Diabetes Q&A

I heard that diabetes could cause gangrene is this true? I thought gangrene was caused by frostbite?

Most people associated gangrene with frostbite where areas of the body that have been exposed to extremely cold conditions gets so cold the oxygen supply is cut off and gangrene sets it. When this type of gangrene occurs it is called a dry gangrene. Gangrene can also be caused by a bacterial infection and this [...]

I am diabetic but I seem to be having so much more problems, I have trouble eating certain foods and I have Crohn’s disease and other digestion problems. Can anybody tell me what this could be?

First of all it is very difficult to answer this and only your diabetes specialist can provide you with proper answers. Explain to him or her all your diabetes symptoms, even symptoms you don’t think are associated. Your doctor is the best person to give you diabetes information. However, there are some things you may [...]

I have been diabetic now for about two years and I have had trouble eating certain foods like cucumbers and cauliflower for as long as I can remember, I always feel gaseous and bloated and I have cramps after every meal, and forget about beer that just bloats me up so much that I won’t touch it. I don’t know why I feel so bloated I am not a big eater and generally just pick at my food. I can also bring my food back up and that is embarrassing especially when I am out or having lunch at work. I believe I might a have a condition called gastro something or other. Can you tell me if there is a gastrointestinal disease associated with diabetes?

Gastroparesis
There is a complication of diabetes known as Gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is stomach paralysis and it is caused by nerve damage diabetic neuropathy. It is the vagus nerve that is specifically damaged in this condition. The vagus nerve is a nerve that is known as a vagabond nerve because it wanders around the body [...]

I have fibromyalgia and diabetes how do they interact with other?

It sometimes can be difficult to tell the difference between the two conditions. Diabetes can bring on the symptoms of general feeling of tiredness, with sore and achy muscles, and loss of energy. Couple that with fibromyalgia and it is not a very nice situation to be tired and lacking energy all the time.
It is [...]

I am 67 years old I have type 2 diabetes now for several years and I just found out that I now have a thyroid condition. Is this a complication of diabetes or is it something totally unrelated?

Thyroid disease
Thyroid disease is a common disease that most people will suffer from and the risk of getting it does increase with age. You may have just found out you had it because your doctor, already knowing you have diabetes did a screening for it.
Hypothryroidism
There is hyperthyroidism which is an over active thyroid and hypothyroidism [...]

I just found out I have diabetes and I am pregnant. This is our first baby and we are excited. How will diabetes affect the possibility of breastfeeding I always wanted to breastfeed but now I don’t know if it will be safe for my baby. Can I still breastfeed?

Breastfeeding was nature’s intended way to feed infants as we all know as a soon to be mother you are concerned about your baby’s health. One thing researchers have found out is that there is a link between cow’s milk and type 1 diabetes. It is recommended not to feed babies cow’s milk especially early [...]

Can a person suffering with diabetes also get cancer because of it?

Both cancer and diabetes are common diseases prevalent in the United States today; however not much research has been done to determine a link between the two of them. Nevertheless, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association there is a link. It appears that cancers patients who also have diabetes have more of [...]

I am a 50 year old woman, I am obese, and as a child I used to wet the bed, I haven’t done it since, but lately I have trouble controlling my urine, I get up several times during the day to go to the bathroom and I don’t make it in time, I wake up sometimes during the night to go to the bathroom but even more recently I found I have been wetting the bed, is it a bladder infection because I don’t have any pain or could it be something else?

Bedwetting in children is very common before the age of 6 and it can last up to and past the preteen years. Most of the time it is a situation, which usually corrects itself. It is however, not common for an adult to be experiencing bedwetting. The condition that occurs when children can control their [...]

I worry about my father, he lives alone and he has diabetes. He is 65 years old and stopped working a few years ago. He often forgets to take his medication and lately he seems to be forgetting more things. Sometimes when I call him on the phone, he forgets things he should know and just seems to be out of it, saying things that do not make sense. I live too far away too visit him every day so I was wondering is this normal memory loss or could he be showing signs of dementia?

Actually the risk of getting dementia in older people who already have diabetes recently made the news. The medical correspondent for CBS News, Dr. Jon LaPook has reported that there are over 23.5 million Americans who have diabetes and half of them are seniors over 60 years of age. Furthermore researchers have found a link [...]

My wife is diabetic and she needs to go in for some oral surgery. I have been told that dental surgery is dangerous for a diabetic. Is this true? What can we do to make the surgery as safe as possible and why is she having so many problems with her teeth and gums at this time. This is a woman who used to have a healthy set of teeth and gums all her life.

Uncontrolled blood sugars levels wreck havoc on the body’s natural biological functions. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels will cause very serious conditions such as kidney failure and heart attack, and it will also interfere with blood flow by having damaged blood vessels (diabetic neuropathy), create eye problems and yes it will affect oral health. Too much [...]