Diabetes Health Talk

I’ve written about some of the complications from diabetes - including yeast infections.

“>Gestational diabetes, which is on the rise nationwide, is becoming more recognized as a significant risk to mothers and their babies. In the news, here is an article about gestational diabetes - and what might cause it. I confess that I don’t understand a lot of what is being said in the article - but it sounds like they (the infamous “they”) might be getting a handle on why gestational diabetes happens.

At the least, it looks like they have the sequencing down - the timing of when it starts and when it stops - or the body starts using insulin again properly. There is talk about “islets” and “menin” and “prolactin”. You know . . . all that scientific jargon that none of us really understands - but when it HELPS us, we are thrilled. Right? Right.

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In other news . . .

The swimming continues - I am getting to be more comfortable putting my face in the water. What?!! You already do that when you swim? Well, friends, I do not like to have my face in the water - there may be psychological reasons for that, but I am not going to worry too much about all that. I am taking it slowly and now get my face wet a lot more often than I used to 8 weeks ago when I started swimming with my daughter.

8 weeks - tomorrow starts week 9.

Last week a coworker came up behind me and mentioned “you know, you are trimming down!” I thanked her and sort of shook my head. Later in the day I got curiouser and curiouser and finally went to the back bathroom to step onto the medical type scale there . . . .

. . . . drum roll, please . . . .

I have lost EIGHTEEN pounds!

Yeah, you coulda knocked ME over, too. How awesome is that? I knew that my (brand new!!!) work slacks were starting to be a bit loose in the legs and seat . . . but I hadn’t thought too much about it really.

May just have to have them taken in soon.

It’s a nice problem to have, right? Right.

Hubby (type 2 diabetes) told me yesterday that he would probably never be able to go swimming again. He is worried about his feet - he has another infected toe. As disappointing as it is for me to know he won’t be joining me in the pool - it must be much more disappointing to him. He LOVES to swim.

Nor is it apparently a good idea to use the foot spas that are so popular.

Several years ago I bought hubby a foot spa for Christmas. I looked EVERYWHERE in our small town trying to find one - finally had a small pharmacy order one for me. Nowadays you can find one in every sort of store - they are coming down in price, too.

This all comes back, of course, to the fact that diabetics should take extra good care of their feet.

Hubby wears cotton socks year round - in the colder months (Alaska, remember?) he wears a pair of polar fleece socks over the cotton socks.

Every night when he takes off his socks, he checks them for any tell-tale signs of bleeding or oozing. He then checks each toe with the help of a hand mirror to see if he can see any cuts or bruises.

Even the smallest cut can become infected. With neuropathy, the sensation of pain that would drive any of the rest of us bonkers just is not there. Hubby has found infected sores in the past that he did not even know were there.

He doesn’t feel it if I or one of the grandkiddos step on his toes - he doesn’t feel it if he stubs his toe into a door or wall - he doesn’t feel the same pain you or I might.

So, he has to take these preventive precautions.

Right now he has a prescription to use a hyperbaric chamber to help increase the speed at which his foot heals. Last time it was amazing just how quickly all that extra oxygen caused healing.

So - take good care out there - and if you are wondering if foot spa usage - or swimming - are appropriate for you, please check with your physician. Follow his/her instructions.

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Like contests? Like knitted dish cloths? Come on over to Knitting Passion and check out the new contest - be sure to sign the comments and let me know you’ve been there and that you want one of the skully dish cloths!

A young mother who swims with us brought her little guy to the pool this week. I waved to him from the pool and laughed as he cooed and giggled to his auntie who was watching him while mama swam some laps.

I noticed he was sporting a cool purple binky (pacifier) - or at least that is what I thought it was. After getting out of the pool and making his acquaintance from a closer distance I noticed that it was a purple substance in and around his mouth.

Ahhh, I said to Mama - he has thrush and you’re treating it with gentian violet.

As we talked she said that he gets the thrush often and she couldn’t understand why she couldn’t seem to get rid of it once and for all.

I mentioned all this to hubby over lunch today and he said “Is she diabetic?”

I hadn’t even thought of that as a possibility, but realized I should have made the connection. You see, when he was diagnosed (diagnosed, that is, for the second time - see previous article) he had gone to the doctor several times for a yeast infection. He was quite upset because the nurses would laugh at him each time - because a yeast infection is considered to be a woman’s problem. (He didn’t stay with that doctor’s office - embarrassment and anger at his treatment!)

