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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Diabetes / January 2006Itchy lower legs
For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the right foot also spreads to the upper surface of that foot. Scratching makes it much worse. It will persist for days, sometimes weeks, and then disappear for months. For years I tried creams, searched for bed bugs, etc., all to no avail. A couple of years ago I found I was diabetic, still good fasting BG numbers, but high post prandials, which was why my doctor had failed to find diabetes over the previous decade despite my often reminding him to check. Because it had troubled me for so long before I knew about the diabetes, I supposed this itchiness had nothing to do with diabetes. Once I started getting my BGs down, it did seem to have been happening less frequently and lasting less long when it did happen. Over Xmas I became sloppy. I took a break from good diet control. I even stopped taking my vitamins and supplements. My punishment was a very nasty flare up of this itching. It spread over more of my right foot than ever before, and started up in the outermost back of my right hand. I resumed my vits and supps and good dietary control, and it went away unusually rapidly, but it's left a small darkened slightly reddish patch on the back of my right hand, like a large freckle or a small minor burn. Two days ago just lightly brushing that spot made it itch in the characteristic fashion. Yesterday I had to be quite rough to provoke the itching feeling. Today the mark is still there, but I can't make it itch. I looked up "itchy legs" and "diabetes" on the web. Ho hum. Looks like I've been suffering diabetic-type damage for at least as long (over a decade) as I've been asking my doc to check my BGs and he was telling me I was absolutely fine. I'm also reminded that twenty years ago when getting new specs they got very concerned with some retinal damage in my left eye, which is unusually prone to floaters. In the end they decided to ignore it and see if it got worse, which is what has happened at every subsequent eye examination. It's got a bit worse, but in the litany I'm getting so annoyed by they chorus "but it's not uncommon at your age". Was this another indication that diabetic-type damage has been creeping up on me for *twenty* *years* before diagnosis? I've no idea how far I went off the rails over Xmas. But my BG control is generally what docs would regard as very good. It now rarely exceeds a postprandial 8 (145), and then only briefly, for less than twenty minutes. A year ago when I discovered I was diabetic my HbA1C was 5.6, and because I've improved my diet since than by eating to my meter, it must be better than that now. Nevertheless during the last year I've still had a few itchy leg episodes, although they've gone a lot more quickly than they used to. I also seem to have suffered some damage to my left elbow, possibly both tendons and joints. I'm still trying to discover if this is repetitive strain injury from a computer keyboard, from being over-ambitious with doing pullup exercises, from once in the summer doing tree pruning all day until both my hands could no longer even grip the secateurs, or what. It's persisted for over six months despite my trying to be kind to it. I notice that now (I'm 63) I seem to be much more easily injured and recover much more slowly than when I was young and indestructible. My doc likes to remind me that I'm getting old and this is what happens. Well, there's probably some truth in that, but I've become suspicious since I discovered that several of the symptoms of getting old in recent years turned out to be side effects of the drugs he was prescribing me. I wasn't suffering from being old, I was suffering from old man's drug prescriptions (NSAIDS, prednisolone, simvastatin). I do note that diabetics seem to be unusually prone to all kinds of joint and ligament problems. If it doesn't cause them it seems to weaken one's defence against them and recovery from them. Looks like I've got to stop congratulating myself and start pulling those BGs down even further.  SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] Chris Malcolm wrote in message < >. . . .I notice that now (I'm 63) I seem to be much more easily injured and >recover much more slowly than when I was young and indestructible.. ..(snip). . . >-- >Chris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205 >IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK >[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] Ha! Wait till you're 64, then things really get bad. Regards Old Al Chris Malcolm notes: > I notice that now (I'm 63) I seem to be much more easily injured and > recover much more slowly than when I was young and indestructible. My > doc likes to remind me that I'm getting old and this is what > happens. A bottle of wine improves with age...... You are NOT a bottle of wine...... >For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from >occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >>>snip>>> Hi Chris Malcolm, I have had the same problem, itchy legs, off and on for several years... Additionally, about 2 yrs ago, I contracted a nasty fungus on the right ankle that seemed to have started with a bite of some sort, while I was at Palm Beach over Thanksgiving of 2003, if that makes any sense. Then, not quite a year ago, I was pronounced "diabetic"...not quite like being pronounced "dead"..., but getting