Diabetes & The Body

Diabetes & your body

Diabetes and smoking

Smoking damages and constricts blood vessels, and that can lead to foot ulcers, blood vessel disease, and leg and foot infections.

Everyone knows the harmful effects that smoking has, but for a person with diabetes it is especially important not to smoke. The good news for those who do smoke is that no matter how long you’ve smoked, your health will improve after you’ve quit.

Smoking damages and constricts blood vessels, and that can lead to foot ulcers, blood vessel disease, and leg and foot infections. It also raises your blood sugar levels which makes it harder to control diabetes. Another good reason to quit is that smoking raises blood pressure and can lead to heart disease. In fact, according to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than are other people with diabetes.

Because nicotine is so addictive, you may want to ask your doctor for help in quitting. There are many methods you can try that will assist you in quitting, and the outcome will be well worthwhile.

Diabetes & Drinking

If you drink more than your liver can process over a period of time, the excess alcohol enters your blood stream and can make you feel very weak, dizzy, or sick.

Before having an alcoholic beverage, a person with diabetes should ask three simple questions:

• Is my blood glucose (sugar) under control?
• Does my doctor agree that I am free from health problems that alcohol could make worse?
• Do I know how alcohol will affect my diabetes?

If the answer to all three questions is “Yes,” then it’s okay to have an occasional drink. The American Diabetes Association suggests that you have no more than two drinks that contain alcohol a day if you are a man, and no more than one drink a day if you are a woman.

The reason is that alcohol is a toxin that your liver wants to quickly clear out of your body and your liver won’t release glucose until it’s finished working on the alcohol. The result is LOW blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia.

If you drink more than your liver can process over a period of time, the excess alcohol enters your blood stream and can make you feel very weak, dizzy, or sick. If you take insulin, or oral diabetes pills, the medication is also working to clear glucose from your blood, which is another potential cause of low blood sugar.

Diabetes & Your Eyes

To prevent or slow eye problems, keep your blood sugar and blood pressure as close to normal as possible.

There are four different parts to the human eye.

• The Retina (REH-ti-nuh) is the lining at the back of your eye that senses light.
• The Vitreous (VIH-tree-us) is a jelly-like fluid that fills the back of the eye.
• The Lens is at the front of the eye and focuses light on the retina.
• The Optic Nerve is the eye’s main nerve to the brain.
• High blood sugar causes the blood to “thicken” and makes it harder to push through the tiny blood vessels in your retinas. The blood vessels swell and weaken, and some might become clogged and fail to let enough blood through.

Diabetic retinopathy is the medical term for eye problems. As retina problems get worse, new blood vessels grow in the eyes, but they are weak and leak blood into the vitreous of your eye. The leaking blood keeps light from getting to the retina, and you may see floating spots, or total darkness.

Over time, the swollen and weak blood vessels can pull the retina away from the back of the eye causing you to see floating spots or flashing lights. A detached retina can cause you to loose some or all of your sight. If you think you may have a detached retina, see your doctor right away.

To prevent or slow eye problems, keep your blood sugar and blood pressure as close to normal as possible. Your doctor will tell you what the numbers should be, and if you need to make a change in your treatment plan.

Diabetes & Your Kidneys

It’s important to have your doctor check your kidneys at least once a year. Keep your blood pressure below 130/80. That will help prevent kidney damage.

Your kidneys play an important role in staying healthy. They act as filters to clean your blood. When you have diabetes, there are many things you can do to prevent or slow down kidney damage, which can be the result of high glucose (sugar) levels in your blood.

First, ask your doctor what blood glucose numbers are healthy for you. With that information, you can keep your blood sugar as close to normal through your prescribed treatment plan.

Second, keep your blood pressure below 130/80. That will help prevent kidney damage. It will also slow damage to your heart, eyes, and blood vessels.

Third, have your doctor or dietitian draw up a healthy eating plan for you, and then follow it.

Fourth, have your doctor check your kidneys at least once a year, and have any kidney tests he or she thinks you might need.

Fifth, see your doctor right away if you think you may have a bladder or kidney infection.

Your doctor may prescribe an ACE inhibitor, which is a medicine that helps control blood pressure and prevents your kidneys from filtering out too much protein. Protein, also called albumin (al-BYOO-min), in large amounts is very damaging to the kidneys.

When people with diabetes first begin to have kidney problems, they have no symptoms.

Diabetes & Your Skin

Skin problems are often the first sign that a person has diabetes.

Diabetes can affect every part of your body, including your skin. In fact, skin problems are often the first sign that a person has diabetes. The good news is that most skin conditions can be prevented or easily treated if caught early.

When a person has diabetes, he or she can develop bacterial infections, fungal infections, and itchy skin more frequently than people who do not have diabetes.

One of the main culprits in fungal infections is called Candida albicans, which is a yeast-like fungus. These infections often occur in the warm, moist folds of your skin such as between your toes, your armpits, and in the corners of your mouth. If you think you have a fungal infection, call your doctor. You will need a prescription medication to cure it.

Localized itching is often caused by diabetes. It can be the result of dry skin, a yeast infection, or poor blood circulation. You may be able to treat itching yourself by limiting how often you bathe when the humidity is low. Use mild soap with moisturizer, and apply skin lotion after you bathe.

Diabetic dermopathy is caused by changes in the small blood vessels. Dermopathy looks like light brown, scaly patches and are often mistaken for age spots. The patches do not hurt, itch, or open up and require no medical treatment.

Most often, they occur on the front of both legs. Ask your doctor to recommend a skin care regimen that’s right for you.