First, why does diabetes increase the risk for developing yeast infections?
GERALD BERNSTEIN, MD: It’s important to understand what the elevated blood glucose in people with diabetes actually does to the body. When the blood sugar increases, two things happen. One, all the body secretions will have an increased amount of glucose. Two, all of the tissues of the body stop functioning normally, and therefore the normal defenses that the body has against intrusion by outside substances — such as yeast — will be abnormal.

The above quoted article also talks about the diabetes/yeast infection being a woman’s problem. I’m here to tell you that men also can be affected.

So - if you think you or your spouse may have a yeast infection - get to a doctor as quickly as possible. Women, don’t douche before you go - don’t pre-treat. See the doctor FIRST and let him/her decide what the course of action should be.

diabetes, yeast infection

I’ve mentioned hubby’s neuropathy here before. The problem with losing the feeling in your feet and legs is that you may not know when you have an injury.

There have been times that I have stepped on his foot - or one of the grandbabies has done so - and caused a blood blister or an open wound and he could not feel it, so continued on his day without taking care of the problem.

Now, he checks his feet every day before he goes to bed - but he has received an injury early in the day and doesn’t discover it until evening that is plenty of time for infection to have set in. This could be very dangerous.

So, diabetics should check their feet often, following their doctors’ orders on what to do in case of a sore or callous or blood blister appearing.

If not - it could lead to amputation of toes, feet, or legs. I just heard from a high school chum and she has just had a leg amputated. That is scary stuff for someone only in their 50s.

Recently hubby had sores on his foot that would not heal. He took several hyperbaric chamber treatments and was shocked at how quickly his foot healed. Not only that, but his vision improved also. And, that was before his recent cataract surgery!

Here’s a site with a LOT of information on diabetes and management of foot care.

diabetes, foot care, amputation

Not that this is a hush hush subject or anything (what with our daily tv being full of ED commercials) . . . but, if your children read over your shoulders, or you are leery of such discussions, please click here. Thank you

As I said when I first began writing this column, hubby and I talked about things I might discuss here. He told me I had carte blanche and to use him as an example . . . of what NOT to do.

So, I am going to broach the subject of

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or, more importantly, the problems diabetics may have with their feet and legs.

Hubby has had problems with neuropathy for several years - he has little to no feeling below his knees - and NO feeling in his feet.

So he must be very careful to watch for wounds. He doesn’t feel it if I or one of the grandbabies step on his toes - he doesn’t feel it if he stubs his toes - or drops something onto his feet - or . . . well, you get the picture. This has caused trouble in the past.

You can read about some of the symptoms and problems diabetics have with their feet at the American Diabetes Association website

Accordint to the site - One of the biggest threats to your feet is smoking. Smoking affects small blood vessels. It can cause decreased blood flow to the feet and make wounds heal slowly. A lot of people with diabetes who need amputations are smokers.

It’s a blessing that hubby quit smoking nearly 16 years ago. (that in itself was a wonder - he had smoked since he was 6 years old - yes, you read that right - and was 42 when he quit finally. But, at least he doesn’t have that working against him now. That’s not to say, of course, that there are no residual effects from all those years of smoking.

Follow your doctor’s orders about keeping your feel clean and dry. Do NOT cut calluses off - use a pumice stone and a good diabetic cream to soften the skin on your feet if your doctor prescribes that method. (see a podiatrist if the calluses are bleeding and need to be taken off immediately)

Check every night for signs of bleeding or seepage from your feet.

Above all - follow your physician’s care orders.

Take care, everyon.

We are now back from the big city - safe and sound.

The office (Pacific Cataract & Laser Institute, Inc) we went to was very professional - both in the pre-op visit, during the entire operative phase, and in the post-of visit. There were a LOT of people there for surgery that day - and, hubby’s only took 5 minutes. We actually waited longer for the injection and then the post-injection time than he spent in the surgical suite.

And, I was able to sit outside the operating theatre and watch the entire thing. Actually, I was watching the procedure on a monitor while it was being recorded! One of the office professionals was with me the entire time and narrated the procedure onto the tape. We watched it this morning with one of our daughters and it is fascinating.

I did not realize how prevalent cataracts are in people with diabetes. According to this study - 15% of cataract surgeries are performed on diabetics. Wow!

