Battling Diabetes

Diabetic neuropathies, or nerve damage, can be a serious health issue for diabetics and in fact affects up to 50 percent of all diabetics, because it can involve nerves of any organ of the body.

Per the Mayo Clinic:

“Diabetic neuropathy has no known cure. Treatment for diabetic neuropathy focuses on:

• Slowing progression of the disease
• Relieving pain
• Managing complications
• Restoring function

Consistently keeping blood sugar within a narrow target range can help delay the progression of peripheral neuropathy and may even cause an improvement in symptoms you already have. In some people, intense glucose control may reduce the overall risk of diabetic neuropathy by more than 60 percent.”

The most common type of diabetic neuropathy is Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

DPN is nerve damage that causes numbness, tingling and pain and or a burning sensation in the extremities.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse defines DPN:

Peripheral neuropathy, also called distal symmetric neuropathy or sensorimotor neuropathy, is nerve damage in the arms and legs. Your feet and legs are likely to be affected before your hands and arms. Many people with diabetes have signs of neuropathy that a doctor could note but feel no symptoms themselves. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy may include

• numbness or insensitivity to pain or temperature
• a tingling, burning, or prickling sensation
• sharp pains or cramps
• extreme sensitivity to touch, even light touch
• loss of balance and coordination

These symptoms are often worse at night.

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While daily blood sugar monitoring is an essential part of your diabetes management don’t be surprised if you are asked to come into your doctor’s office or lab for routine A1C testing.

What is A1C?

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What exactly is a retina?

The retina is the area at the back of your eye that receives light. Impulses are then transmitted by the optic nerve to the brain. In order to do its job the retina utilizes a system of small blood vessels.

Diabetic retinopathy is progressive damage to the blood vessels that supply blood to the retina.

Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Source: Mayo Clinic.

“Your chances of developing retinopathy increases the longer you have diabetes. If you have had diabetes for 10 years, you have a 50 percent chance of having retinopathy; if you have had diabetes for 20 years you are almost certain to have background retinopathy….it may just mean that there are early signs of damage to your retinal blood vessels.”

Source: Diabetes: A Practical Guide to Managing Your Health by Rosemary Walker & Jill Rodgers

The good news is that according to the American Diabetes Association, while diabetics are at greater risk for retinopathy, “most people who have diabetes have nothing more than minor eye disorders. ”

Types of Retinopathy:

Nonproliferative: per Merck Manual: produces increased capillary permeability, microaneurysms, hemorrhages, exudates, and macular edema and causes vision loss if untreated.

Proliferative:per Merck Manual: is characterized by abnormal new vessel formation, which occurs on the vitreous surface of the retina and may extend into the vitreous cavity and cause vitreous hemorrhages. Vision loss with proliferative retinopathy may be severe.

Some Complications of Retinopathy:

Glaucoma: is a group of conditions resulting in optic nerve damage. High pressure inside your eye is usually what causes this damage.

Cataracts:Is a clouding of the lens. It is a slowly progressive disease.

Retinal Detachment: This is considered a medical emergency and occurs when the retina detaches from the blood vessels that support the retina itself.

Vitreous Hemorrhage: per Mayo Clinic: The new blood vessels may bleed into the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of your eye. If the amount of bleeding is small, you might see only a few dark spots or floaters. In more severe cases, blood can fill the vitreous cavity and completely block your vision. Vitreous hemorrhage by itself usually doesn’t cause permanent vision loss. The blood often clears from the eye within a few weeks or months.

Macular Edema: Caused when amaged blood vessels leak fluid and lipids onto the macula

Resources:

Diabetic Eyes . com: The website of Dr. A. Paul Chous; eye doctor, diabetes educator, and author of the highly-acclaimed book Diabetic Eye Disease: Lessons From A Diabetic Eye Doctor.

Take Dr. Chous’ Eye-Q-Test.

And remember to protect your vision with controlled blood sugar levels and yearly eye exams.

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Diabetics and alcohol consumption.

Most sources agree that if your diabetes is well regulated an alcoholic beverage can be scheduled into your meal plan on occasion. Always consult your physician first to be sure your medication is compatible with alcohol. If you have neuropathies such as a compromised liver it is important to discuss alcohol consumption with your doctor as alcohol is metabolized mainly by the liver.

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When you are a diabetic sick days mean much more than calling in sick to work and crawling under the covers.

Planning is the most important part of your sick day regime. More →

Arthritis is very common and affects many diabetics. Because arthritis is so common, it is important for diabetics who may have arthritis know about the interactions that can occur with arthritis medication and diabetes medications.

Common Interactions

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Love Your Heart

There has been a lot of press lately about taking care of your heart. Heart disease is a major killer. No matter your age, being aware of heart disease and how to prevent it will increase your chances of having a healthy heart for far longer.

Diabetics have a high incidence of heart related problems. As a diabetic or someone at risk for diabetes, heart health is of high importance. Love your heart and it will love you.

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Our Poor Feet.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that you should be checking your feet daily. So many people, diabetic and non, fail to do this. We pause to hop into the shower or bath, scrub, but never really give our feet a good once over.

This is not a good thing! Our feet are essentially the workhorses of our bodies. If our heart and brain are the organs pulling tough duty, then our feet are the appendages getting double work. Each day our feet are pounded against the ground, often in ill-fitting shoes. Toes crushed together, shoe parts poking into the skin, and laces drawn too tightly.

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What Is Insulin Shock?

Insulin shock is characterized by a drop in blood glucose levels, often triggered by a diabetic trying to reach normal levels of blood glucose by using insulin. The glucose levels fall below 50 dl and can cause symptoms of shock.

The Symptoms

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Kidney Health

Taking care of your kidneys is very important. When your blood glucose reaches a level over 140-180 mg/dl, it becomes toxic to your body. Your kidneys filter out toxins, so overburdening them is very dangerous.

Kidney Damage

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