The Diabetes Pro

Most people don’t really know a whole lot about diabetes — but the one thing they think they know is the effect diabetes has on your vision. A surprising number of people are convinced that diabetics are destined to become blind — if not now, later.

That may have been true once — long ago, before medical technology had advanced to the point where it is now and people’s understanding of diabetes management evolved to today’s standard. The situation now is different. While people with diabetes do have a statistically higher chance of becoming blind than those without diabetes, many of the conditions that contributed to deteriorating vision or total vision loss can now be effectively managed or minimized.

One of the main vision-related conditions diabetics need to be concerned about is glaucoma. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are 40% more likely to have glaucoma than people without diabetes.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the name of a group of eye diseases that adversely affect vision. In all of the glaucomas, pressure within the eye slowly damages the optic nerve, eventually destroying vision. The most common form of glaucoma is open angle glaucoma, which manifests no symptoms until the vision has already been damaged. There is no cure for open angle glaucoma, but the progression of the disease can be slowed in order to preserve vision.

Because open angle glaucoma has no symptoms — you can’t ‘feel it’ coming on — it is essential for all people, and especially diabetics, to have regular eye exams. These exams must include an optic nerve check and a check of the pressure in the eye, known as tonometry. Many individuals don’t care for the tonometry exam, finding it uncomfortable, but it is a momentary discomfort compared to the ongoing, permanent damage glaucoma can cause if left unchecked.

Other types of glaucoma: acute glaucoma, low-tension, congenital, and secondary glaucoma, are similar in nature to open angle glaucoma. Acute glaucoma is distinct because it usually manifests with severe pain and nausea to the patient.

For the best prognosis, glaucoma should be detected and treated early. Treatment for glaucoma generally begins with a course of eye drops. If the eye drop medication fails to halt the progression of the disease, laser surgery or traditional eye surgery are the recommended course of action. Obviously, each individual responds to the condition differently, and courses of treatment will be different for each patient.

The risk of glaucoma and other vision problems associated with diabetes make it essential for the diabetic to form a strong and lasting relationship with their ophthalmologist. The trained eyes of a medical professional are the best tool you have at your disposal to protect your vision Regular exams, coupled with the careful tracking of changes in your eyes, are the first line of defense against glaucoma. Glaucoma medicines are stronger and more effective than ever before, offering diabetics a wide range of tools to be used to preserve their vision.

DID YOU SEE IT?

Last week, on November 12, the cover story in USA Today was “Diabetes ‘revolution’ is cutting both ways”.  To summarize the article, it indicated that there are more people with diabetes these days than ever before, including those who have no idea they are truly diabetic.  That is the bad news, and the good news is that the complications from being diabetic have become much more minimal than ever before.   Doctors who once had a waiting room filled with the obvious victims of the complications from diabetes, now they open their doors, and are pleasantly surprised.  In the past, you would observe patients with poor eyesight, limbs missing, and those about to go on dialysis due to their kidneys failing.

While we have all the tools available to us to monitor and control our condition, there are unfortunately still those who fail to take advantage of what has opened the doors to much better control.  There is the blood sugar monitoring devices, many different types of insulin, syringes and needles which are smaller than we could have imagined years ago. Additionally, there is an array of  other means of control, such as the insulin pump.  I began pump therapy approximately 18 years ago, and I must admit I was very skeptical back then.  My first pump malfunctioned while I was on vacation, which was not the way I expected to spend during a time which should have been filled with relaxation and adventures.  Fortunately, the pump manufacturer flew in a replacement pump, but in the meantime, I was in a difficult position.  Yes, I survived the ordeal, but decided to go off that pump until I felt more confident.  The pumps today are amazing with features that do the calculating for you.

I hope, if you have not already done so, you will read the USA Today article and see for yourself how the management of diabetes has progressed.  Good luck!  

Step 1
When I think back to my life 47 years ago and the challenges of living with diabetes, I had no idea how almost uncivilized those times were.  The comparisons to today are monumental. 

Try to imagine the only way of gauging your blood sugar level was by testing the urine.  You would “pee” in a cup.  Then put a few drops of the urine into a test tube followed by dropping a tablet into the tube.  Then you watched the two combine while watching the combination begin to sizzle.  After the scientist — that would be me – would observe the bubbles calming down, there would be the high technology of shaking the two together.

The secret was in the wrist and the observer’s getting the visual color exactly right which would range from a blue to a yellow.  WOW, when you saw that blue, you could breathe easier now knowing that this scientific wonder, made you feel comfortable knowing that what was in your urine showed a negative sugar level!  Let’s go all the way down the scale to the yellow color – uh oh, are you in trouble!  So, what do you do now with these results, probably not one thing until your next doctor’s appointment!

Wait til my next “tell all” about the non-existence of at home self care, or rather the trial and error which consisted of crossing your fingers and believing you were actually on target, with what was available, for you the diabetic to monitor yourself.

So many thoughts and ideas continuously rush through me that I want to share with you, the reader.   As fellow diabetics, and/or family of, I am certain every day can be a challenge.  I know with me, it is the carb/insulin ratios.  Until now this was such a challenging ordeal to visualize and calculate the amounts.  Now, with my new pump, my life has been simplified.  In my next article, I will share with you what has transpired through the years with the advancements that are truly amazing.  You will not believe how it  used to be, and when you read some of the amazing improvements over the way it used to be!

I am that teenager who was diagnosed with diabetes and had no idea what to expect.  Did my life change – you bet it did – but now that I look back, it pretty much remained the same.  Join me as I let you in on some of my life experiences for almost 50 years!  I plan to make it worth the ride.