Diabetic Neuropathy | Diabetes Healthy Solutions

What Causes Diabetic Foot Swelling?

Swelling of the ankles and feet as a result of fluid retention in the tissues is commonly called edema. Accumulation of fluid generalized or localized to a particular part of the body. Swelling commonly occurs after sitting in one position for long, after eating salty food or as a result of hormonal changes. However, swelling can also be caused by other conditions.

Edema (swelling in the ankles and feet) can also be caused by diabetes. Diabetic foot swelling is usually caused by diabetes-related factors, such as:

Poor circulation
Kidney problems
Heart problems
Obesity
Venous insufficiency
Side effects of medication

Diabetes and Swelling

If the body is unable to utilize insulin properly, glucose can accumulate in the blood. High level of blood glucose can damage the delicate lining of small blood vessels and this damage can hamper blood circulation.

Is Feet Swelling a sign of Poor circulation?

Poor blood circulation results in fluids getting trapped in some parts of the body, such as the feet, ankles, and legs.

For people with diabetes, healing tends to be slower and swelling can occur after an ankle or foot injury. Over time, high levels of blood sugar can damage nerves in various parts of the body, such as the lower extremities.

This can cause numbness, making it hard to detect injuries such as cuts, sprains, and fractures.

If left untreated, sprains and fractures can cause swelling in the affected area. Additionally, if untreated wounds become infected, swelling can occur.

Speak to your physician about the swelling you are experiencing, because sometimes swelling can be symptom of other underlying problems such as liver, kidney, or heart disease. It is also very important for people with diabetes to check their feet regularly for injuries such as cuts and bruises. Visit your doctor periodically to check for nerve damage or circulation problems especially in the lower extremities.

Top 5 tips for Managing Diabetes Foot Swelling

1.Lose weight

Healthy weight loss can also help reduce swelling in the lower extremities. Maintaining a healthy weight brings about numerous health benefits including lower risk of heart disease, less joint pain and it will be easier to regulate your blood sugar levels. Maintaining your blood sugar level within the target range reduces the risk of diabetes-related complications such as damage to blood levels, swelling and poor circulation.

2.Wear compression socks

Using compression socks helps maintain uniform pressure on your legs and feet. Maintaining the right amount of pressure in the lower extremities can help improve circulation and reduce swelling.

Compression socks are readily available in most pharmacies, grocery stores, and medical supply stores. They are available in various levels including heavy, medium, and light. Your doctor can help you determine the level you should purchase. However, socks should not be placed over sores or open wounds.

3. Keep your feet elevated

Elevating your feet above the heart level can help reduce the retention of fluid in the lower extremities. It prevents fluid from collecting in the feet by helping it return towards the upper body. You can easily elevate your feet why lying in bed or sitting on the couch. Use a stack of books to keep your legs propped, pillows, or a foot elevation pillow.

4. Exercise regularly

A sedentary lifestyle can increase swelling in the lower extremities. Try moving as much as possible during the day. Exercise is not only helpful for improving blood sugar and weight management, it can also reduce swelling and promote blood circulation. Aim for at least 30 minutes of non-weight-bearing exercises most days of the week. The best exercises include walking, cycling, and swimming.

5. Stay hydrated

Drinking more water when the body retains fluid seems counterproductive. However, when you take in more fluids, you’ll expel even more fluid through urination. Moreover, the body retains water when it’s dehydrated. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to reduce swelling.

Before increasing your water/fluid intake, consult your doctor to determine if this is the right thing for your specific condition. Sometimes, if the swelling is due to liver problems or heart problems, doctors may advise you against increasing your fluid intake.

A high salt intake can worsen swelling. Instead of salt, use herbs such as oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, thyme and paprika. People with diabetes may need to limit their salt intake. Consult your doctor to see the amount of salt you should eat per day. You can cut back by eating more vegetables and fruits. Avoid purchasing processed foods; instead, look for low-sodium foods.

Nerve Damage in Diabetics

Nerve damage occurs when excessively high glucose levels for extended periods of time damage the nerves, especially the nerves of the lower extremities. When these nerves are damaged it is called peripheral neuropathy and can be characterized by pain and or numbness in the feet.

This numbness can be a contributing factor to wounds and sores on the feet as the decreased sensation causes the diabetic to not be able to sense damage to the foot. The decreased sensation can also cause the diabetic to not be able to support themselves as they normally would and this can lead to falls and injuries to the feet ankles and knees.

When the blood vessels of the lower extremities are blocked and circulation decreases it can cause damage at the cellular level as the cells are unable to receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood. All of these symptoms are made worse by the fact that slow healing is also a sign of diabetes and infections are common.

Diabetes foot swelling, nerve damage, and other problems can lead to a greatly decreased quality of life, and the key to heading off the worst effects is appropriate glucose control.

Check out our Top 4 diabetic lotions to increase circulation HERE!

Does Your Cat Have Feline Diabetic Neuropathy?

Feline diabetic neuropathy is the loss of nerves particularly in the legs due to hypoglycemia. This is from damage caused by high levels of glucose in the blood that damages nerves over time. The symptoms include weakness, pain, tingling, and paralysis.

These can be seen in a cats hind legs becoming weak or the cat not moving as much as before. The nerves in the legs become more and more damaged and this leads to numbness, tingliness, pain and weakness, even paralysis.

Often this is ignored by the owner as a symptom of an aging cat. The loss of the feeling (or the pain) in the legs will make the cat limp along, often not able to stand on his toes, so walks on his hocks (heels) taking frequent rests. Jumping will be quite difficult and in time, impossible.

