Diabetic Neuropathy

Written by Lee Wyatt (last updated August 23, 2013)

As with most diseases, if you don't take proper care of yourself, you can easily find yourself in a world of hurt. One example of this principle is something called diabetic neuropathy. However, to truly know how you can prevent this from happening, you need to first understand what it is. Luckily, it's not all that difficult to understand.

  • What is it? Simply put, diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage to your body due to improper blood glucose levels damaging the blood vessel walls. This in turn leads to problems of the nerves, which then leads to other problems. In all actuality, diabetic neuropathy is an extremely common phenomenon that about half of all people who are diagnosed with diabetes can expect to experience. While there are several types of diabetic neuropathy, most people get one of two types—peripheral neuropathy, or autonomic neuropathy.
  • Peripheral neuropathy. This particular type of neuropathy is also known by the name of sensorimotor neuropathy since it can affect primarily your feet, hands, or both. What usually happens is that a tingling, pain, numbness, or even weakness appears and effects how well you are able to use your extremities. There really isn't a whole lot of treatment options available once you have this type of neuropathy, so you will need to make sure you prevent it from forming as much as possible. The best way to do this is to stick closely to the treatment plans that you and your doctor have developed.
  • Autonomic neuropathy. Autonomic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that will affect a wide variety of areas of your body. These areas can include many of the different systems of your body, such as the digestive, heart and blood vessels, sweat glands, eyes, and even the urinary tract and sex organs of your body. One of the most common symptoms of this type of neuropathy is paralysis of the bladder, when the nerves of the urinary tract stop working properly, and as such stop sending the proper signals to your body saying that the bladder needs to be emptied. This ends up causing urinary tract infections, and as such is a fairly painful symptom.
  • Other types. There are several other types of neuropathy that a person with diabetes can find themselves subjected to. Some of the other types are things like cranial neuropathy (which as the name suggests affects the head), femoral neuropathy (which affects the legs), Charcot's joint (where the joints are the source of the problem), compression mononeuropathy (where you only have one painful nerve) and others.
  • Common prevention methods. One of the most common, and effective, methods for preventing or delaying diabetic neuropathy from developing is by ensuring that your blood glucose levels are within proper ranges. In addition, visiting your doctor for regular checkups, and following the advice and orders from that doctor are the best possible ways to not only identify any signs of neuropathy, but to also prevent it from occurring.

Author Bio

Lee Wyatt

Contributor of numerous Tips.Net articles, Lee Wyatt is quickly becoming a regular "Jack of all trades." He is currently an independent contractor specializing in writing and editing. Contact him today for all of your writing and editing needs! Click here to contact. ...

MORE FROM LEE

Scotch Guard Stains

Just because something may be protected by Scotch Guard doesn't mean that it won't get stained. There are those ...

Discover More

Pecan Pies

If you ask any group of people what there favorite type of pie is, there is a very good chance that at least one person ...

Discover More

Replacing Terra Cotta Shingles

Terra cotta shingles are an extremely durable and attractive option. One that when installed properly, never really need ...

Discover More
More Health Tips

Diabetes Symptoms

If diabetes runs in your family or if you suspect you may have diabetes, it will be important for you to recognize ...

Discover More

Living with an Insulin Pump

New to what an insulin pump is? Don't worry, this article will unravel the mystery and make things a little easier to ...

Discover More

Treating Hypoglycemia

Taking care of yourself should be of prime importance when you have hypoglycemia, and there are treatments you should ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five minus 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)