Is It Possible to Cure Diabetic Neuropathy?

Can neuropathy be reversed?  In short, sometimes the terrible pain associated with neuropathy can be reversed and in other instances it cannot. The fact is that to date the mechanisms that cause and also heal diabetic neuropathy are not well understood by doctors and scientists.

I can personally attest to the fact that diabetic neuropathy can be reversed. I had my own scary bout with this problem and was able to get the symptoms of neuropathy to disappear, which I will elaborate on.

How I was able to reverse my diabetic neuropathy

One evening both of my hands and forearms simply went numb. It felt similar to when your hand goes to sleep and you have a tingling and prickling feeling – not pleasant. I had never experienced this before and thinking it would go away on its own, I waited a week before seeking medical advice.

At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed the symptoms as diabetic neuropathy and told me that she was not sure if the symptoms would ever go away – sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. I was really scared because I felt like I could not live my life in that type of constant pain.

I dedicated myself to getting and keeping my blood sugar in the normal range, eating extremely healthy and exercising every day. Luckily, a blood test revealed that my fasting glucose level was 110 which is in the normal range right on the border, so I was not prescribed diabetic medication.  But I knew that I had type 2 diabetes for years before.

The doctor gave me three prescriptions to help with the neuropathy. One was simply B vitamin supplements which I took three times a day. Diabetic neuropathy can be caused and aggravated by a lack of B vitamins in the blood.The other prescription which helped was simple muscle ointment similar to Bengay which I rubbed on the painful areas. Both of these prescriptions seem to moderately help.

Thankfully, over the next two weeks, the tingling and burning in my hands and forearms gradually diminished. First, it went away in my forearms and then slowly dissipated from my hands. I cannot tell you how truly thankful I was that I was able to reverse diabetic neuropathy because the pain was truly dreadful.

Diabetic neuropathy cannot always be reversed

Although I was lucky, the fact is that many cases of diabetic neuropathy cannot be reversed. After many years of exposure to high blood glucose, the nerves are damaged and simply do not respond.  Doctors are hard pressed to explain why this is. As mentioned, the exact triggers and mechanisms of neuropathy are not well understood at this time.

If you experience the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy is critical that you get your blood glucose level under control. Monitor it daily and take oral diabetes medication if needed. Even if your symptoms can’t be reversed, you may be able to prevent the symptoms from spreading to other areas of your body.

See your doctor to get medications and prescriptions which can help to alleviate the pain. Unfortunately, most commonly prescribed medications are only moderately effective at reducing the pain associated with neuropathy. By all means, get treatment immediately and don’t delay.