sofeenah

4 years

My father is a newly diagnosed diabetic

Doctor, my father is a newly diagnosed diabetic and is currently on metformin. I’ve done my research and is very worried of his condition. On the other hand, my father could not care less of his condition as his diabetic was detected during a health screening camp after which it was confirmed by the hospital. May I know what happens if he continues to neglect taking medications or doesn’t want to change his sedentary lifestyle and love for sweet and salty food? What should I do to help him with managing his condition?

Dr Ramzdhan,

3 years

Hi there! Thank you for your question. Diabetes can get out of control if you don’t take diabetes medicines as directed, don’t follow the meal plan (like eating too much or not enough food without adjusting diabetes medicines), don’t get regular exercise, have an illness or too much stress and don’t check blood sugar levels enough.

There are several short term and long term complications if diabetes gets out of control. The short term complications includes hypoglyceamia, hyperglyceamia and diabetic ketoacidosis.

Examples of this complications include skin infections, damage to the eyes where it will present with poor eyesight or detected during a visit to the optician, tingling sensation or numbness in the feet, poor healing of the wound and cuts which will eventually lead to infection, unwanted cuts and bruises then lead to diabetic foot ulcers and amputation, erectile dysfunction, kidney problems and heart attack.

These happens for several reasons diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), high glucose levels, poor blood circulation and weakened immune system and infection. There are several ways to overcome this stop smoking, eat a clean and diabetic friendly diet, exercise, lose weight, limit alcohol, take your medications or insulin on time, do regular self-checks and keep pressure off the wounds.

There are several things you can do as a loved one to help out:

  1. Don’t nag
  2. Learn about the disease.
  3. Encourage healthy eating and life style. Make it a team effort. A diabetes diagnosis is a chance for the whole household to start some healthy habits. Get everyone to get onboard with nutritious meals, quitting smoking, and staying active.
  4. Know when to step back.
  5. Talk openly about any issues such as complications.
  6. Attend a diabetes support group with them.
  7. Offer to attend doctor appointments.
  8. Be observant to drops in blood sugar
  9. Be positive.

Please click on this link (DoctorOnCall) to talk to us privately online and discuss further about your inquiries. Thank you.

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