Dr. Richard A. Guthrie, M.D.

This may or may not be due to her diabetes. If her diabetes is in poor control she may be losing a lot of calories in her urine & thus losing wt. (This is a trick used by young girls to lose wt. & look like Twiggy). If her blood sugars are in good control, then the diabetes is probably not the cause & you should see her Dr. immediately to find the cause as it might be curable if treated early.

Yes it can be treated. #1 get his blood sugar in control since diabetic neuropathy is due to damage to the nerves from high blood sugar. If early, it can be reversed by getting the blood sugar down to normal. #2 there are medications that can help relieve the symptoms. See your Dr. and ask for the medication.

After 12 years of diabetes (you didn't tell me how well it has been controlled over that 12 years), your pancreas is probably exhausted and thus incapable of control without medication. If you are overweight, lose wt. down to a normal wt. for your height. This will take some strain off of your pancreas. A Mediterranean diet can help both wt. control & blood sugar control. Exercise will also bring blood sugar down. Most of the stuff you see in ads & TV are worthless & end up being expensive. Most are scams. Your Dr. can guide you. Most important, KEEP YOUR BLOOD SUGAR UNDER CONTROL TO PREVENT COMPLICATIONS. You can do it & meds are not so bad. I have taken insulin for 26 years & have no complications. My HbA1c is 6,9%. Keep yours down.

Yes there could be a connection. Low blood sugar is more likely to cause headaches than high but in some persons high can cause it. You should see a physician, especially one that specializes in headache since headache is a bit unusual with high blood sugar be sure it is not setting off some other problem that needs attention. Above all keep your blood sugar in control not only to avoid the headaches but also to prevent the other complications we know are caused by high blood sugar.

Probably not too much. If you do not have diabetes, it will probably have no effect. If you have diabetes or are at a high risk for it, it may elevate your blood sugar some. It depends a lot on what kind of fruit you eat. Bananas are high in sugar, but have little fiber, so it's probably not good to eat too many of them. Since you are eating for the fiber, bananas would not be a good fruit. Oranges have a lot of fiber, particularly if you eat the orange; the juice may have had the fiber strained out. Grapes have a very high sugar content. That's why we make wine out of grapes rather than other fruits. Grapes, especially in the form of raisins, have a lot of fiber, but also a lot of sugar. Apples are low in glucose sugar (they have other sugars that are less harmful), so choose a good fruit to use. For you, check the sugar content and fiber content to select the right fruits for your needs and you should be okay. Enjoy, as most fruits are good for you.

This could be associated with diabetes although it could be just an age effect. Many things can cause this and we can fix some of them. We can't make her younger, If it is diabetes, yes we can help. Please see a Dr., preferably a neurologist who has the equipment to test her nerves & muscles to see if it is diabetes related. You didn't tell me how well her diabetes has been controlled. People with diabetes in really good control usually do not get neuropathy, though they can. People in poor (HbA1c >7%) have a very high incidence of neuropathy. So above all get her diabetes in good control since mild to moderate neuropathy is reversible.

I don't know what you mean by "keeping it at bay." Until we find a cure, your diabetes you will always be with you. If you mean keeping the DM in control, then I can give you some guidelines. For Type 2, there are many treatments available today, so you have a lot of choices: 1) Diet & control your weight - see a dietician if you need help; 2) Check your blood sugar frequently. The insurance industry wants you to check only the Fasting (once/day), but many people have good Fasting blood sugars, but are high after meals & that elevates the HbA1c. So, check some after meals to see if you need help there; 3) Go over your blood sugar records with a doctor who knows diabetes and look at the many options for you. Set goals with the physician & selection the medications that will help you meet those goals. See your doctor frequently & follow his or her advice.

