While many Americans do not have Diabetes Mellitus,
there are millions of Americans who do and who suffer
from the significant and severe complications that
result from long term diabetes. Once a person’s body
suffers from the pancreas’s inability to properly
control their body’s sugar-keeping the excess stored
and maintaining the proper amount in the bloodstream
to be used as fuel for the cells-then it is a slow
road they travel that will eventually lead to severe
and painful complications. Retinal damage-termed
retinopathy-nephropathy, which is damage to the
kidneys that lead to kidney failure and then the
necessity of dialysis-then neuropathy as well, which
is the slow death of the nerves in the extremities
which leads to intermittent pain in the hands and
feet. Additionally there are other symptoms that long
term diabetes tends to cause-such as gastro
paresis-the bodies inability to process the food
you’ve eaten and thus you experience constant
gastro-reflux-aka heart burn. As well as an increased
risk for heart trouble-aka a myocardial infarction or
heart attack.
If these problems I’ve listed aren’t enough to scare a
person into working diligently to keep their diabetes
under control as well as they can, a recent report by
the UMHS indicates that those who suffer from diabetes
typically suffer from additional chronic diagnoses;
such as, hypertension, cardiac abnormalities,
hyperlipidemi and visual problems-such as presbyopia.
The report also indicates that the additional medical
problems typically take priority over taking the best
care they can of their diabetes. This of course then
leads to an increase in complications due to the
diabetes.
The simple rule is to take care of yourself and to
care as best you can for everything that is going on
with your body. Don’t’ ignore one thing over another
and remember that if you do ignore it, then it will
most likely come back to find you and be much more
demanding the next time around.
UMHS Press Release: Diabetes patients face multiple
health woes
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2007/diabetes.htm
Presbyopia - MayoClinic.com
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/presbyopia/DS00589
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