there, har, har..... Anyway, as some on here may recall, I have tried salves and lotions, but nothing seems to work very well... Then, a couple of weeks ago, someone in this group, I think it was either Wendy, or Susan, recommended Lamisil, an over the counter anti-fungal preparation. Believe it or not, Lamisil, together with an occasional dab of Tea Tree Oil does seem to be working. I also hit it with some red wine vinegar, or white cider vinegar from time to time.... I know it sounds strange, but this unorthodox treatment seems to work for me... At least, it gets the itch, and it has slowed the fungus to a full stop! Thanks guys! The only other thing that has seemed to work was a VERY EXPENSIVE lotion that my doctor prescribed called Lotrisone. The Lotrisone Lotion has to be applied twice a day and allowed to dry. It is effective to control my fungus, as long as I keep using it. When I use it, the fungus even appears to go away completely, over a 2-3 week period. The drawback is that if you ever quit using it, the fungus comes right back, and it is VERY EXPENSIVE. One little 30 ml bottle cost $65.00, even after insurance! That stuff costs more than Viagra! When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes elevated, things grow.... I don't fault my doctor, mind you. I think he is diabetic, himself. A lot of the leg itching and dryness is possibly caused by circulatory disturbance and breakdown of normal circulation in your skin, and not necessarily fungus.... Another well known complication of diabetes is vascular damage, including damage at the mico level. For that I have found pure emu oil or Raelex Lotion to be effective in providing relief... The Raelex contains a combination of emu oil, tea tree oil, and citrus oil, as well as a number of other soothing ingredients. I hope this has been helpful. Have a great weekend! :-) Will, T2 >When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >relief... The Raelex contains a combination of emu oil, tea tree oil, >and citrus oil, as well as a number of other soothing ingredients. Another good fairly expensive cream for fungus problems is Nizoral. I have one that comes back annually, close to Christmas. Anything out there for pain that goes from the shoulder to the wrist? It came on suddenly a few days ago and decided to stay. I've got an appointment for x-rays followed by physiotherapy. I get the feeling that all they will do is lighten the weight of my wallet. :-( I am hoping that this pain will disappear with better control of my blood sugar but exercise and pain just does not mix well and that gives more time for food. Al >>When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >>and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >Al Hey Al, you have my deepest symptahy on that one... Kate and I both have something they call "frozen shoulder".... Essentially, the way it works is that through a process of inflammation and swelling in the AC joint, you develop an immmobility of your shoulder. Then, calcium deposits set in... or at least that is what I understand happens. Now, I am severely limited in what I can do with my right arm. I don't know about the pain down to the wrist, however... You may have something different. It might be a type of neuropathy... All I can say is go through the tests and see what they turn up. Will, T2 >>Anything out there for pain that goes from the shoulder to the wrist? >>It came on suddenly a few days ago and decided to stay. I've got an >>appointment for x-rays followed by physiotherapy. I get the feeling >>that all they will do is lighten the weight of my wallet. :-( This could be from many causes including a pinched nerve in your neck, a disc problem in your neck, a pinched nerve at the shoulder, or carpal tunnel syndrome at the wrist. Do get it looked at by an orthopedic specialist so that you can find out the best way to treat it and avoid anything that would make it worse. If the problem is with a disc in your neck, you don't want to screw around with it and exercise might be dangerous. Hope it resolves fast. Nerve pain sucks. --Jenny http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u Diabetes Info http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood Sugar Under Control And if it turns out to be a bad disc, don't let the orthopedic surgeon treat it--see a pain specialist (most are anesthesiologists who go into the specialty). In my opinion, an orthopedic surgeon doing spinal surgery is like letting a framing carpenter build your piano. If the pain specialist refers you for surgery, see a neurologist. Mary >>> Anything out there for pain that goes from the shoulder to the wrist? >>> It came on suddenly a few days ago and decided to stay. I've got an [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood > Sugar Under Control >>>When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >>>and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > >Will, T2 I have both left and right frozen shoulders that never fully healed. I have it to the point that the only problem it gives me is reaching past my lower spine, and then it doesn't hurt any more. PT helped in the beginning. A simple exercise that my PT gave me has helped too. Stand at about elbows length from a wall. Then walk your fingers up the wall as you would see a spider do. (sorry about the visual Cheri...) It will hurt at first, and don't push yourself too much. But if you do it once or twice a day, eventually you should be able to raise your arms pretty much straight