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Diabetic Nerve Pain: 10 Foot Care Tips to Protect Yourself
Diabetes can mean double trouble for your feet. First, diabetes can reduce blood flow to your feet, depriving your feet of oxygen and nutrients. This makes it more difficult for blisters, sores, and cuts to heal. And second, the diabetic nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy can cause numbness in your feet. When you can't feel cuts and blisters, you're more likely to get sores and infections.
If you don't notice or treat the sores, they can become deeply infected, and lead to amputation. A sad reality: having a toe, foot, or lower leg surgically removed is 10 times more likely in people with diabetes.
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy can also cause sharp pain in your feet. You may become excruciatingly sensitive to the lightest touch, like the sheets on your bed.
Fortunately, a little TLC goes a long way in preventing foot problems from diabetes.
10 Tips to Protect Your Feet
Foot Care Tip 1. Check both feet daily.
Look over both feet carefully every day, and be sure you check between all of
your toes. Blisters and infections can start between your toes, and with
diabetic neuropathy, you may not feel them until they've become irritated or
infected. If a physical challenge keeps you from checking your own feet, ask a
family member to help.
Foot Care Tip 2. Wash with warm - not hot - water.
Wash both of your feet briefly each day with warm - not hot - water. You may
not be able to feel heat with your feet, so test the water with your hands
first. Avoid soaking too long in water, since waterlogged sores have a harder
time healing. Dry your feet right away, and remember to dry gently between all
of your toes.
Foot Care Tip 3. Make sure your shoes fit well.
It's an investment worth making. Even the slightest rubbing or misfit shoe can
cause a blister that turns into a sore that becomes infected and never heals.
Buy better-fitting shoes, or try different socks, even at the most minor signs
of redness or irritation, since you may not be able to feel when it's getting
worse. Before buying or putting on the shoes check your shoes for rough seams,
sharp edges or other objects that could hurt your feet. And break your shoes in
gradually.
Foot Care Tip 4. Skip the barefoot look.
Always wear shoes or slippers. Always wear socks with your shoes, since
leather, plastics, and manmade shoe materials can irritate your skin and
quickly bring on blisters. While you might prefer the look of hose, nylon
knee-highs, or thin socks, you may find that these don't give your toes or
heels enough protection. Wear thicker socks to pad your feet and cushion any
calluses or sore spots.
Foot Care Tip 5. Speak up.
Nerve damage can be unpredictable. Tell your doctor about any changes in
sensation in your toes, feet, or legs. Speak up if you notice pain, tingling, a
pins-and-needles feeling, numbness, or any other unusual signs - even if it
seems trivial to you. There's nothing small-potatoes about a potential foot
amputation.
WebMD Medical Reference
Important Safety Information
Cymbalta® (duloxetine HCl) is approved for the treatment of depression and generalized anxiety disorder, and for the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia.
What should I talk about with my healthcare provider?
Patients on antidepressants and their families or caregivers should watch for new or worsening depression symptoms, unusual changes in behavior, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, restlessness, or extreme hyperactivity. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have thoughts of suicide or if any of these symptoms are severe or occur suddenly. Be especially observant within the first few months of antidepressant treatment or whenever there is a change in dose.
You should also know that:
- Suicide is a known risk of depression and some other psychiatric disorders.
- Antidepressants may increase suicidal thoughts or behaviors in some children, adolescents, and young adults especially within the first few months of treatment or when changing the dose. No increased risk has been shown for adults over age 24, and risk decreased for those over age 65.
- All patients starting therapy should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for new or worsening depression symptoms, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or unusual changes in behavior.
- Cymbalta® is not approved for use in patients under age 18.
Who should NOT take Cymbalta?
You should not take Cymbalta if:
- You have recently taken a type of antidepressant called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)
- You have uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma (an eye disease)
- You are taking Mellaril® (thioridazine)
What other important information should I discuss with my healthcare provider?
Before starting Cymbalta, tell your healthcare provider:
- about all of your medical conditions, including kidney problems, glaucoma, or diabetes
- about your alcohol use
- if you are taking nonprescription or prescription medicines, including those for migraine, to address a possible life threatening condition
- if you are taking NSAID pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners. Use with Cymbalta may increase bleeding risk
- if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant during therapy, or are breastfeeding an infant
While taking Cymbalta, tell your healthcare provider:
- if you have itching, right upper belly pain, dark urine, yellow skin/eyes, or unexplained flu-like symptoms, which may be signs of liver problems. Severe liver problems, sometimes fatal, have been reported
- if you have high fever, confusion, and stiff muscles to address a possible life-threatening condition
- before stopping Cymbalta or changing your dose
- if you experience dizziness or fainting upon standing, especially when first starting Cymbalta or when increasing the dose. Your healthcare provider may periodically check your blood pressure while you are taking Cymbalta
If you have any questions, talk to your healthcare provider before taking Cymbalta.
What are the possible side effects of Cymbalta?
The most common side effect of Cymbalta was nausea. For most people who had it, the nausea was mild to moderate. Other common side effects included dry mouth, sleepiness, constipation, decreased appetite, and, increased sweating. This is not a complete list of side effects.
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