I am so impressed with the entire staff in the office. They seem to really care about the patient and make the whole process easy to go through. I think we sometimes don’t even realize how nervous we are until afterwards - it is just never easy to be the one sitting in the waiting room - sometimes the person undergoing treatments is less stressed.

The personnel there seems to GET that - they allowed me to go with him into the pre-op area - even into the small room where he was given the numbing injection - then sat with me through the procedure. You cannot ask for better service than that.

And, the surgeon came out to meet every patient prior to taking them back - and once hubby was in the surgical suite, the doctor asked permission to pray before the procedure. What a blessing to have a God-fearing doctor!!!

cataract surgery, diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications, anchorage, pacific cataract & laser institute, godly doctors

Yesterday I talked about hubby’s bout with retinopathy. It was a very difficult time and one I would not like to repeat - nor would I wish it on anyone.

It’s never easy to see someone you care deeply about suffering - and he was really a good sport about it all - the weekly trips, the sitting in the chair, the getting bursts of laser beams shot into his eyes . . . all of these were peppered with his quirky sense of humor. And, EVERYONE loved him through it all. They laughed with him and they cried with me - and loved me through it all.

You see - in the midst of all that, another complication came up - first in one eye and then in the next. His retinas became detached. Surgery was called for and the doctors scheduled the first one as soon as they could.

That retina reattached pretty easily and we continued with the laser treatments.

Then the second retina detached - this one was more difficult to repair - it folded down onto itself and became hard - so the vitreous had to be taken out and replaced with a bubble to hold the retina in place.

Hubby had to walk around with his head down - facing the ground - for a couple of weeks. I had to lead him everywhere - his hand on my shoulder - wherever we went. Poor guy got quite a crick in his neck, too!

It worked - mostly. There was a third surgery at the end of that year - to attach one corner of the retina.

Today hubby sees pretty well out of both eyes - as well as he could ever hope. He was literally blind for months, so any sight is a LOT of sight, if you follow. He has no peripheral vision, but his straight on vision is not too shabby.

Well, except for the cataracts - and we are in Anchorage today to have the right eye operated on to take care of that cataract. All going well with the first eye, the docs will do the second in a few weeks.

During all of the laser and retina problems, by the way, we had little insurance. We were small business owners (printers by trade) and the medical just sucked it all dry - of course, the fact that hubby couldn’t see was also a detriment to the business. I did a lot of presswork and camera work myself during that time - with hubby telling me what to do and how.

But, God does not let His people suffer if He has a better plan. I praise Him for the Kenai Lions Club. They held a fundraiser and helped with the medical bills. We are blessed to call those folks our friends.

I guess if I had much more to say on the subject, it would be my standard mantra - take care of yourself - take care of your disease - take care of your eyes - take care of you.

eyes, retinopathy, detached retina, cataract, type 2 diabetes

Today I am jumping ahead by several years from my husband’s diagnosis of diabetes.

Retinopathy is the most common eye disease that diabetics can suffer. It is a leading cause of blindness.

Hubby and I had taken a trip to southern California to visit with some motorcycle friends back in 1997. We rented or borrowed bikes and rode with these friends through some gorgeous canyon country.

Sometime during that week hubby became very quiet. This is a man who does not like to go to doctors - so anything out of the ordinary that might need a doctor’s visit? Well, we (meaning he, of course) just don’t talk about it. It’s the head in the sand theory. What I don’t talk about won’t hurt me - because I don’t know what the problem is.

Doesn’t work, does it?

When we arrived home in Alaska he told me that he needed to go see the eye doctor. He saw “floaters” and was having trouble seeing. Our eye doctor was very professional - he knew he was totally out of his league on this and sent us to big city Alaska to visit with a specialist.

The diagnosis was diabetic retinopathy. (There are some diagrams and definitions on the linked page.)

What followed was about a year of treatment - we drove to big town Alaska every Friday to visit the specialist. Hubby would be probed and checked and the progress of the disease was measured. The doctor then began giving him laser treatments to the retina.

Imagine if you will . . . your forehead is placed against a bar (we’ve all been through those diagnostic tests at our optometrist’s offices, right - same type of thing) and the room was darkened. The doctor then placed random bursts of lasers against hubby’s retina.

You can see a diagram here. Hubby’s doctor quips that the back of his eye looks like WWII took place in it.

