Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by saundra barragan on May 11, 2008 at 9:14pm

My vision is my biggest concern right now. I have had two laser surgeries and the doctor says i will probably need two more. Yet nothing really seems to be doing much better. Where do we go from there?

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Permalink Reply by debb on May 12, 2008 at 5:16am

i think vision first. losing part of myself runs a close second. i have a friend who has lost part of her leg. someone else i know has lost a couple of toes. it's all scary.

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Permalink Reply by Dee Meloche on May 12, 2008 at 3:41pm

I think losing my eyesight is the most worrisome with my kidneys being second.I have been a type 1 for 23 years and I have been free of complications.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on May 12, 2008 at 7:06pm

Neuropathy, retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, loss of limbs positively pale in comparision to the possibility of diabetic dementia, one of the least talked out diabetic complications.

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on May 12, 2008 at 7:40pm

I hadn't read about this. Can you please talk a bit more about it?

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on May 13, 2008 at 3:53am

From a NYT article published 7/17/2006: ". . . .several large studies have found that compared with healthy people of the same age and sex, those with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The reason is not known, but researchers initially suspected that cardiovascular problems caused by diabetes might contribute to dementia by blocking blood flow to the brain or causing strokes.

More recently, though, scientists have begun to think that the diseases are connected in other ways as well. In both, destructive deposits of amyloid, a type of protein, build up: in the brain in Alzheimer’s, in the pancreas in Type 2 diabetes.

People with Type 2 often have a condition called insulin resistance, in which their cells cannot properly use insulin, the hormone needed to help glucose leave the blood and enter cells that need it. To compensate, the pancreas makes extra insulin, which can reach high levels in the blood. Too much insulin may lead to inflammation, which can contribute to damage in the brain.

In addition, abnormalities in glucose metabolism and insulin levels in the brain itself may be harmful. Some research has found that too much insulin in the brain can contribute to amyloid buildup. Researchers have even suggested that Alzheimer’s disease may actually be 'Type 3 diabetes,' a form of the disease affecting the nervous system."

The NYTimes is not what I'd characterize as a reliable source for medical information, but this article is a decent summary of current biochemical thinking as I understand it. A good bit of peer-reviewed research can be found with a Google search.

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Permalink Reply by mary ann jacob on May 14, 2008 at 10:31am

Hi this is Mary ann and my biggest fear is losing eyesight however my Dr. told me recently that since I have been diabetic type 1 for 38 years a complication free I should not worry tooo much about complications but I still do Also heart disease is a fear because it runs in my family.

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Permalink Reply by Merietta on May 18, 2008 at 1:36pm

Yes eyesight is horrible, but it ties to losing a limb. As a musician, losing either is an absolute nightmare. It all really scares me!

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Permalink Reply by Stuart on August 25, 2008 at 4:01pm

Diabetes complications are like a ship that is on fire.

None of it is EVER good, but you deal with the flames in front of us!!!


None of them are "pretty"....

Blindness, not good, but still alive in most respects
Kidney Failure... slow & painful... by inches
Circulatory Problems.... unstoppable... and hidden beneath the surface.
Impotence... no FUN

Neurology (Nerve Problems): Not alive and not dead either.... random & likely excruciating... no thanks.

You pick, they are all bad!

Stuart

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Permalink Reply by Lee Ann on August 25, 2008 at 4:20pm

Between the big three - retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy - nephropathy has got to be the worst by far. Kidney disease, kidney failure, dialysis - being hooked up to a machine several times a week so it can filter my blood, and then praying I get a transplant to buy me an extra 5 or 10 years of life, praying I don't get a cold and die while taking handfuls of immuno-suppressive meds?? No thanks.

As long as I'm not dead from that, I can get around if I'm blind, and I can still make art if I want, and I can get around if I'm short a few toes or a foot or even two feet. I won't be getting around anywhere anytime if my kidneys don't work.

After nephropathy, I'm voting for not getting gastroparesis. That sounds like hell to me.

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Permalink Reply by Diabetic_Iz_Me on August 25, 2008 at 7:05pm

Honestly, I am afraid of them all!!! *yikes*

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on August 25, 2008 at 7:42pm

What a choice to choose from!

For me, it's vision first. Definitely the least physically painful, but I freak at the thought of not being able to see. When I woke up in the hospital finding out my diagnosis, the first thing I asked the doctor was how my eyes were. Second question was about my kidneys.

Heart disease runs in my family, so I'm certainly at risk for that even without diabetes. But, I'd rather drop dead quickly from a heart attack than suffer with kidney disease.

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