Mastering Your Diabetes (Before Diabetes Masters You)

Author: Janette Kirkham, RN, CDE, EMT for the American Diabetes Association
Excerpt from: Mastering Your Diabetes (Before Diabetes Masters You)

Question: “If you already have numbness in your feet, is there any point to controlling blood sugars?”

Answer: “Absolutely. Numbness and burning in the feet are signs that nerves have been damaged. Evidence has shown that nerves, when only damaged, can learn to transmit messages through different pathways. If your feet are so completely numb that you cannot tell where they are because you cannot feel them, managing your blood sugars most likely will not get any sensation back. But it can prevent the numbness and nerve damage from spreading farther up your leg. And controlling your blood sugars will give your damaged nerves and your immune system a fighting chance to help your feet stay healthy.”