up. HTH Sleepy _______________________________________________________ The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. -Hans Hofmann, painter (1880-1966) _______________________________________________________ LOL, I do that excercise too. Bad spider, bad. :-) -- Cheri Sleepyman wrote in message ... >I have both left and right frozen shoulders that never fully healed. I >have it to the point that the only problem it gives me is reaching [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >necessary may speak. -Hans Hofmann, painter (1880-1966) >_______________________________________________________ >>When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >>and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Al For something like that I would take Aleve. It really has helped me. SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') >>>When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >>>and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > >For something like that I would take Aleve. It really has helped me. A couple of people have suggested Aleve and I will try that after Celebrex runs it in a few days. I got a sample from the doctor and that does nothing for me. Al >>>>When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >>>>and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Al Al, Aleve is Naprosyn which used to be a prescription medication. The trick is to take it on a sustained basis for a couple of weeks without missing. It helped me with a strange sprain that went down my arm and made it so painful I couldn't even pick up a teacup with that arm. The Aleve fixed it. SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') >>>>When I asked my doctor about the fungus and itching, he just blinked >>>>and said, when you have diabetes, and your blood sugar becomes [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > >Al From the reports (numerous) that I have seen, Aleve works (and always has) worked or well or better than Celebrex from the get go. Your FDA in bed with big pharma again it seems. Sleepy _______________________________________________________ The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. -Hans Hofmann, painter (1880-1966) _______________________________________________________ > For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from > occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the > right foot also spreads to the upper surface of that foot. Scratching > makes it much worse. It will persist for days, sometimes weeks, and > then disappear for months. For years I tried creams, searched for bed > bugs, etc., all to no avail. <snip> > I also seem to have suffered some damage to my left elbow, possibly > both tendons and joints. I'm still trying to discover if this is [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I notice that now (I'm 63) I seem to be much more easily injured and > recover much more slowly than when I was young and indestructible. Chris, I have had a similar problem with an intensely itchy patch on my chest since 1990. Doctors gave me all kinds of cortisone creams and anti-fungals, one dermatologist even biopsied it looking for a rare cancer (and found nothing). No doctor ever came up with an explanation. I suspect that it was another side effect of my undiagnosed high blood sugars. I wish I could say that it had gone away with better blood sugar control, but I have still gotten it back from time to time. Lotrisone helps with the itch but once it strikes it seems to have to go through a lengthy cycle before it goes away. If a person can't afford prescription lotrisone, it's worth trying a mixture of over the counter cortisone cream and one of those generic creams they sell over the counter for vaginal infections since they contain what used to be prescription antifungals. I have had more than my share of the tendon problems and they have been getting worse this past year, which is leading me to believe that it takes VERY tight control to counter them. I have been adhering to the levels suggested in Jennifer's excellent advice to newbies, but am coming to think I will have to get lower. I am heading for age 58 myself. Every now and then I remember what my mother seemed like when she was that age, and back then she was OLD! So there are moments when it occurs to me I may be old, too. But mostly I feel like a young person who is tooling around in a junker body that really could use some new parts, but they're out of stock. It still runs, but you have to baby it, put additives in the tank any time you fill 'er up, slow down going uphill, and go very easy on the brakes. The hardest part about being this age, for me, is that there are such huge differences in the health of the people I know who are my age, which are by no means attributable to their lifestyle choices. I knew surprising numbers of people who would have been my age who are dead, mostly from cancer. Some abused their bodies, others were religious devotees of organic, vegetarian eating. They're all dead, and quite a few from the same disease (colon cancer.) More of my circle have received diagnoses of chronic diseases far crueler than diabetes, like MS. Compared to them I feel myself to be enormously fortunate. Then there are the others my age who still ski, hike, ride 100 mile bike trips, and have a level of mobility I will never see again thanks to my severe back and joint problems. It is very easy for to envy them, particularly when they are doing things I long to do (and