I have been experiencing tingles and numbness in my feet and was told that I have the start of nerve damage since it started in my toes. I am currently trying to have a reduced carb diet and lower my blood sugars. I have got my readings down to under 10 after dinner before bed, but my morning reading is around 9.3/9.6 and I cannot get this to go down. I am on medication as well and I am also on the waiting list for bariatric surgery. What can I do to reduce my sugars in the morning? And will my numbness and tingling improve?
Q: I have been experiencing tingles and numbness in my feet and was told that I have the start of nerve damage since it started in my toes. I am currently trying to have a reduced carb diet and lower my blood sugars. I have got my readings down to under 10 after dinner before bed, but my morning reading is around 9.3/9.6 mmol/l (168/173 mg/dl) and I cannot get this to go down. I am on medication as well and I am also on the waiting list for bariatric surgery. What can I do to reduce my sugars in the morning? And will my numbness and tingling improve?
Numbness and tingling in the feet is a sign of peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, that results from elevated blood sugar levels, especially when sustained over several years. Following a reduced-carb diet is a good first step, but you may need to further lower your carb intake to get your blood sugar under control and lose weight. Here’s an article to help you get started: http://dlife.com/guide-healthy-low-carb-eating-diabetes-2/. Additionally, try to walk for a minimum of thirty minutes daily, or as much as you can tolerate. Finally, you may need a change in the type or dosage of medication you take if lifestyle measures alone can't control your blood sugar, so make sure to discuss this with your doctor if your readings remain high.
Answered By dLife Expert: Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
Certified diabetes educator and registered dietitian living in Southern California.
Disclaimer
The content of this website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material on the site (collectively, “Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for, and dLife does not provide, professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. dLife does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on this site. Reliance on any information provided by dLife, its employees and other contributors or visitors to this site is done solely at your own risk. Any information you submit to dLife or this site may be published on this site and in other dLife products. dLife retains all rights to all contributions including submitted questions and expert answers.