I’ll talk more tomorrow about what happened after that year was over. Please stop back by and leave a comment if you will to let me know you’ve been here. Let me know what topics you would like to see covered here.

type 2 diabetes, adult onset diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, eye disease

Greetings Everyone!

Today I heard a really sad story involving a neighbor that was dear to me. She was one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. An Older lady of Latino decent. Who raised the neighborhood children as if they were her own.

They have replaced her leg with a prosthetic one however she has more trouble getting around and can not take care of all her cats, she has given some of them up for adoption. Which hurt her very much. I still help her out around the house and take care of the ones she could let go of. Though she wouldn’t have went through this tragic thing if she would have caught it sooner. I often think there may have been something more I could have done for her in those weeks before the doctor.

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There are several thousand Diabetics that go through this same process each year. We must find a way to raise awareness of the problem though out our country. Let people know that things like this are serious but can also be prevented with the right care and attention.
Healing of cut and minor scraps are serious concerns for diabetics our bodies do not heal as fast as those without diabetes. The importance of support should be a great priority not one in diabetics but for senors as well. Watching and taking care of them is important to prevent unnecessary infections and other health concerns from arising. Each of us can do our part to raise awareness in our community. I hope you all will research and educate those around you about this issue to help lower the number of unnecessary amputations in our country.

For more information on this topic click the links below and do your part to save your community:

Health Link:
This place provides information on Diabetic Amputation in hopes of raising awareness.

healthlink.mcw.edu

Until next time!
Smiles,
Lisa

The L.E.A.P Program:

This program is full of useful information, provides preventative info, and screening.

www.diabetic-feet.com

Salutations All!

Today I would like to discuss the dangers of insulin overdose. This is a serious factor however not much talked about topic. Many of us do not realize just how serious this can be until it happens to them!

Quite frequently diabetics are involved with accidents like these, so how do you avoid something like this from happening to you? I have listed a few things you can do to help prevent this tragedy from happening to you:

1. find a place quiet and free from distraction: When giving yourself an injection you should be alone and free from worry.

2. Do not give injection when in a hurry: Always plan ahead, never rush to take your insulin.

3. Buy an insulin Pen: This is pre-measured, taking away dosing concerns all together!

4. When using more then one type of insulin take it separately. Give one injection then come back for the other, making sure the wrong vial is not picked up by mistake.

My Contest:

Though Insulin overdose is a fairly frequent event, we rarely hear about it.
If you have a story you would like to share with us on a experience with Insulin Overdose please send it in.

The story chosen with receive a $20 gift card from target, as well as the piece post on the site.

*Note: only one submission per person

* all entries must be received by Deadline of: June 30, 2007
* Winning submission and Award will be announced no later then 2 weeks after contest deadline.
* Must be 18 years or older to apply.

I Hope you enjoyed this Topic!

Until Next Time
Smiles,
Lisa

Hello Everyone!

Today I want to discuss Chronic Kidney Disease in patients with diabetes. As you all may know kidney concerns go hand in hand with diabetes. What you probably don’t know is how to delay or stop these complications when you have diabetes. So today we will discuss some important things to help you cope with this disease as well as some preventions.

When diagnosed with Diabetes one of the great concerns many of us have is “Will I be on dialysis” However one thing some of us don’t realize is that just because we have diabetes doesn’t mean that we will get serious complications. Diabetics can life their whole life without developing any serious complications.

Warning Signs:

1. Protein in urine
2. Anemia
3. Pain in the low back
4. swelling of hands and feet
5. puffiness around eyes
6. Your GFR is less then 60-( Glomender Filtration Rate)

Some of us don’t show warning signs until the disease gets too far along. If you have Chronic Kidney Disease in the family you should be getting regular checkups.

Prevention:

1. Regular checkups: getting regular checkups of your protein levels will help monitor your kidney function.

2. Tight control of your Blood sugars: keeping control of your levels will help prevent kidney failure and allow you to avoid a kidney transplant.

3. Education: Educate your self as much as you can about this disease as well as Diabetes and High Cholesterol.

Below are some links to look into for more education about this disease and other complications to Diabetes.

American Association of Kidney Patients:

This organization can answer question about Kidney Disease.

www.aakp.org

National Kidney Foundation:

This site provides support, and information.

www.kidney.org

Until next time,
Smiles!
Lisa