Member-only story
Diabetes and Neuropathy, a Painful Combination
Painful to see a loved one go through it
My wife loses her balance and falls down. There are times when she has to use a cane. When we go anywhere she takes her cane or clings to me. She has chronic pain and numbness. The foot pain from nerve damage at times is extreme. The Gabapatin knocks her out, so she only uses it when it’s too much to bear.
60 percent to 70 percent of people with diabetes have neuropathy. The condition affects the peripheral nervous system, which includes the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord.
I have to keep my eye on her at all times
My wife falls down a lot. She’s prone to dropping things. I have to get on her because she tries to bend over to pick things up. If she has a plate of food. I have to carry it to the living room so she can eat and watch TV.
The symptoms are cyclical. She has good days and bad days. There are behavior issues I have to deal with. It’s not easy to deal with a lot that goes on in our apartment. It breaks my heart to see her suffer the way she does.
My wife Olivia, has been through a lot the past few years because she didn’t take diabetes seriously, so now she has no choice. She will take it seriously are she will be crippled…