Feline Diabetic Neuropathy can be Reversed

Diabetic neuropathy in dogs is less common but does happen and is seen by the dog’s legs becoming weaker or becoming unusable. But the good news is, it can be reversed with the right treatment in the early stages of its attacks on the nerves. With the proper diet and exercise with methyl-b12 a cats diabetic symptoms can be reversed.

This condition destroys the nerves by blocking the capillaries that carry the nutrients to the nerve cells starving them to death. The supplement methyl b-12 works by rebuilding the nerve cells in the nerves, restoring the signal between your cat’s brain and the weakened muscles.

It is a very safe vitamin to give your cat, it’s water soluble, which means your cat will pee out what they don’t need and it has no side effects. Studies have shown that other B-12 vitamins don’t work as effectively.

Though feline diabetic neuropathy is reversible it must be caught in the early stages of its damage. The time usually that it takes is 6-12 months to fully reverse any damage done to the cells. If your cat begins to limp and never gets better, a trip to the vet is needed to protect your cat and improve its comfort and quality of life, giving you many more playful years with your favorite animal. Plenty of exercise and a healthy eating plan is best for you animals as well, to manage feline diabetes.

Life Expectancy of Cats with Diabetes

Every cat is different – but very often, your pet can have a happy and healthy life as there are treatment options for Diabetic cats. We have heard of lots of diabetic cats reaching the age of 18 years or more and are still happy and healthy!

Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain

For a diabetic, many things can start occurring and often times more than others without warning. For instance in over half of diabetics at some time or another they will develop diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain due to diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

When a diabetic first learns that they have diabetes it can be very detrimental to them and their family because often times it is a disease that they will have to live with for the rest of their life. Diabetics go through so much such as edema in the feet, hands, fingers and toes, are more prone to infections because their immune system is compromised, peripheral vision impairment due to their muscles and tendons stopping from working like they should. Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain can be very difficult to deal with because in so many it is as close to becoming blind as you can get without being declared a total blind which many if left untreated or diagnosed will end up being.

When a diabetic is diagnosed as having diabetes the body has to start working harder which causes all kinds of problems. The kidneys have to start working twice as hard to either absorb all of the insulin being produced in order to keep everything intact and smooth working order or they have to work harder in order to make insulin. The veins and arteries tend to get a strain placed on them in which they can stress and overwork causing strokes or heart attacks and many other features as well.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain occurs when the diabetic or person is having trouble seeing, using their muscles and limbs and is in just a great amount of pain from overworking them. The main thing to remember with all diabetics is how to properly maintain your diabetes in order to keep this condition managed and your health taken care of.

Medication for Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which some form of damage is occurring to the nerves of the body that are located outside the brain and spinal column, medication for peripheral neuropathy can be any one of a large number of drugs that are commonly prescribed.

The disease most often afflicts those who suffer from diabetes, though it can be caused by other processes. Peripheral neuropathy may involve severe pain, numbness and loss of sensation, and even problems with motor control and even autonomic function. The disease can be divided into two subgroups, mononeuropathy when only a single nerve is affected, and polyneuropathy when many different nerves are affected.

Medication for peripheral neuropathy is often dependent on which symptoms the disease presents with in a particular individual. In cases where only minor nerve damage is present and the pain and associated symptoms are also minor, over the counter pain medications may be sufficient to alleviate the symptoms. In more severe cases narcotic pain relievers are sometimes prescribed, but these are usually frowned upon due to the risk of drug dependency.

Some anti seizure medications like gabapentin and phenytoin which are generally prescribed for epilepsy have shown to be very effective in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy. One of the newest types of medication for peripheral neuropathy is the tricyclic anti-depressant. Tricyclic anti-depressants are effective at treating peripheral neuropathy due to the fact that they interfere with the way the chemical pain signals are processed by the brain and spinal column.

Even though medication for peripheral neuropathy is available and can be highly effective, the best way to treat the disease is to avoid it in the first place. This is especially true for diabetics who can often head off the nerve damage before it happens of becomes too severe by keeping their blood glucose under control and following a regimen of diet and exercise.

Neuropathy Cures

One of the fastest growing health problems of the modern age is neuropathy, and neuropathy cures and treatments have become big business. The word neuropathy means nerve pain, and neuropathy is usually a sign of some underlying health problem, such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis.

This is not always the case, however, and some forms of neuropathy are idiopathic, which means that the cause of the problem is unknown. In either case neuropathy causes tingling, numbness, and in some cases pain so severe that it can greatly decrease the quality of life for those who suffer from it.

In some types of neuropathy, where the cause is known, neuropathy cures and treatments are aimed squarely at treating whatever is causing the disease. In most cases, when the cause can be determined and mitigated the neuropathy will resolve and cease to be a problem.

In other cases, the cause can’t be readily or easily determined, and the neuropathy cures are aimed simply at treating the pain or numbness that is associated with the neuropathy itself.

In mild cases of neuropathy over the counter pain medications such as ibuprofen may be sufficiently effective at treating the disease. In most cases however, and oral pain medication is prescribed by the patients physician as a way of taking care of the pain.

In some cases antidepressant medications are even more effective than traditional analgesics, and may also help the patient’s mental status in the meantime. Topical medications, like lidocaine patches and gels may be prescribed to treat some forms of neuropathy and can be quite effective.

No matter which neuropathy cures a patient chooses to try, one of the most important things that can help is maintaining a good attitude. As long as the patient can maintain a good attitude about their condition they can still find enjoyment in life, and hope that a cure is right around the corner.

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