used to do with pleasure). In short, at this age the field spreads out, the impact of what the ancients called "Fortune" kicks in, and the near-uniformity of good health not only for ourselves but for our peers that we took for granted of our youth is gone. --Jenny http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u Diabetes Info http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood Sugar Under Control >> For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from >> occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] >quite a few from the same disease (colon cancer.) >>>>snip>>> Hi Jenny, I love your sense of humor! I know just how you feel, too... I'm 57, and like most of us, I have been banged around so much and have had things wear out and just not work like they used to... Now, though, I am going to feel real funny going out to get vaginal cream for my legs! ;-) Have a wonderful weekend! Will, T2 >>>For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from >>>occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the [quoted text clipped - 67 lines] > am going to feel real funny going out to get vaginal cream for my > legs! ;-) You can get teensy tubes of jock itch cream that contain the same percentage of the same anti-fungal medication as is in the vaginal cream but it is more expensive per serving. --Jenny http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u Diabetes Info http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood Sugar Under Control >>>>For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from >>>>occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the [quoted text clipped - 78 lines] >http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood >Sugar Under Control Thanks, Jenny, I'll try that first, ....although, if you must know, I was going to suck it up and go get the vaginal cream! :-() Will, T2 >>You can get teensy tubes of jock itch cream that contain the same >>percentage of the same anti-fungal medication as is in the vaginal cream >>but it is more expensive per serving. > > Thanks, Jenny, I'll try that first, ....although, if you must know, I > was going to suck it up and go get the vaginal cream! :-() They're not gonna know it's for you. And if you go to some stores they even have self-checkouts so nobody else even sees it when you go to pay for it. Even if someone does, they may just feel sorry for your lady. Peg Bracken years ago said that it finally occurred to her, long after her last baby was way beyond diapers (which make great dust cloths, & all hers were wearing to shreds) -- you don't have to have a baby to get them, you just go buy some! which I did when I set up housekeeping. She also said that if it bothered you or you were embarrassed, you could get them gift-wrapped, but I don't think medical goo is a candidate for that. :) bj >>>You can get teensy tubes of jock itch cream that contain the same >>>percentage of the same anti-fungal medication as is in the vaginal cream [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >but I don't think medical goo is a candidate for that. :) >bj Well, bj, with that, I am off to get stocked up on vaginal cream! I'll let you and Jenny know how it goes... Will, T2 >> For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from >> occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the >> right foot also spreads to the upper surface of that foot. Scratching >> makes it much worse. It will persist for days, sometimes weeks, and >> then disappear for months. For years I tried creams, searched for bed >> bugs, etc., all to no avail. > <snip> >> I also seem to have suffered some damage to my left elbow, possibly [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> I notice that now (I'm 63) I seem to be much more easily injured and >> recover much more slowly than when I was young and indestructible. > Chris, > I have had a similar problem with an intensely itchy patch on my chest > since 1990. Doctors gave me all kinds of cortisone creams and > anti-fungals, one dermatologist even biopsied it looking for a rare > cancer (and found nothing). No doctor ever came up with an explanation. > I suspect that it was another side effect of my undiagnosed high blood > sugars. > I wish I could say that it had gone away with better blood sugar > control, but I have still gotten it back from time to time. Lotrisone > helps with the itch but once it strikes it seems to have to go through a > lengthy cycle before it goes away. > If a person can't afford prescription lotrisone, it's worth trying a > mixture of over the counter cortisone cream and one of those generic > creams they sell over the counter for vaginal infections since they > contain what used to be prescription antifungals. Good suggestions, thanks. I've often wondered if it was fungal. > I have had more than my share of the tendon problems and they have been > getting worse this past year, which is leading me to believe that it > takes VERY tight control to counter them. I have been adhering to the > levels suggested in Jennifer's excellent advice to newbies, but am > coming to think I will have to get lower. > I am heading for age 58 myself. Every now and then I remember what my > mother seemed like when she was that age, and back then she was OLD! So [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > runs, but you have to baby it, put additives in the tank any time you > fill 'er up, slow down going uphill, and go very easy on the brakes. Yup, that's how I