Diabetes Complications Questions

1. How Do I Trim an Older Person's Toenails?

   The best way to trim the toenails of an older adult at home is to trim them straight across, if possible. Rounding the edges encourages ingrown toenails. If the nails are thick, try soaking the feet in warm water prior to trimming.
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

2. What Is Carotid Artery Disease?

   Carotid artery disease is what happens when the carotid arteries -- a pair of major arteries running up either side of the neck that carry blood to the brain -- fill up with plaque, becoming narrower and restricting blood flow. The condition is called carotid artery occlusive disease, and it often happens...
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer

3. What Can I Do About an Open Sore on the Foot That Won't Heal?

   A foot that has an open sore that isn't healing should be evaluated by a podiatrist or other physician for diagnosis and treatment. If the wound has been present for a while, it needs medical care both in order to avoid infection and in order to see what the underlying cause might be.
   FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

4. Should I be concerned that my mom has lumps where she injects insulin?

   Yes. The lumps you describe are fat deposits that may occur when insulin is injected into the same general area on a repeated basis. The technical term for this condition is lipohypertrophy. These lumps can delay the absorption of insulin and cause unwanted glucose fluctuations that trigger low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia...
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5. How can we prevent my mom, who has type 2 diabetes, from constantly getting yeast infections and cystitis?

   First try helping her get her blood sugar levels in her target range. Uncontrolled diabetes is a notorious contributing factor to frequent vaginal and bladder infections. How is your mom's A1C (the lab test that shows a three-month blood sugar average)? An A1C of less than 7 percent means she has good control...
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6. Can an extreme low blood sugar episode cause damage?

   If your glucose has dropped to an extremely low level (hypoglycemia is less than 70 mg/dL) ,yes, you need to call your doctor to problem solve why it occurred so you can reduce the risk of it happening again. Your doctor would consider adjusting medication. Neurological damage is possible with repeated or a single prolonged episode of hypogycemia...
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7. How can I help my parent figure out when her blood sugar is too high?

   Unfortunately, older people with diabetes often don't experience any signs of high blood sugar. Or, confusingly, the symptoms can mimic low blood sugar, such as feeling tired, hungry, or shaky. So the only way you or your parent can accurately assess the situation is by testing her blood sugar.
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

8. How can I help my mother handle low blood sugar incidents?

   When your mother is having a low blood sugar episode, it's quite possible she may not have enough fuel in her brain to make rational decisions such as, "I need to eat something -- right now." Also, there's a tendency for warning signs -- which include irritability, shaking, sweating, headaches, confusion...
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9. Can pain in my ear be worsened with my diabetes?

   Of course, ear pain should be evaluated by a doctor, whether or not you have diabetes. There are many possible causes of ear pain such as an ear infection, trauma to the ear, a foreign body in the ear, or a condition known as swimmer's ear, an infection of the outer ear and ear canal, characterized by pain, itchiness, and a feeling of stuffiness in the ear...
   1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

10. Can diabetes affect a person's memory?

    Diabetes itself doesn't affect a person’s memory. However, if your father is having many high or low blood sugar episodes, that could be the cause. Multiple instances of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can cause permanent memory defects. Typically, people with memory issues have severely low bloodod...
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11. Can Mom's blood work show something serious?

    Diabetes is sometimes difficult to manage, so I am glad to hear that your mother is going to a clinic that is monitoring her so closely. Regarding her abnormal bloodwork results, potassium levels can definitely go low when someone has bad diarrhea...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

12. Is my mother's physical condition due to her poorly controlled diabetes?

    Glucose levels do fluctuate for people with diabetes, especially with higher carbohydrate content foods like ice cream. Some chose to mitigate this effect by taking more medication. And like you have mentioned, not everyone is completely honest about their food choices when seeking diabetes care.
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

13. Is diabetes affecting my mom's brain?

    Given your mother's change in ability to do something as basic as write a check, and the fact her sister already has Alzheimer's, I suggest you make an appointment with her primary care doctor and, if you can, go with her to her share your observations. Ask to have your mom professionally evaluated for this brain disorder...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

14. Will Medicare cover oral surgery that is related to diabetes?

    Work by an oral surgeon on jaw or mouth bones will almost certainly be covered by Medicare Part B, whether the oral surgeon is a physician (M.D.) or not. On the other hand, work done solely on the teeth will not.
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15. Will Dad be recovering from heart failure?

    Hi:
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16. My dad eats lots of sweets and doesn't like to drink water--could he have diabetes?

    The only way to know for sure if your dad has diabetes is to get him checked for the condition. So ask his primary care doctor to perform this simple blood test. Most physicians do a fasting blood glucose test (that means going without food or calorie-containing drinks for eight hours, so it’s smarart...
    1 Expert Answer