I thought I'd just make a quick little post updating my Diabetes and Blood Sugar endeavors. At the time of my last update, my blood sugar levels were very elevated. I had an A1C (roughly a 3 month blood sugar average) of 14 (more than double what you want) and daily readouts of 250-350+ fairly consistently.

I was in rough shape.

Since then, however, I've lost weight, quit soda, and am eating a lot healthier. My last doctor visit placed me at an A1C of 9, but he thought I was more likely at an 8 with current daily readouts, which had reduced to 100-180. That left me just one or two numbers away from my goal of 6.5-7. And normally I would have been psyched. Okay, I was (am) a little. But apparently my sudden urgency to become healthier and managing my Diabetes so quickly came with a price.

Neuropathy.

Basically nerve damage that can come in a variety of forms — though I honestly believe I am experiencing all of them at once to different degrees — that isn't uncommon with Diabetics. The main way mine has manifested is a constant, extreme pain in my feet. While my entire body is affected (my skin is super sensitive everywhere), the lower you go the more intensity there is.

I've been told that because of my rapid blood sugar control that my body is experience a type of "shock" reaction that has then brought about the Neuropathy, which is generally something people experience when having really high, uncontrolled blood sugar levels over prolonged periods of time.

Basically, my body is punishing me for doing the right thing to become healthier... And that's some bullshit.

There isn't anything much you can do I've been told. Except take medication (he prescribed me Amitriptyline) to mask the pain and to hope my body recovers from the initial shock and the symptoms alleviate over time. I have yet to take the medication, instead opting for a Tens Unit, which sends little shocks through he nerve pathways in hopes of stimulating and repairing them, but so far relief from the pain has been very minor.

Doing simple everyday things has become incredibly difficult and sleep near impossible until exhausted, and even then it's limited, barely lasting until the pain seems to wake me up. It's been pretty hellish. I've come close to breaking down and taking the Amitriptyline, though the side effect of fucking with your heart rate (which the doctor somehow neglected to mention) makes me skittish. That and the fact that I don't really take medications in general with the exception of insulin.

So that's where things are currently at. I meant for this to be a video, but it's been rough concentrating enough to make them lately. And I know, I suck at this "Mostly Wordless" crap, but what can you do? I'll make a video going more in-depth and/or a follow up post to keep everyone up to date about how my body is obviously trying to sabotage itself and thus trying to kill me, all because I wanted to be a bit healthier...

Have you or anyone you know experienced Neuropathy? Are you/they a Diabetic? If not, what was the source of their Neuropathy? What various medications and/or treatments do you/they use to either combat the pain or reverse the effects? Have you ever used a Tens Units? If so, what was the experience like? What advice would you give to someone experience extreme pain from Neuropathy?