What is diabetic neuropathy?
Before you prepare for a visit about nerve pain, it helps to know what the term diabetic neuropathy covers. This question comes first in the sequence, ahead of any list of symptoms or treatments.
The short answer: nerve problems linked to diabetes
Cleveland Clinic says the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. MedlinePlus says most people with diabetes will develop diabetic nerve problems. Put together, diabetic neuropathy is nerve trouble that follows from diabetes, and the sources treat it as common.
What to gather if this may apply to you
If you have diabetes, a few records make the visit smoother. Collect them in this order:
- Note the year you were told you have diabetes.
- List the medicines you take for it.
- Write down where you feel tingling, burning or numbness, and since when.
- Gather recent lab results or reports you have been given.
If you do not have diabetes, nothing here explains what is behind your symptoms. That question stays with a clinician.
Reading on, then calling
The peripheral neuropathy overview explains the wider condition. For how pain care is organised, read the pain management guide. General pain reading is in the MedlinePlus pain topic page. To see how a pain medicine society presents the field, visit its site. If you are near Bloomfield, take your list to the first call.
What only a clinician can say
How common diabetic neuropathy is in general does not tell you whether you have it. A clinician can say whether it applies to you.