am. It's also how my vehicles (bicycle and motorcycle) are. I'm very good at geting extended life out of ancient machines. I'm hoping some of that will apply to my ancient physiology :-) > The hardest part about being this age, for me, is that there are such > huge differences in the health of the people I know who are my age, > which are by no means attributable to their lifestyle choices. > I knew surprising numbers of people who would have been my age who are > dead, mostly from cancer. Some abused their bodies, others were > religious devotees of organic, vegetarian eating. They're all dead, and > quite a few from the same disease (colon cancer.) > More of my circle have received diagnoses of chronic diseases far > crueler than diabetes, like MS. Compared to them I feel myself to be > enormously fortunate. > Then there are the others my age who still ski, hike, ride 100 mile bike > trips, and have a level of mobility I will never see again thanks to my > severe back and joint problems. It is very easy for to envy them, > particularly when they are doing things I long to do (and used to do > with pleasure). > In short, at this age the field spreads out, the impact of what the > ancients called "Fortune" kicks in, and the near-uniformity of good > health not only for ourselves but for our peers that we took for granted > of our youth is gone. I knew two brothers, one of whom was a tall lean powerful type, like Clint Eastwood, who seemed physically indestructible. His brother suffered polio when young, and while of the same general build, was skinnier, only able to talk with a limping shuffle, dragging one of his legs, and suffered from many health problems. The big strong brother died in his mid 80s while still physically active and formidable of an unexpected heart attack. The smaller unhealthy brother surprised everyone by struggling on into his mid 80s, nearly blind, and needing two walking sticks to get around, but nevertheless insisting on travelling around on planes and trains and buses to visit his relatives when doctors were repeatedly advising him to be his age and sign into a nursing home. Like his brother, he died of a heart attack. It made we wonder whether both of them had inherited the same lifespan clock. SignatureChris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] > I've suffered from > occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, > Once I started getting my BGs down, it did seem to have been > happening less frequently and lasting less long when it did happen. I've suffered from similar itchiness, and yes, it did seem to be related to the T2 diabetes. I had an associated rash that went right around my ankles, and on the back of my hands and elbows. No topical infections were detected, and it was put down to being some kind of eczma. Like yourself, it cleared up when I got my bg levels down, but it did take some time to totally clear. The affected areas just got smaller and smaller, and stopped itching. > Over Xmas I became sloppy. I took a break from good diet control. I > even stopped taking my vitamins and supplements. My punishment was a [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > reddish patch on the back of my right hand, like a large freckle or a > small minor burn. A dermatologist once said a "burn" was another way of describing an allergic skin reaction. Like any burn the darkened skin will eventually heal, and the skin will return to a more normal state. I've had a few small spots return - one on a knuckle of my right hand, which still bothers me at times, and another on the inside of my thumb, which has now completely cleared up. Probably the best way to help your skin, apart from the strict management of your bg levels, is to use a good skin cream on your hands and feet, especially after bathing or having one's hands in water - a frequent event during the day. I even put cream on any area that is subject to exposure, and consequent "drying out". My face, my arms and legs too. > Two days ago just lightly brushing that spot made it > itch in the characteristic fashion. Yesterday I had to be quite rough > to provoke the itching feeling. Today the mark is still there, but I > can't make it itch. All the dermatologists told me "DON'T SCRATCH!" You can end up with an infection in the broken skin. I do know how hard that can be, especially when you are sleeping etc, but certainly don't try to actually provoke it! It can help to cover the itchy area with a water proof dressing, which may also help to reduce the rash by keeping it moist. It keeps those nasty sharp fingernails off the skin too! There are lots of suitable proprietry dressings available for this purpose. >............retinal damage in my left eye, .......... > In the end they decided to ignore it and > see if it got worse, which is what has happened at every subsequent > eye examination. There *are* dietary measures that you can take to help with preventing eye disease, or at least slow it's progress. Of course the number one is tight glycemic control, but life and the condition of diabetes itself certainly means that we still have the odd "spike", and so one needs to add other particular dietary items to to lend their help, as well as perhaps a few ordinary supps like zinc. See; http://www.lasikprk.com/VisionPlaceIII/discover/prevmacdegen.htm Macular Degeneration (AMD) Learn Prevent Treat Modifiable Risk Factors Although this article deals only with Macular degeneration, the dietary advice is applicable to many kinds of eye