Others are more like a slow burn. Diabetes is a malady that takes its time. If not controlled, diabetes slowly eats away at the body's cells, especially nerve cells. At first, nobody misses a few dead cells here and there. But after a decade or two, the damage can be impossible to ignore.
Many patients suffer numbness or the opposite, extreme pain.
As a result of decreased sensation, many people with diabetes may not be aware when they've broken the skin or suffered a cut or scrape on one of their feet. In some cases, these unnoticed infections can lead to raging infections and loss of the limb. Despite many recent advances in diabetes treatment, neuropathy remains frighteningly common. Between 54 percent and 59 percent of people with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes will eventually develop nerve damage. By carefully controlling your blood sugar, you can help keep your nerve cells out of harm's way.