Diabetes: Why that nightly pain from thigh to toe is a red flag

IN THE UAE, THERE’S A 20.7 PER CENT PREVALENCE OF DIABETES IN ADULTS

- BY KARISHMA NANDKEOLYAR Assistant Online Editor

It had been months and Dubai-based expat Dammi had not been able to sleep properly.

Every night, the pain seemed to flow from thigh to toe, making rest impossible. For five months, she used herbal oils and pain potions, hot water packs, and ache management pills before the Sri Lankan decided to go back home.

She knew that she had diabetes but she hadn't known how bad it was — diabetic neuropathy, nerve damage that most commonly affects the feet and legs, was setting in.

As an hourly-wage earner who had to be on her toes constantly, she hadn’t been paying attention to her eating habits, choosing instead to scoff down whatever was available at meal times.

Treatment and recovery

It took six months and intense medication to arrest the damage. Even now, a year on and with her sugar levels at normal, Dammi finds herself having to sit still every once in a while, her damaged nerves acting up.