each person is different, it varies as to how high the blood sugar has to be and for how long. Not only can uncontrolled high blood sugar cause neuropathy, it can cause: glaucoma, heart disease and kidney disease among other conditions.

Hi again. Yes, it's a double whammy! You just need to do the best you can to get control of your health! Lowering your blood sugar is not hard but I will say it's a commitment to a life of eating in a certain way 90% of the time. What that means is nothing made with flour (even whole wheat or whole grain - these still drive blood sugar high), nothing with sugar, no potatoes or rice. Most other food is fine.

The easiest suggestion I have for food is to have a piece of protein (any meat, fish or poultry), side veggies (but again no potatoes, limited carrots and peas because of the carbs), salads. Some beans but not a meal of beans if you follow. For example if you have some beans on top of your salad, fine but baked beans have too many carbs because of the beans and the brown sugar or molasses. Breaded food is a problem because of the breading. Eggs, cheese and nuts (in moderation) are fine. Dairy products are fine in moderation.

Besides the meat/fish/poultry, here are some veggie ideas:

mushrooms
bell peppers
eggplant
asparagus
zucchini squash
okra
cabbage
broccoli
cauliflower
Brussel sprouts

all greens (lettuce, turnip greens, cilantro, parsley, spinach, kale)
turnips
radishes
cucumbers
tomatoes
olives
pickles

Here is a website dedicated to low-carb. There are many many forums there besides food/cooking.
forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=25

I don't know why you have had kidney stones but I'm sure there must be some dietary guidelines for avoiding them, too.

Don't give up if you feel overwhelmed! I can help you get on track food-wise!

Best of luck, GrammyG. Be well and take care of yourself! Keep us updated! Thank you for posting!

Hi again! Thanks so much for these two sites! I have not seen them at all, so these are great additions to our resources. I'm going to make your links in your post 'hot' so they're clickable and then I'm going to incorporate them in one of the Resource posts at the top of our Diabetes Forum.