But careful diabetes management including keeping your blood sugars as close to target as possible, and managing blood fat levels and blood pressure can prevent the damage from happening or prevent further damage if you already have some of the symptoms.

This may include medication for nausea and vomiting, painkillers for sensory neuropathy or treatment to help with erectile dysfunction.

Keeping your blood sugar levels within your target range and also your blood fat levels cholesterol and blood pressure can also help to improve the symptoms of neuropathy and reduce the progression of the nerve damage. The nerves carry chemical messages to and from the brain about what we can feel.

When the nerves are damaged these messages cannot be sent properly which leads to a change in sensation or feeling. This can lead to feelings of numbness, tingling, burning, discomfort or shooting pains. Sometimes these sensations can be worse at night.

We are not sure exactly why this is, but could be to do with cooler temperatures in the evening, stress at the end of a long day and fewer distractions in the evening meaning you notice the pain more. Living with any type of long-term pain whether you can always feel it or you regularly get periods of pain , can be very distressing and have a negative impact on your mental health and general wellbeing.

If you are experiencing regular or frequent pain which you are struggling to cope with you should contact your GP for advice and support. You can also contact our helpline or reach out on our forum.

You can help avoid diabetic neuropathy by keeping your blood sugar levels within your target range, which will help protect the blood vessels that supply your nerves.

You should also check your feet every day and have your feet checked by a healthcare professional once a year.

Peripheral neuropathy is the most common type of neuropathy and is damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It affects the nerves particularly in the feet and hands and can be motor neuropathy, sensory neuropathy or both.

Nerves in your feet should be checked during your routine annual diabetes check-up. For more information on peripheral neuropathy including treatment and symptoms, go to the NHS website. Sensory neuropathy is damage to nerves that tell us how things feel, smell and look. It affects the nerves that carry messages of touch, temperature, pain and other sensations from the skin, bones and muscles to the brain.

It mainly affects the nerves in the feet and the legs, but people can also develop this type of neuropathy in their arms and hands. Loss of feeling is dangerous because you may not notice minor injuries, for example if you step on something sharp while barefoot or get a blister from badly-fitting shoes.

If ignored, minor injuries may develop into infections or ulcers. People with diabetes are more likely to be admitted to hospital with a foot ulcer than with any other diabetes complication.

This is one of the serious foot complications caused by diabetes. We've got more information about what causes Charcot foot , as well as how to treat and prevent it.

Autonomic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that carry information to your organs and glands. Motor neuropathy affects the nerves that control movement. Damage to these nerves leads to weakness and wasting of the muscles that receive messages from the affected nerves.

It can also lead to muscle twitching and cramps. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with no. Skip to main navigation Skip to content.

Retinopathy, neuropathy and kidney disease are rarer in pre-diabetics but can occur, especially in someone who has pre-diabetes and hypertension high blood pressure. The condition of pre-diabetes combined with hypertension is often referred to as the "metabolic syndrome.

Of note, there are some nondiabetics with neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease caused by elevated cholesterol and triglycerides only. It is prudent that you have a relationship with a physician who will measure not just blood sugar, but cholesterols, triglycerides and blood pressure.

He or she may decide that lowering your blood sugars through diet or medication or both might be beneficial for your long-term health. Lowering blood sugar can sometimes even better the pain of diabetic neuropathy. Many pre-diabetics and diabetic patients are also treated for cholesterol and triglyceride problems and get a baby aspirin daily to decrease risk of heart disease.

There are also a number of treatments for pain caused by neuropathy. In addition to having the above tests, people with pre-diabetes and diabetes should get an annual eye examination to rule out early diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is treatable and is the most common cause of blindness.

It is also prudent to examine the feet for wounds that the patient might not appreciate due to loss of sensation as a part of diabetic neuropathy. Assessment of kidney function and some studies of the heart and vascular system may also be called for.

By the way, there are other causes of peripheral neuropathy. Not uncommon are amyloidosis, which is a disease in which excess protein is deposited in nerve tissue, and vasculitic neuropathy, a rheumatologic disease in which the patient has inflammation near the nerve.

Also we must consider alcoholic neuropathy in someone with an extreme drinking history and even lead poisoning as a possible cause.

Patients who have been treated with chemotherapy for cancer and some rheumatologic diseases can also get some painful neuropathies. Previous question: Why do my A1C results from different sources vary?

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