People suffering from Diabetic Neuropathy know just how much this disease affects their lives on a daily basis. Simple tasks become difficult or even impossible for them to do. People who are unfamiliar or unaffected by this condition may think that it’s just a little pain to the nerves but those suffering know best when it comes to how much they suffer. Peripheral neuropathy will not only make your health bad but will also ruin your quality of life.
How To Define Quality Of Life
Quality of life means the general well being of a person. In medicine, it is used to mean how well patients adapt to their medical conditions. It mainly measures:
- Physical being of a patient as well as their material being.
- Social relationships: your interactions with others.
- Social activities.
- Personal fulfillments like careers, creative outlets, involvement with any other interests.
- Recreational activities like sports, hobbies, etc.
- One’s actual health; how healthy do you think you are?
How one feel about the above aspects of their life, their attitude towards their condition and its underlying cause be it HIV/AIDS, diabetes or lupus affects how well they are able to adapt to peripheral neuropathy.
Neuropathy Symptoms Go Beyond Physical;
Peripheral neuropathy causes pain that is categorized as chronic pain. The pain isn’t the kind to take a few painkillers and move on. This pain is one that stems from the nerves being damaged. Nerves that would normally register your pain become the cause of it. When you are constantly feeling that pain it may affect you in many ways.
- It causes depression and/or anxiety.
- Work productivity is greatly disrupted.
- Isolation because going out to interact is difficult.
- Feelings of hopelessness as you cannot understand why your health is not improving.
It is possible to feel like your situation will never be better especially when you are depressed however, there are ways in which you can reduce the effects, both physical and emotional, of peripheral neuropathy and function as close to normal as is possible;
You May Feel Like Your Situation Is Hopeless, Especially If You’ve Become Mired In Depression.
- Take special care of your feet. Ensure you check them on a daily basis for any pressure spots, cuts, calluses and blisters. Do this using a mirror. Once you notice something that is not normal, inform your neuropathy clinician or your doctor immediately and ask them for help. Never go anywhere barefoot.
- Massage your feet in order to improve blood circulation and to reduce your pain. Ensure to confirm whether your insurance provider will cover this cost if the massage is prescribed by your doctor.
- Always ensure the shoes you wear are padded, comfortable and supportive. Do not wear socks that are tight.
- Anyone who smokes must stop. Nicotine is known to reduce blood circulation and for peripheral neuropathy patients it’s a risk that is not worth taking.
- Reduce the amount of caffeine you take. Many studies show that caffeine can make the pain experienced by a neuropathy patient worse.
Find more information relating to Peripheral Neuropathy, here.
