Neuropathy due to long untreated diabetes

@kdo0827

You got that right! Pastors and their kids and spouse are supposed to be perfect. So it should be no surprise that such a high percentage burn out and leave the ministry. As with vets, the suicide rate is high. No one can live up to the standard of perfection. I've learned that the statistics are similar in other caring professions. Doctors, and across the spectrum. We humans tend to put certain people on pedestals, and that is very hard for most to live with.

When I was experiencing a huge meltdown in '05, I was shot off the pedestal I didn't want to be on by a female firing squad. I will live with the trauma of that, on top of a heap of pre-existing trauma, the rest of my life. I know it will never go away, as so many people with PTSD will attest. The only treatment course is to move forward.

When my therapist told me that a few weeks ago, I started crying. No one had ever said that to me. I'm still kinda reeling from it. I doubt my ability to live with knowing that all of the traumatic garbage will never go away. It's easier to tell other people how to move forward than it is to do it myself. I know that I can move forward, and by God's grace I will. It's just sometimes hard to imagine doing it.

I appreciate each of you who are encouraging me during this rough patch.

Jim

@chromebottle50 Hi, Chromy. I, too have pretty heavy neuropathy and diabetes. The only thing I can add, I think, is that I really doubt, now, that neuropathy is the result of long-untreated diabetes. Perhaps a long time of eating a lot of sugar, but that would be it. I have treated my diabetes since the day it was diagnosed, about 40 years ago, and I also cut way back on sugars and carbs, really to nothing. But I still have very serious neuropathy. I simply do not believe that non-treated diabetes is cause for my neuropathy. In my case, and several others I know, the cause is most likely to be other nerve damage, especially some form of diseases like Amyloidosis, or a parasite, or electric shock. In short, don't kick yourself in the head because you have neuropathy. Treat what you can with Novolin R and N Insulin, keep records of everything you eat, and take lots of generic supertylenol from big Box stores. Anything else, always get a second and third opinion.

You will do it and it may look differently than what you have imagined when you have told others this, but that is perfectly OK. That road can have as many switchbacks as necessary so long as the destination is overall forward.

@gman007, @oldkarl, @artscaping. i'm saddened to hear your stories of what you have been dealing with especially within the church and of course your mental state of hope. I grew up within the Catholic church, did the whole altar boy thing back when it was in Latin and yet it never really stuck. Guilt was always there lurking as I contemplated God. I came accross a book by John Eldredge "Waking the Dead" several years ago after recommitting my life to Christ and found it a wonderful source of dealing with my guilt & heart. Here are a few short paragraphs that I wanted to put forth as I have been reading your posts. "The worst blows typically come from family. That's where we start our journey of the heart, and that's where we are most vulnerable. What we learned from our parents and siblings about our heart defines us the rest of our days; it becomes the script we live out, for good or for ill." " Most of us simpy try to put things behind us, get past it, forget the pain as quickly as we can. Really- denial is a favorite method of coping for many Christians." "Christ must open the wound, not just bandage it over. Sometimes he'll take us there by having an event(s) repeat itself for years later, only with new characters in the current situation. These are all invitations to go with him into the deep waters of the heart, uncover the lies buried down there, and bring in the truth that will set us free. Don't just bury it quickly; ask God what he is wanting to speak to. We can't just talk ourselves into this; Jesus must show us. He must take us there, as he did with Peter. So ask him. Ask God to show you that your heart is good and that you matter to him. I sense that you (heart) has been wounded and I'm praying that you can take those thoughts to Christ to do what he does best. You are in my prayers and I want you to know that I really enjoy following your posts on Connect. You all mean a lot to me. @thankful.

Hi Gary (@gman007) - What I found out from my contact was his therapeutic dose was - about 500 mg (100 mg capsules spread through the day). He said he's now on 300 mg of CoQ10. He takes a 100 mg capsule morning, noon and evening. I'm taking one 300 mg capsule daily now but when I run out of these I think I'm going to switch back to the 100 mg capsules and take them 3 times a day.

I did find a website with what I think is OK information here...not sure about Myth #3 though. Have to do some more research and see for myself.

Getting the Right CoQ10 Dosage-Separating the Myths from the Facts:
https://www.drsinatra.com/getting-the-right-coq10-dosageseparating-the-myths-from-the-facts
John

I use humor as much as possible and He did not just return me to the place and show me how he wanted to repair my heart, He drug me back and forth through it until I looked like the pics we see of SEALS training in the muck and mire. After about four years of sobriety, I think I kind of understood, but unlearning and relearning is one area where I doubt my own intelligence. I have the book on my reading list and although it has a few in front of it, I will get to it. I am blessed in that my Mom is the most amazing Christian I know and forgives so many things my brother and I have done that it blows me away. Not that I am anywhere close to that level, but her example makes me more compassionate and less judgmental than I think I would have ever become otherwise. I have also found that the less I judge others, the easier I am on myself. Not to the point that I pre-think a sin is OK, but I know I am a long way from having a perfect heart and without that, I can'rt have a perfect life, and I am now OK with that!

Thanks, John. I am going to try 200 for a while and if I feel better, I may go to 300. Let me know how your trial works out.

@gman007. I wholeheartily agree with your sentiments! God blass you!

@johnbishop, @gman007 I would concur with the 200-300 dosages of the CoQ10. I purchase my supplements through Stop Aging Now, but I have followed Dr. Sinatra for quite awhile and appreciate his insights into cardiology. My PN is mostly contained to my feet which presents as numbness & tingling. Along with the CoQ10, changing my statin from Atorvastin to Simistatin has made the biggest difference in minmizing those affects.

Hi @thankful, my primary care wanted to prescribe simvastatin for me also to help lower my cholesterol numbers but I refused it specifically because it's known to cause or make neuropathy worse. I had previously been taking CoQ10 100 mg once a day but didn't really notice any difference even though I'm sure it was beneficial. Last week I switched to the 300 mg capsule and haven't seen a difference yet. Guess I can always hope. ☺

Here's the information I found on statin induced neuropathy and why I will never take the drug since I already have small fiber PN:

The implications of statin induced peripheral neuropathy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103035/
Statin Neuropathy Masquerading as Diabetic Autoimmune Polyneuropathy
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/28/8/2082.1
Medication Induced Neuropathy
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11910-003-0043-8
I'm guessing a lot of doctors don't look into it much as in here's your diagnosis, looks it up on medical drug chart for what treats it and then prescribes it. I feel lucky that I can have those discussions with the Mayo doctors and at least have them tell me I'm wrong and then I get to ask for the data that backs up their reasoning...that way I get to show them why I asked the question. It really pays to advocate for yourself.

John