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How Long Will It Take To Recover From Diabetic Neuropathy & How Long Do The Symptoms Last?

Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorder that develops due to the nerve damages caused by prolonged high levels of glucose in the blood. It usually develops in old people who chronically suffer from diabetes mellitus. It represents itself by symptoms like numbness, loss of sensation, tingling and pain in the affected areas. It is diagnosed by certain tests such as sensitivity tests, tuning fork tests, blood pressure monitoring, etc. It cannot be cured completely. But, if blood glucose levels are brought to normal levels, other symptoms of diabetes are controlled, then diabetic neuropathy can be reversed.

How Long Will It Take To Recover From Diabetic Neuropathy & How Long Do The Symptoms Last?

Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorder characterized by nerve damage caused by high levels of sugar in the blood for years. It is a progressive disease and worsens with time over the years. It is a common complication of diabetes. Its symptoms include weakness in the legs, pain in one side, (in the hips, feet or lower legs), digestive problems, urinary problems, vaginal dryness, dizziness, fainting, constipation, profuse perspiration at night and difficulty in swallowing. Its risk increases with an increase in age and duration of diabetes.(1)

Your physician will test the sensitivity of the affected part with nylon fiber. Tuning fork test, measurement of blood pressure and heart rate is also performed. It is controlled by controlling sugar, medicines such as tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioids.(1)

Different types of nerve damage have different ways to heal. It is dependent on the type of nerve affected and the cause of the nerve damage. If peripheral nerves are damaged from contusion or other types of injuries, then the nerve damage may take one to three months to heal completely. But, in the case of diabetic neuropathy, the nerve damage does not heal completely.(2)

The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy improve when blood glucose levels are controlled well. It represents symptoms as soon as chemotherapy is started in chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. The symptoms may become worse as the chemotherapy progresses. For some people, it may remain for a short period of time such as a few days or a few weeks as a temporary problem. In some patients, these symptoms may last for months or years acting as a lifetime problem. It happens because there are other medical conditions associated with neuropathy and you are consuming other prescription drugs that cause these symptoms.(3)

Diabetic neuropathy associated with radiation therapy never recovers completely. In the case of diabetic neuropathy induced by chemotherapy, the recovery period may long from 18 years to five years or more.(4) The recovery process of diabetic neuropathy may be enhanced by the following-

  • Consuming nutritional food rich in protein, thiamine, and antioxidants
  • Correct control of the diabetes mellitus and other associated medical conditions present
  • Appropriate intake of pain medicines
  • Physical and occupational therapies(4)

The pain experienced due to diabetic neuropathy delivers a lot of impacts on your daily activities. It affects the quality of life. However, its symptoms vary from person to person. It may be mild or severe. With appropriate treatment, the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can be managed efficiently. In some cases, it exerts stress on one’s mind and one should consult the health care team to cope up with such mental stress.(4)

Conclusion

Diabetic neuropathy cannot be cured completely. It can be controlled if diabetes mellitus is managed efficiently. In chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, the nerve pain increases for some time with the action of the medicine that eventually settles in a few days or few weeks. If neuropathy is induced by external injury associated with diabetes, then it may take some time up to three months to heal completely.

References:

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:February 13, 2020

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