I'm having problems with leg circulation

[blessed]

I am having problems with the circulation in my legs, has anyone of you had problems with your legs. They tingle and ache sometimes. Will being raw help and is there anything to help the circulation.
Thanks for your help.

Ann

[misslinda]

Hey Blessed,

Is this something new for you? when did it begin? susequent to injury? when you say legs, do you mean from hip all the way down?deos it happen randomly?
:)

[blessed]

The veins in my legs were real puffy and that was the beginning. Now I've gotten the veins down but my legs still tingle and they get tired easily. I've never had problems with my legs before but problems with circulation ran in my family.

Ann

[beelzebubble]

have you had your b-12 levels checked recently? low b-12 levels can cause something called peripheral neuropathy. there are other things that can cause this as well, but if you are a vegan then there is a chance that you are deficient if you aren't paying attention to your b-12 intake.

there is also a condition called restless leg syndrome. it can cause aching and tingling, or a burning sensation in your legs. google it if you want to know more.

i hope you feel better soon. :)

[juliebove]

I have peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes. In fact it was this that brought about my diagnosis. I didn't think diabetes ran in my family. I had genetic counseling while I was pregnant because of my age and because extra fingers and toes are common on my husband's side of the family. I had to interview relatives about any medical conditions they or their parents had. Nobody mentioned diabetes. But after I said that I had it, a lot of people began admitting that they or another relative had it.

I also have something called venous insufficiency in my lower legs. This went on for years being misdiagnosed as dermatitis or psoriasis. Only after I moved to another state and found another Dr. did I get the right diagnosis. For me, this started with extreme swelling of the legs during pregnancy. After I had the baby I was told the swelling would go away within 10 days. Well, it didn't. Eventually it went down a bit, perhaps because I was so worn out with assorted medical problems that either went undiagnosed or were improperly treated that I spent a good deal of my time sleeping or laying down.

I then got what I thought were mosquito bites on my legs. They looked and felt like bites and were super itchy. But they didn't heal. Eventually they turned into little red marks that had scaly skin and still itched very badly. I would try not to scratch, but I'd wind up doing it in my sleep. Then they'd bleed and bleed! It was very hard to stop the bleeding because of all the blood that pooled in my legs. When you have this condition, the blood goes down, leaks out of the veins and doesn't return to your heart as it should. Since the blood isn't getting to the leg muscles, they get weak and ache. There is also usually pronounced swelling.

The condition progressed until the skin ulcered and got infected. This was a very bad thing since I have diabetes. My daughter was young then and learned that kicking mom in the legs would get an immediate reaction. The slightest little thing would cause the skin to burst open. It was a very bad time. By the time the condition was finally diagnosed properly, I had patches of what appeared to be a rash the size of the palm of my hand. They call this stasis dermatitis. It's really not a rash, but discoloration from blood pooled under the skin. And it will cause the skin to break down and ulcer if not treated.

The treatment for the venous insufficiency is laying down with the feet elevated above the heart as much as possible. When up, you wear compression hose. These are a prescription item in that the Dr. will determine what type and compression you need. They are not usually covered by insurance, and they are expensive but necessary. I can't walk without mine. Used to be within 5 minutes of taking them off I'd be crippled. I was recently diagnosed with food allergies and now I seem to be able to go about 10 minutes before I am crippled. I do not know if a raw diet would make this better or not. I am still learning about raw foods and while I am increasing the amount of raw foods I eat, I am not 100%.

It's important to find out why you are having these problems and treat the underlying problems and not just the symptoms. The average person with type 2 diabetes goes 10 years with the disease before they are diagnosed. Because of this, we often have damage to our bodies by the time we are diagnosed. I take Evening Primrose Oil, 1,000 mg each morning and night. This seems to help. I also have to keep my BG (blood glucose) in normal range. Type 2 diabetes often has no symptoms in the beginning. Or the symptoms are so mild, you might think it is just from getting older. And your BG doesn't have to be wildly out of range to get PN. I know of some people whose BG was just slightly above normal, but their Drs. didn't take it seriously. More and more of us have been diagnosed recently because they keep lowering the threshold for diagnosis.

Are you overweight? Do you carry your excess weight around your belly? Do you have high cholesterol? High trigycerides? High blood pressure? Any of these things can be clues that you could have diabetes. Other symptoms that some people have are weight gain or loss, increased thirst and hunger, cravings for fruit or sweets, blurred vision, increased sweating, tiredness, weakness, emotional problems, increased urination, odd infections such as bladder, yeast, ear, etc. If so, then you should be tested for diabetes. Diabetes is not the only cause of Neuropathy though. If you think this is your problem, you need to see a Neurologist. They will do a test with electrodes to see what (if any) nerve damage you have and ferret out the possible cause.

If you have swelling, red and/or itchy spots, then you need to see a Vascular Surgeon. They will do an Ultrasound to determine the areas of damage and the degree of damage. You might also have varicose veins. These can be painful, but are a differnt thing from what I have. I do have a couple of minor varicose veins. They do not bother me. But if they are bothersome, they can do surgery on them.

I hope you get to the bottom of your problems. I suffered for years because the Drs. didn't diagnose me properly and often I was told it was "all in my head". It wasn't!

[blessed]

:p
Diabetes is in my family so I will look into it. Also I will raise my legs higher than my heart. I will try not to put so much pressure on them.
Thanks for the help.

Ann

[PRIL]

My doctor gave me folic acid and it realllly helps, also bananas. My legs ache so bad if i dont