Some Complications of Diabetes

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How does diabetes affect you?

Diabetes causes changes in the way cells work.  The high concentration of sugar in the blood when the sugar levels are high causes the cells to change their shape.  You may note this in your vision.  When my husband's blood sugar was about 500, his vision was very blurry.  I experienced a change in my vision too.  It got better.  When I took my glasses off, I could see better.  I liked it!  The doctor did not.  He explained that the increase in sugar caused the cells and the eye ball to contain more fluid.  My astigmatism was improved because the eye ball became more round.  With high sugar readings, the eye ball, as well as brain, kidney, intestinal and neuronal cells experience increase in volumne of liquid and rupture.  These cells do not repair themselves.  They are lost.

Which systems are affected by diabetes?

All your body systems are affected by diabetes because the blood that brings nourishment and oxygen to the cells circulates throughout the body.  Nothing is safe from diabetes. 

Doctors worry a lot about foot care in patients with diabetes because the blood circulation may be slow to the feet.  Gravity works in blood too.  Proping your feet up when resting or watching TV is a good idea.  Get all the blood flow possible.  You may have lost neurons in your feet and legs and not know it.  One possible indication that you have begun to lose blood flow and neurons is lack of hair growth on the legs.  Your doctor may recommend a nerve test to find out the state of your nerve function in your feet.  My test showed impairment in my nerve functions.  That means that my feet are less sensitive to pain and injury.  That sounds like a good thing, but it means that I would not notice an injury and infection could spread before I was aware of it.

Loss of nerve cells does not mean that your feet won't hurt.  My often tingle, sting, or ache.  These are symptoms of the cells dying.  Take all the precautions you can to prevent this.  My doctor prescribed a drug to help the pain, but it had side effects that I was not willing to endure.  The medicine does not prevent the death of the cells; it just relieves the pain.  You will have to choose whether to endure the pain or the side effects.

Heart, kidney, and intestinal walls suffer damage from diabetes.  If your feet and legs are losing cells, the organs are too.  It pays to keep your sugar levels within the parameters recommended by your doctor.  On doctor expressed the idea that the most sensitive organ to loss from diabetes is the brain.  The brain loses cells daily from the mere act of living.   Any contaminants in air, water, and food cause cell loss.  Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and even medications cause brain cell loss.  Do all you can to keep these  negative effects at a minimum