@allisonsnow Hi Allison,

There are no stupid ?s on Connect. I really don't know the difference between the neuropathy caused by diabetes and the one caused by chemo. Is the neuropathy you have numbness or pain or both?

Here is an article from Mayo Clinic about chemo related neuropathy. Perhaps this will give you some information that you can use when you talk with your doctor.
http://www.mayo.edu/research/labs/regenerative-neurobiology/projects/chemotherapy-induced-peripheral-neuropathy-cipn
I look forward to hearing from you and finding out if you have come up with any solutions.

Teresa

Hi Allison @allisonsnow, I'm with Teresa @hopeful33250. There are no stupid questions. I really don't think there is a difference from the patient's perspective. I have no medical background or training but neuropathy is caused by nerve damage of some sort which can be caused by many different things. Here are a few more references that may help explain and answer some of your questions.

National Institutes of Health site - Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet:
-- https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Peripheral-Neuropathy-Fact-Sheet

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: an update on the current understanding
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4920214/

This site has an easy to understand and read answer to your question:
Is there any difference between Diabetic Neuropathy and other forms of Neuropathy?
-- http://mcvitamins.com/health%20articles/diabetes-non-diabetic-neuropathy.htm

Allison can you share if you've made any changes or tried any treatments to help with your neuropathy?

John

I have had both. I had chemo neuropathy from a series of cisplatin treatments. That caused a lack of sensation or numbness, which resulted in my dropping items if I didn’t focus on consciously holding on to them. I later got diabetic neuropathy, which resulted in occasional itching sensations on the soles of my feet but no pain. That itching is annoying when it occurs while I am driving. It is somewhat relieved by my taking 3600 mg of turmeric.

I am interested in knowing whether continuous and long term use of turmeric would be harmful.

Hi @jeancary -- You ask a good question about continuous and long term use of turmeric and if it would be harmful. I've been taking a 406 mg turmeric capsule with black pepper extract for almost 2 years and think it helps my inflammation a little. I have tried the organic turmeric powder in coffee and tea but don't really like the added taste. From the little research I've found I don't think there have been enough studies done. Here are some of the articles I ran across:

Consumerlabs.com - Is it safe to take curcumin or turmeric supplements for a long period of time?
-- https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/is-it-safe-to-take-curcumin-or-turmeric-supplements-for-a-long-period-of-time/curcumin_long_term_safety/

NCBI - Long-term use of an antiinflammatory, curcumin, suppressed type 1 immunity and exacerbated visceral leishmaniasis in a chronic experimental model
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056242/

NIH - Turmeric
-- https://nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric/ataglance.htm

Wiley Online Library - The dark side of curcumin
-- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ijc.24967

Jean - have you eliminated any other food groups from your diet to help with inflammation? I've tried to cut down on the nightshades but I love tomatoes and peppers so it's not an easy thing for me.

John

Thanks for the information sources. I have eliminated gluten and sugar and artificial sweeteners, for the most part but occasionally have regular ice cream (ie, not sugar free). I’m trying to control my type 2 diabetes by diet and take metformin twice a day, hopefully reducing to zero at some point.

Thanks for the references. I’ll take a look at them. I take even more of the turmeric (3600, once or twice a day) and find it very helpful. The only things I’ve tried to eliminate are starches, sugars and cooked tomatoes.