damage. Certainly age can also bring about degeneration in various parts of the eyes, such as retinopathy, macular degeration and cateracts, but diabetes is well known to cause this kind of damage at any age! In addition to the food items mentioned in the above article, I would also recommend eating bio-flavinoid rich foods regularly, like berries (especially the blue or "black" ones), which also happen to be very low in sugars, and contain rutin, which strengthens the walls of the capilliaries. Citrus peel is an excellent source of rutin. Taurine, found in fish, especially shellfish and fish hearts etc, and meat that hasn't been over cooked, is very good. Eat some green lipped mussels or sardines. Such seafood is also a good natural source of dietary copper. Steak that gallops onto your plate has more taurine than one grilled to death. (Taurine is heat sensitive). Onion is an excellent source of biologically available Quercetin. Another great eye protector. It doesn't matter if you eat it raw or cooked. Orange capsicums are the ultimate source of zeaxanthin. Persimmons are excellent. In some countries the likely sources are going to be the green culinary herbs eg dill, coriander, parsley. The Mexicans have it nailed with marigold petals. Spinach is a good source of lutein. Older people need the antioxidant effects of lutein because ... they are old. The clock of ages gallops for T2 diabetics who don't take care. Another good anti-oxident is astaxanthin (the pink stuff in salmon and prawns.) [My thanks to Quentin's posts for much of the above information, and from which I have borrowed unashamedly :-) ] I would also like to add my personal story re this kind of approach. I was diagnosed with serious, and progressive macular degeneration. At my annual return visit, after switching to such a diet, the degeneration had not only slowed (my intial modest aim), but had improved. 12 mths later, it was healed, ie no sign it had ever been there! At my last visit, with a new and young opthalmologist at the clinic, I told him about all this, and he obviously did not believe that I had ever had such a condition, until I told him to look at the early notes in my file. He was shocked, and became quite interested in my "home therapies". That's why I encourage all diabetics to look to their diet and do all they can to help themselves, using simple dietary helps. It may make a difference, and will certainly not do any harm to those who can eat such foods safely. > I also seem to have suffered some damage to my left elbow, possibly > both tendons and joints. I'm still trying to discover if this is [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > joint and ligament problems. If it doesn't cause them it seems to > weaken one's defence against them and recovery from them. It does seem to be the case. Getting older plays it's part too. About the only things I found to be helpful for these conditions (including the more recent development of osteoarthritis) are the following; 1. Avoid stressing your joints. Age and diabeties make them more vulnerable to damage, as do some infections & illnesses. 2. Chicken soup is a major food source for hyaluronic acid (HA), a primary component of our connective tissue. Collagen takes up much of the space in between cells, providing a supporting structure to particularly the eyes, joints, and skin. Its function is to cushion and lubricate. HA also retains water and therefore helps keep tissues hydrated. The skin contains 56% of the body's HA, while 35% of it is found in the muskulo-skeletal system, and 9% in the blood, lymph and synovial joint fluid. 3. There is an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid, called hyaluronidase. Bioflavonoids can suppresse this enzyme and keep your HA up. Once again we are looking at the same substances found in fresh fruit and vegetables as mentioned above. 4. Glucosamine is a product available as a topical cream as well as in oral capsule form. It has been shown to not only lower the pain of joint damage, but also to help the collagen re-generate. It is also a precursor of hyaluronic acid. In my case it certainly has not "healed" me, but I suspect things would be a lot worse if I didn't apply these things as part of my joint health management. Without a doubt my pain has lessened, and stiffness is reduced. I suffered from adhesive capsulitis, a nasty and painful shoulder joint "injury", and the above measures, plus exercises prescribed by my doctor have slowly but surely brought about great improvement in this condition. After about 2 yrs, the shoulder is almost back to it's pre-injury condition. It was my right shoulder, and for quite some time I thought I would never be able to use that arm much ever again! Let's not even mention the associated pain. > Looks like I've got to stop congratulating myself and start pulling > those BGs down even further. Perhaps it would be wiser to have a close look at your post-meal readings, and endeavor to identify the things that give the high readings. You might even want to do a 15 min reading check for 2 hrs, to see in closer detail just what is going on. Your A1c is fine, but certainly that can disguise the "temporary" spikes that are going on un-noticed. Your aim is to keep your bg levels as "flat" as possible, without necessarily neeeding to lower your A1c. I'd say it's time to fine tune your management, and think about what you can add to your diet to include some of the above mentioned items? All the best, from one "oldie" to another, Annette