“Hello old man, how are you doing today? Hey, look who’s calling me an old man—kettle calling pot black! I’m perfectly fine, Mr. Chukwuma, except for the nagging numbness on my feet and annoying blurred vision.” Paul said “Sorry to hear that, my friend; when last did you check your blood sugar?” “What has that to do with blood sugar?” “A lot—I once experienced that when my blood sugar went swinging!”
Diabetes affects all groups, but it adds to the worries of old age as it further subtracts from the already dwindling health of the elderly. You’re better off getting an early diagnosis and early treatment than allowing yourself to suffer several health problems that come with diabetes. Here are a few of them:
1. Nerve Damage: Tingling and numbness happen because diabetes begins to damage your nerves. It could also progress to affecting other nerve functions, such as control of bowel movements, which, in turn, leads to frequent stooling and vomiting.
2. Blindness: Diabetes affects blood vessels everywhere in the body—small and large vessels alike, including the blood vessels of the eyes. When this happens, things deteriorate, resulting in blurred vision, which may progress to blindness, if unchecked. High blood sugar could even make your lens swell, and this affects your vision. It’s always good to check with your doctor if you notice blood vision outside the normal age-related changes for which you might already use prescription glasses. So, before running to the optician, get a quick sugar check—speak with your doctor.
3. Poor wound healing: This happens because diabetes raises your blood sugar levels, which impairs wound healing. Diabetes also affects healing agent and nutrient-transporting tiny blood vessels to the wound. As a result, you may experience delayed wound healing. It’s important to disclose your diabetes status to surgeons before surgery. This knowledge will enable them to take extra measures to help your body heal faster.
4. Poor erection: Men don’t like to hear this—in fact, they’d dread it! But it’s all tied to the effect of diabetes on blood vessels and muscles too. Diabetes affects blood vessels everywhere and having a strong erection requires good blood flow through healthy blood vessels. The spongy tissue of the male sexual organ needs the blood to get erect. Diabetes affects this normal blood-filling action of blood vessels, impairing erection. This is one potent reason no man should leave diabetes mellitus untreated. It could affect you in greater ways than you ever imagined.
5. Kidney damage: As earlier noted, diabetes damages blood vessels, impairing blood flow. Both factors together damage the kidneys in the long run. The kidney’s filter systems are made of blood vessels, which, if damaged, would not be able to filter off wastes effectively. Diabetes is one of the commonest causes of end-stage kidney failure, in which only a kidney replacement or frequent dialysis would save the individual.
*Misconceptions: Just to note that some things we call diabetes in Africa are really not diabetes. And we need to be cautious in taking concoctions with wild, unverified claims of effectiveness. It’s common knowledge that some medicine peddlers advertise products promising stronger spinal cords and better erections! These ridiculous claims have no link with diabetes!
Some of these herbs have health benefits, but what’s the effective dose? A simple blood sugar test will save you all the hassles, ensure you get early treatment and prevent complications. Why wait?
Take-home: Diabetes is a silent killer. It affects you in many more ways than you think. A quick blood sugar check and prompt treatment could save you lots of money and needless hassles.
