Diabetes � How serious is it? �

02/09/2010 04:59:33 PM · #1

I posted some shots I did last month for the local diabetes association. I came to learn today that the Olympian's father (pictured on right) passed away from diabetes complications today.

A reminder of what a serious disease it is. He seemed perfectly happy and healthy at the time. =(

Message edited by author 2010-02-09 17:00:59.

Lonni

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

02/09/2010 05:05:28 PM · #2

Very sad :( My dad has had type 1 diabetes for 30 years, and stories like this are very sobering.

Great shots by the way. You did a great job on the lighting.

BJokerud

Nikon D3s

02/09/2010 05:11:13 PM · #3

I had no idea it could be that serious! My uncle has one type of diabetes, and he can get quite heavy seizures, but all he have to do if he gets one is to eat a piece of bread or two with jam or honny on it, and he's perfectly fine again.

You did an amazing job on those photos. That's a photo the family can have with them forever.

Luci11e

Nikon D40

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR

02/09/2010 05:14:04 PM · #4

Diabetes is indeed a terrbile disease. We are always worried about my MIL as her blood sugar is always off the charts high.

one2one

Olympus E-5

Olympus 7-14mm f/4.0 Zuiko Digital Zoom

02/09/2010 05:19:22 PM · #5

Sad news, he looked so cheerful in the pics.

My mom died 37 years ago from complications due to diabetes. I regularly have my blood sugar checked and tell my kids to do the same.

KarenNfld

02/09/2010 06:05:21 PM · #6

My nephew has juvenile diabetes, he was diagnosed at age 7, he's 23 now and a paramedic. It can be very dangerous, things like blindness, heart trouble, circulation problems, etc. Not to mention seizures if he goes low. But he has an insulin pump and takes good care of himself so he should be fine.

colyla

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

02/09/2010 09:14:16 PM · #7

My husband was just diagnosed with it last year....didn't take care of it and recently (three weeks ago) had to have a stent put in one of his 2 bad arteries (90% blocked). He's only 42 :/

Very scary...and sobering.

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

02/09/2010 11:55:51 PM · #8

Unchecked it can give rise to a host of problems and even kill you.

Ray

Starbanana

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 II

02/10/2010 04:52:30 AM · #9

We are told on diagnosis about all the bad things that we are of greater risk from. Increased chance of heart, liver & kidney desease. Loosing feeling in feet and lower legs, some to the point that damage is done & then parts need to be removed. Cataracts, glucoma & retinopathy (still no idea what that one is but I have a yearly test done for it!)

So yeah its a serious one and also a really annoying one. I think the portraits are great. His family has a great portrait now to go with thier memories of him

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

02/10/2010 07:20:25 AM · #10

My mom, dad, and sister all have diabetes and I have the beginning stages of it. I just went to the doctor a few months ago because I couldn't feel half my right leg and most of my right arm. I have nerve damage that makes me feel like my arm and leg is always asleep.

I never noticed it until now but it started in my hands years ago. Sometimes I would wake up in the morning after sleeping on my hands and they would be numb. I didn't know what caused it and thought it was just from the weight of my head cutting off the circulation but it turns out that I also have carpal tunnel in both of my hands.

Just a warning to those out there that think it's nothing when your arms, legs, feet, fingers fall asleep... don't just think it's nothing, go get it checked out.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/10/2010 10:15:20 AM · #11

OK - I realize this isn't a place to get a diagnosis by any means, but I would like to know a little more about this. This is interesting for sure.

I have woken many times like that (hands / arms REALLY asleep). I've had to wait through several minutes of pain until my hands / arms (woke up). The same thing can happen to my feet ad legs if I am sitting a certain way for a few minutes. I also have really bad circulation in my fingers and toes and they are often white and any amount of time in the cold causes real pain.
I also get light-headed when I don't eat.
I am no overweight at all so I don't fit that mold but I wonder if I should look further into it. It has crossed my mind before.

Again, I realize I'm not on a doctor's exam table but this community always seems like a good place to communicate just about anything.

Tate

Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

02/10/2010 10:23:33 AM · #12

Note that there are two distinctly different forms of diabetes - Type I and Type II. If you were diagnosed as a child or teen, you most likely have Type I. Type I diabetics have no pancreatic function at all - the pancreas stops doing what it is supposed to do and the body cannot process sugars, which it obviously needs to do to live. The most telltale sign is increased thirst and urination - the body is trying to deal with all that excess unprocessed sugar by peeing it out, literally.

Type II diabetes is that which those of you who are diagnosed as adults most likely have, and is often (though not always) the consequence of diet and lifestyle. We, humans in general, are far less active than we were a century ago. As a result, our bodies are not as efficient as they were then in some respects. Often, this type of diabetes can be dealt with at first, anyway, with diet and exercise changes. Oral medication is also available. Type I diabetics, on the other hand, require daily insulin injections.

Both are dangerous. Type I is moreso as it affects the person throughout their life, ravaging kidneys, eyes, other organs. Thankfully, a LOT of research has provided far better means of care today than even 40 years ago.

