Question from Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA:

My daughter is 16 and has had type 1 diabetes for 15 years. She also has hypothyroidism. She has been experiencing tingling and “pins and needles” in her feet. It began about a year ago, happening a couple of times a month and only in her right foot. This feeling lasts for up to an hour and then goes away. It is now happening 10 or more times a week and has become much more painful. It is now involving both feet and reaches up to her knee on the right side. At times, she is afraid to stand as it feels like her feet and legs won’t hold her. She actually cries from the pain. It happens at all times of day and night, waking her up from sleep. Her blood sugars aren’t consistently high or low when this occurs. Are there forms of neuropathy that act in this way? Her doctors tell me she’s too young for complications and that it isn’t due to diabetes because it goes away. Her pediatrician doesn’t feel it’s bad enough to affect her functionally (she can still walk) and, therefore, isn’t interested in why it’s happening. I’m worried that it’s getting worse.