Diabetic Neuropathy - Making Diabetes Worse!

By Ned Dagostino

Our modern lifestyle has made diabetes a commonplace disease. Diabetes leaves the patient vulnerable to many other complications. Diabetic neuropathy is one such extremely dangerous complication. Neuropathy indicates damage to the nervous system, and that is due to, in this particular case, the elevated blood glucose level that occurs in diabetes.

In the war against diabetic neuropathy, information is the only way to vanquish it. What is diabetic neuropathy, what are its symptoms and how it can be controlled, those are the questions we're going to answer here.

Diabetic neuropathy occurs in three forms: focal, peripheral, and autonomic. Focal neuropathy affects the nerves on an individual basis. Generally, but not exclusively, the nerves of the lower limbs are affected. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy affects the entire network of nerves comprising the peripheral nervous system. Autonomic diabetic neuropathy damages the nerves of the autonomic nervous system.

The predominant symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are given here for your information.

Temperature fluctuations, ranging from shivering to profuse sweating, and, sometimes, very rarely, even a simultaneous occurrence of both.

Loss of control over the bladder, with embarrassing incidents of accidental urination.

Severe indigestion symptomized by flatulence, eructations, regurgitation, and vomiting.

Sexual disorders, exhibited in men by premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction, and in women by sexual insensitivity and vaginal dryness.

Erratic heartbeat, poor blood circulation, and heart seizures.

Loss of sensory functionality is a very dangerous side-effect of diabetic neuropathy. The patient's very ability to know about his environment is gone. He won't know whether he's been cut on his foot, or whether a scorpion has stung him. This could lead to grievous physical harm and even more potentially life-threatening situations.

Symptomatic relief of diabetic neuropathy is possible in a number of ways. Symptomatic relief does not imply relief of the underlying condition causing the symptom. The condition will remain, but its attendant side-effects can be relieved.

The only way to control diabetic neuropathy is by ensuring that blood glucose remains within the prescribed norms, and this requires careful monitoring. Besides monitoring the blood glucose level, there are a number of medications which provide symptomatic relief of the problems experienced by the patient. The frazzled nerves generate pain signals which border on the intolerable. This can be alleviated by pain relievers. Blood chemistry modifiers are given to reduce the impact of the elevated blood glucose level. Normal sexual functionality can be restored by the topical application of creams and lubricants. Above all, the patient should realize the criticality of diabetic neuropathy, and should never attempt to self-medicate or do anything without his doctor's knowledge and consent. - 30310

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