Ja-9

Nikon D750

Olympus 7-14mm f/4.0 Zuiko Digital Zoom

02/10/2010 11:40:02 AM · #13

Here is my 2 cents...having dealt with my Mother who had Type II Diabetes and a niece that has had Type I Brittle Juvenile Diabetes since age 2 (she is now turning 41ish a miracle IMO). She has loss of sight in one eye, upper arm movement is limited and a host of other problems. My mother would swing from readings of 25 to readings of 560...which wore out her heart and kidneys (the eventual cause of her death) I kept tight control on her diet despite the erratic swings in her readings. The lows usually happened when she was traveling and more active (which burns the sugars, thus the need for regular exercise, 30 minutes of walking alone does amazing things).

I have several clients that go to regular GP's or Internist for this aliment and have been miss lead by a GP/Internist but IMO you need to go to a specialist...an Endocrinologist. This is a very serious disease go to a Dr. that specializes in this area...another complication that comes with adult onset is Thyroid disease (also the Endo specialty area). Great news....if you take care of yourself and are diligent in what you eat, exercise and monitoring you can live a relatively normal life for a long time...

tate go to the Dr. there are sooooo many red flags flying from your post...get the answers from them. Do you have a history of autoimmune disease in your family...look up this site, this could be a cause of some of your symptoms or it could be as simple as the carpal tunnel disease. I wear splints at night for that..and once I started to wear those within 2 wks my symptoms disappeared (I have mild carpal tunnel). (go to an Orthopedic Hand Dr. for this)

Wonderful picture...it will mean alot to them...

one2one

Olympus E-5

02/10/2010 05:00:00 PM · #14

Originally posted by Melethia:

Very informative, thanks.

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

02/10/2010 05:28:35 PM · #15

Originally posted by tate:

OK - I realize this isn't a place to get a diagnosis by any means, but I would like to know a little more about this. This is interesting for sure.

I agree with Ja-9 here, go to the doctor and tell them what is happening. They did a EMG test on me to see how mad my nerves are... On the brighter side of nerve damage, if a nerve is destroyed new nerves take over to make up for the bad ones.

diagnoses... GO TO THE DOC ASAP

dtremain

Canon EOS 80D

Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II

02/10/2010 09:08:25 PM · #16

Diabetes is serious enough that life insurance companies generally will not issue a policy if you have it and it is not under control with diet, exercise and/or meds - and even then you won't qualify for preferred rates. Enough said.

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

02/10/2010 11:08:49 PM · #17

Originally posted by dtremain:

Life insurance companies are really keen on insuring young people...older folks, not so much.

One can be healthy as a horse but with advancing age, trust me you won't quality for preferred rates for any type of insurance.

Ray

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

02/11/2010 12:18:08 AM · #18

This is a little off topic, but I used to have bouts of carpal tunnel syndrome from playing drums for so long. I found that a few days taking vitamin B complex cleared it right up.
Maybe that would help someone here who is having nerve trouble.

Starbanana

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 II

02/11/2010 04:54:03 AM · #19

//www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/

Its a UK site, but the symptoms & advice dont change once you cross the atlantic ;)

Thought I would share this for people who want some more info or advice.

Message edited by author 2010-02-11 04:54:22.

02/11/2010 11:22:34 AM · #20

Thanks for the feedback (on my photos, and on my "issues"!).

I spoke with a friend at work who is a diabetic and he told me about the tests. I suppose this could become an amusing little chapter in my life. Better safe than not.

Ja-9

Nikon D750

Olympus 7-14mm f/4.0 Zuiko Digital Zoom

02/11/2010 11:29:21 AM · #21

at first it's should be a simple blood test "A1C" which will tell you and the Dr. what your "average" blood sugar has been for the past 3 months...and if your in the ranges then that is all you should need...if something else raises a red flag then you go to the Glucose Intolerance Test. At least this was how it worked for my mother.

one2one

Olympus E-5

02/11/2010 06:02:29 PM · #22

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

I'm about to go crazy from suffering from this for at least 5 years now. I've had MRIs done and they think I might have a pinched nerve but it's not serious enough to operate on. Yeah right! I'm buying some vitamin B complex this weekend and taking it. Where did you get this info about vitamin B having a positive effect on your nerves?

Ja-9

Nikon D750

02/11/2010 06:36:19 PM · #23

Originally posted by Jac:

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:
This is a little off topic, but I used to have bouts of carpal tunnel syndrome from playing drums for so long. I found that a few days taking vitamin B complex cleared it right up.
Maybe that would help someone here who is having nerve trouble.

I'm about to go crazy from suffering from this for at least 5 years now. I've had MRIs done and they think I might have a pinched nerve but it's not serious enough to operate on. Yeah right! I'm buying some vitamin B complex this weekend and taking it. Where did you get this info about vitamin B having a positive effect on your nerves?

do you have any hand splits? Those make such a difference in this...