T2 for over 30 yrs, 66 yo. One does what one can. > > I've suffered from > > occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, Sorry about the double post, my ''puter connection timed out, and said this post had not been sent, so yes, I then re-connected and sent it from my "Out" box. Darn it. Annette > I've suffered from > occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, > Once I started getting my BGs down, it did seem to have been > happening less frequently and lasting less long when it did happen. I've suffered from similar itchiness, and yes, it did seem to be related to the T2 diabetes. I had an associated rash that went right around my ankles, and on the back of my hands and elbows. No topical infections were detected, and it was put down to being some kind of eczma. Like yourself, it cleared up when I got my bg levels down, but it did take some time to totally clear. The affected areas just got smaller and smaller, and stopped itching. > Over Xmas I became sloppy. I took a break from good diet control. I > even stopped taking my vitamins and supplements. My punishment was a [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > reddish patch on the back of my right hand, like a large freckle or a > small minor burn. A dermatologist once said a "burn" was another way of describing an allergic skin reaction. Like any burn the darkened skin will eventually heal, and the skin will return to a more normal state. I've had a few small spots return - one on a knuckle of my right hand, which still bothers me at times, and another on the inside of my thumb, which has now completely cleared up. Probably the best way to help your skin, apart from the strict management of your bg levels, is to use a good skin cream on your hands and feet, especially after bathing or having one's hands in water - a frequent event during the day. I even put cream on any area that is subject to exposure, and consequent "drying out". My face, my arms and legs too. > Two days ago just lightly brushing that spot made it > itch in the characteristic fashion. Yesterday I had to be quite rough > to provoke the itching feeling. Today the mark is still there, but I > can't make it itch. All the dermatologists told me "DON'T SCRATCH!" You can end up with an infection in the broken skin. I do know how hard that can be, especially when you are sleeping etc, but certainly don't try to actually provoke it! It can help to cover the itchy area with a water proof dressing, which may also help to reduce the rash by keeping it moist. It keeps those nasty sharp fingernails off the skin too! There are lots of suitable proprietry dressings available for this purpose. >............retinal damage in my left eye, .......... > In the end they decided to ignore it and > see if it got worse, which is what has happened at every subsequent > eye examination. There *are* dietary measures that you can take to help with preventing eye disease, or at least slow it's progress. Of course the number one is tight glycemic control, but life and the condition of diabetes itself certainly means that we still have the odd "spike", and so one needs to add other particular dietary items to to lend their help, as well as perhaps a few ordinary supps like zinc. See; http://www.lasikprk.com/VisionPlaceIII/discover/prevmacdegen.htm Macular Degeneration (AMD) Learn Prevent Treat Modifiable Risk Factors Although this article deals only with Macular degeneration, the dietary advice is applicable to many kinds of eye damage. Certainly age can also bring about degeneration in various parts of the eyes, such as retinopathy, macular degeration and cateracts, but diabetes is well known to cause this kind of damage at any age! In addition to the food items mentioned in the above article, I would also recommend eating bio-flavinoid rich foods regularly, like berries (especially the blue or "black" ones), which also happen to be very low in sugars, and contain rutin, which strengthens the walls of the capilliaries. Citrus peel is an excellent source of rutin. Taurine, found in fish, especially shellfish and fish hearts etc, and meat that hasn't been over cooked, is very good. Eat some green lipped mussels or sardines. Such seafood is also a good natural source of dietary copper. Steak that gallops onto your plate has more taurine than one grilled to death. (Taurine is heat sensitive). Onion is an excellent source of biologically available Quercetin. Another great eye protector. It doesn't matter if you eat it raw or cooked. Orange capsicums are the ultimate source of zeaxanthin. Persimmons are excellent. In some countries the likely sources are going to be the green culinary herbs eg dill, coriander, parsley. The Mexicans have it nailed with marigold petals. Spinach is a good source of lutein. Older people need the antioxidant effects of lutein because ... they are old. The clock of ages gallops for T2 diabetics who don't take care. Another good anti-oxident is astaxanthin (the pink stuff in salmon and prawns.) [My thanks to Quentin's posts for much of the above information, and from which I have borrowed unashamedly :-) ] I would also like to add my personal story re this kind of approach. I was diagnosed with serious, and progressive macular degeneration. At my annual return visit, after switching to such a diet, the degeneration had not only slowed (my intial modest aim), but had improved. 