← Return to How can a person be diagnosed with Neuropathy if they are not Diabetic

Discussion
Comment receiving replies
Profile picture for bajjerfan @bajjerfan

@laura1970

TBH I don't really know as it's been just the last couple years that I have had A1c testing. My blood sugar was mostly under 100 here, which is their cut-off value. Mayo is 150. I also get severe bouts of hypoglycemia so I never worried about insulin production. A neurologist told me that the nerve damage in my legs was from being pre-diabetic, IIRC nobody else ever told me that I was pre-diabetic.

Jump to this post


Replies to "@laura1970 TBH I don't really know as it's been just the last couple years that I..."

@bajjerfan I've always thought that my pre-diabetic condition was related to my neuropathy also and none of my doctors over the years even mentioned the possibility of neuropathy. It wasn't until I learned about the metabolic syndrome which pretty includes all of us categorized as having pre-diabetes. Here are a couple of research papers with more information. I wished my doctors would have mentioned it when they first started warning me about diabetes. I just didn't want to believe pre-diabetic was a warning sign.

-- A comprehensive definition for metabolic syndrome
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2675814/
-- The Metabolic Syndrome and Neuropathy: Therapeutic Challenges and Opportunities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881591/

@bajjerfan huh. What have you HA1c values been?

Well, for one thing, unexplained hypoglycemia in someone not taking sugar lowering medication is often a harbinger for overt diabetes. So regardless of whether or not you had pre-diabetes in the past, you are at risk for diabetes (one could argue you have pre-diabetes with this alone, though it not the typical way of making the diagnosis).

So be alert and aware of the symptoms of high and low blood sugar and see your doc frequently. I think with your history of hypoglycemia it would be appropriate to start checking blood sugars. Some diabetics check their sugars before every meal and at bedtime. One approach would be to check you sugar once each day, alternating the time you check them so that over time you will develop a clear picture of your overall daily blood sugar. Ask your doc about this. In your case, I would recommend an MD or even an endocrinologist unless you’re certain a specific nurse practitioner or PA has the necessary knowledge and skill level. It’s more of an art than a science sometimes.