Diabetes FAQ » Diabetes Q&A » I have just started a relationship with this man that I truly care for and would love to marry one day. However, we are already having trouble in the intimacy department. He has trouble maintaining an erection and he feels very bad about it. He says he believes it has to do with his diabetes medication. He has sugar diabetes. He says it never happened to him before. Could this be true or is he really just not sexually interested in me?

I have just started a relationship with this man that I truly care for and would love to marry one day. However, we are already having trouble in the intimacy department. He has trouble maintaining an erection and he feels very bad about it. He says he believes it has to do with his diabetes medication. He has sugar diabetes. He says it never happened to him before. Could this be true or is he really just not sexually interested in me?

Let’s first start by discussing the condition. Your boyfriend may have erectile dysfunction, which is the condition whereby the male cannot have or keep an erection. This problem can happen to any man at any time and some factors that contribute to this could be stress, tiredness, alcohol, and medical conditions. A male having this problem would not normally be considered as having an erectile dysfunction unless the condition has occurred for at least three months.

It is common for males who have diabetes to also suffer from erectile dysfunction. If your boyfriend has not had a relationship before you since he has contracted diabetes it is possible that the diabetes is affecting his ability to have an erection or sustaining it at this time. In fact, in some cases it is often the first symptom of diabetes in men and that is what gets them to the doctor for a check up where then they find that the underlying cause for the erectile dysfunction is the diabetes. Half of all men will have some erectile dysfunction within 10 years of being diagnosed with diabetes.

The effects of diabetes on the ability to have and maintain an erection

Very high blood sugar levels can cause blood vessel and nerve damage in any part of the body. Therefore high blood sugar levels can also lead to disruption of blood flow and nerve damage in the penis as well.

Other organs of the body, which are affected by diabetes, can in turn affect sexual function. For example, coronary artery damage, which leads to heart disease and is a complication of diabetes, can also affect sexual ability. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association men who suffer from diabetes, and coronary artery disease are at a 9 times greater risk to have erectile dysfunction than men who are not suffering from these diseases.

At this point it would be a good idea for your boyfriend to visit with his doctor so that he can be checked out for possible diabetes complications as well as his sexual dysfunction right now.

Furthermore, your boyfriend is right when he says that diabetes medication can affect sexual functioning. Medications for diabetes mellitus are designed to lower high blood glucose levels. There are certain medications that have been known to cause penile erectile dysfunction. Diuretics (blood pressure medication) and beta-blockers can cause erectile dysfunction, as well as some antidepressants. Your boyfriend is going to have to consult with his doctor about the medications he is on and the possibility of changing some of them to prevent the sexual problems he is having at present.

Medication to treat erectile dysfunction

There are also certain medications that will help increase the blood flow to the penis. These medications include Vieira, Calais, and Elvira. These medications will work, to keep and sustain an erection. Your boyfriend will take them about a half hour before he believes he will be intimate with you. However, your boyfriend shouldn’t go out and get them on his own. These medications can have serious side effects and should not be taken without the okay from your boyfriend’s doctor.

Although the issue is very embarrassing for your boyfriend, that fact that the two of you are able to talk about it is a wonderful thing. Sexual intimacy is important in a relationship and so is the ability to communicate on all levels between sexual partners. Your ability to understand your boyfriend and support him along the way will very much help his ability to share intimate moments and to further bond with you. Good luck on your future wedding plans!

What role does edema play in diabetes? My neighbor has edema but her legs and feet are not swollen like I thought they would be. Instead, she says she has problem with her eyes.

Diabetes affects close to 18 million people and it happens to be the fastest growing medical condition in the United States. The condition of type 2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a condition, which is associated with obesity. In regards to diabetes, what happens is that pancreas is not capable of producing enough insulin or the muscles cells, liver, and the body’s fat cannot use the insulin the body produces well enough. Insulin is an important hormone that helps the body to convert the body’s sugars called glucose along with other foods such as starches into energy. When that happens the blood glucose levels increase causing a condition called hyperglycemia, while the rest of the body starves for the energy it needs. Pre diabetes is a condition that occurs when the blood sugars levels are high but not yet high enough to be called diabetes. When the levels are too high then hyperglycemia, causes type 2 diabetes. One of the conditions associated with type 2 diabetes is edema.

Yes you are correct in that edema is swelling and the most common symptom we know for swelling is swelling of the legs and feet because it is most visible. The symptoms are there in plain view. However, diabetics can suffer from different kinds of swelling or edema and much of it cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Types of edema associated with diabetes

There are three kinds of edema associated with diabetes. Edema could occur because of a cardiovascular disease, it could be nephritic syndrome, which is acute renal (kidney) failure, renal artery stenosis, acute liver failure, cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, or drugs used to in treatment for diabetes. It can also be mixture of things such as protein and thiamine deficiencies, and even premenstrual fluid retention or pregnancy and acute anaphylaxis (allergic reaction).

Macula edema

Particular to your neighbor is a condition called macular edema, and it is an inflammation or swelling of the macular area near the middle of the retina of the eye. This is the portion of the eye this is responsible for reading or fine vision. This area of the eye is also responsible for seeing colors and daytime vision. Diabetic Retinopathy can cause macular edema and it is a one of the complications that diabetics can contract. Macular edema begins when the blood vessels leak fluid in the macula. This loss of vision can lead to legal blindness.

Two types of macula edema

The first type of macular edema is called focal macular edema. In this type of edema, there are abnormalities in the blood vessels in the macula. Mostly there are little aneurysms that cause the vessels to leak. This condition can be treated by lazar surgery to seal up the microaneurysms.

The second type of macular edema is called diffuse macular edema and this condition is caused when capillaries in the retina dilate. There is a treatment for this condition as well called Grid laser surgery. This surgery will be focused on the retinal thickening where there is diffuse leaking and the leakages will also be sealed up.

Certain drugs can cause edema

Researchers have found that certain drugs used by diabetics such thiazolidinediones can actually cause edema. TZD, as they are known, are given to lower blood sugar and lipid levels in order to control blood pressure; however, they can in some cases cause edema, in this case it would be pulmonary edema. Many patients who are using this drug to keep their blood pressure and glucose levels down have to discontinue the drug because of the serious complications, which could lead to heart failure as well as pulmonary edema.

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