12 mths later, it was healed, ie no sign it had ever been there! At my last visit, with a new and young opthalmologist at the clinic, I told him about all this, and he obviously did not believe that I had ever had such a condition, until I told him to look at the early notes in my file. He was shocked, and became quite interested in my "home therapies". That's why I encourage all diabetics to look to their diet and do all they can to help themselves, using simple dietary helps. It may make a difference, and will certainly not do any harm to those who can eat such foods safely. > I also seem to have suffered some damage to my left elbow, possibly > both tendons and joints. I'm still trying to discover if this is [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > joint and ligament problems. If it doesn't cause them it seems to > weaken one's defence against them and recovery from them. It does seem to be the case. Getting older plays it's part too. About the only things I found to be helpful for these conditions (including the more recent development of osteoarthritis) are the following; 1. Avoid stressing your joints. Age and diabeties make them more vulnerable to damage, as do some infections & illnesses. 2. Chicken soup is a major food source for hyaluronic acid (HA), a primary component of our connective tissue. Collagen takes up much of the space in between cells, providing a supporting structure to particularly the eyes, joints, and skin. Its function is to cushion and lubricate. HA also retains water and therefore helps keep tissues hydrated. The skin contains 56% of the body's HA, while 35% of it is found in the muskulo-skeletal system, and 9% in the blood, lymph and synovial joint fluid. 3. There is an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid, called hyaluronidase. Bioflavonoids can suppresse this enzyme and keep your HA up. Once again we are looking at the same substances found in fresh fruit and vegetables as mentioned above. 4. Glucosamine is a product available as a topical cream as well as in oral capsule form. It has been shown to not only lower the pain of joint damage, but also to help the collagen re-generate. It is also a precursor of hyaluronic acid. In my case it certainly has not "healed" me, but I suspect things would be a lot worse if I didn't apply these things as part of my joint health management. Without a doubt my pain has lessened, and stiffness is reduced. I suffered from adhesive capsulitis, a nasty and painful shoulder joint "injury", and the above measures, plus exercises prescribed by my doctor have slowly but surely brought about great improvement in this condition. After about 2 yrs, the shoulder is almost back to it's pre-injury condition. It was my right shoulder, and for quite some time I thought I would never be able to use that arm much ever again! Let's not even mention the associated pain. > Looks like I've got to stop congratulating myself and start pulling > those BGs down even further. Perhaps it would be wiser to have a close look at your post-meal readings, and endeavor to identify the things that give the high readings. You might even want to do a 15 min reading check for 2 hrs, to see in closer detail just what is going on. Your A1c is fine, but certainly that can disguise the "temporary" spikes that are going on un-noticed. Your aim is to keep your bg levels as "flat" as possible, without necessarily neeeding to lower your A1c. I'd say it's time to fine tune your management, and think about what you can add to your diet to include some of the above mentioned items? All the best, from one "oldie" to another, Annette T2 for over 30 yrs, 66 yo. One does what one can. The best defense is a blood sugar profile that is as "normal" as possible--85 t o 100 mg/dl. with post prandial excursions under 140 mg/dl. It is possible to keep those excursions under 120. This is achievable with diet, exercise and the right meds for you. People in my family have sacrificed too dearly for what passes over that tiny parcel of human real estate--the tongue. God bless them. The lessons they taught me came at a terrible cost to them. > For well over a decade, possibly two decades, I've suffered from > occasional bouts of very itchy lower legs and ankles, which in the [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > Looks like I've got to stop congratulating myself and start pulling > those BGs down even further. > I also seem to have suffered some damage to my left elbow, possibly > both tendons and joints. I'm still trying to discover if this is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > grip the secateurs, or what. It's persisted for over six months > despite my trying to be kind to it. Long before 6 months, I'd have been at my orthopedist getting it evaluated. Then you can decide what to do about it. I had elbow tendinitis some years back & got physical therapy for it; that helped, but it still took a long time to clear up. But at least I knew what the problem was (& that it wasn't worse than it was), and what the options were for attacking it. I've had other orthopedic problems, & plenty of p.t. -- but it's injury-related rather than diabetes, although there may be (??) some dm relation to the bone spurs that gnawed at my rotator cuffs until they were torn -- that I don't know about. But I also had dogs for many years, & the shoulders get lots of jerking from loose-leash-walking (one source, long forgotten, said that torn r.c. was not rare among dog-walkers, don't know how accurate that is or where they got it from either!). bj |
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