Ondero is the trade name of a drug in the class we call DPP-4 inhibitors. What this group of drugs does is to prevent breakdown of a hormone that is an important hormone in our metabolism. This hormone is produced by the gut and rises when we eat. It is called a GLP-T R.A. What this hormone does is stimulate insulin production, suppress glucagon (a hormone that raises blood sugar), slows stomach emptying so you are satisfied with less food & do not get hungry between meals and it effects the brain so you feel sated & less hungry. The problem is that a chemical in the blood will break this hormone down in about 3 minutes so it doesn't last long enough to do its job. What Ondero & several other drugs in this class do is block the enzyme that breaks down GLP-1 so it lasts a lot longer to do its job. You can take a GLP-1 also but it needs to be given by injection whereas Ondero & its cousins can be taken by mouth. That's great but the problem is that this class of drugs are not all that good. They will drop the HbA1c by about 0.5% while other drugs for diabetes will drop the A1c by 1-2%. So, you should be taking another drug like metformin, a GLP-1, insulin or a SGLT-2 drug to help it.

Good luck.

Yes it can. There are several ways it can do that. 1) If the DM is not well controlled there will be excess sugar excreted in the urine and do those "little bugs" (bacteria) love sugar. With too much sugar in the bladder the bugs can reproduce & cause UTI. 2) Long term diabetes, especially if not well controlled can effect the nervous system causing neuropathy. In this case, the neuropathy is of the system we call the autonomic nervous system that controls function of the internal organs. If these nerves to the bladder are damaged from too much glucose the bladder becomes paralyzed & retains a residual urine. As it sits there it can become infected. 3) certain medicines can contribute to UTI. The main one that comes to mind now is the class of drugs called "Flozins" This class of diabetes (Invokana & several others) bring down blood sugar by facilitating more sugar loss in the urine. More sugar in the urine can again give food for those "little bugs" & UTI. Genital infections can also occur. These are usually fungal in nature & can be transmitted to sexual partners. This can be treated so if it occurs see your Dr. Get you sugar under control & keep it under control is the best way to conquer this problem.

The answer is, yes, there is something you can do. You did not tell me what kind of diabetes your parents have, but I am going to assume it is Type 2. This form of diabetes is highly genetic, but not everyone with the gene will get diabetes. In both types of diabetes, there are environmental factors that need to intersect with the genetic to produce the diabetes. For type 2 DM, we do not know all the environmental factors. We do know a few. The #1 is overweight. The excess fat causes resistance to the action of insulin requiring the pancreas to produce more insulin to keep the sugar down & thus just like a race car that blows an engine after a few miles so the pancreas can't keep up and it becomes damaged. So, eat right, exercise, don't smoke, be very light on alcohol, and keep your weight in a good level for your height. I can't promise that this will prevent diabetes since you have the genes, but it can & at the very least can slow down the development & progression. Good Luck!

Insulin, especially the newer analog insulin can be injected anywhere & get about the same results. Probably the best place is the abdomen. There is a lot of space there so we are not giving in the same place all the time. In studies absorption was best in the abdomen, arms were nearly as good and legs were acceptable but not as good as the other places. I have diabetes (for 26 years) & I prefer the abdomen. All the best.

It is not the only way but is the best way. Even if certain meds are used, he still needs to practice good diet and exercise. Metformin has been used in people with prediabetes with some success is slowing the development & progression. It is the cheapest drug but probably not the best one. There have been studies of the glitazone class of drugs, especially piaglitazone (Actose) & it has demonstrated a prevention effect. The other class of drugs being tested for this purpose are the GLP1-RA. This class includes drugs like Byetta, Victoza, Trullicity, and about 1/2 a dozen others. These drugs have multiple effects on several of the defects that lead to diabetes. Their disadvantage is they cause nausea, diarrhea & bloating if not used carefully. They also have to be taken by injection though the long acting ones can be taken only once a week. They are working on an oral form of these drugs. But don't forget the diet & exercise. A study done several years ago on people with pre-diabetes showed that metformin without diet and exercise slowed the development of diabetes over 5 yrs by 30% over controls who got no treatment. That sounds good but there is more. The people who did diet and exercise with NO medicines had a 60% reduction over controls. So what ever you do in the way of medications-DON'T Forget DIET & EXERCISE.

Very possibly it is. Diabetic neuropathy can come on early & severe in both Type 1 & Type 2 diabetes. You should consider this diabetic neuropathy until proven otherwise. There are other causes of periferal neuropathy such as Vitamin B12 deficiency, etc. so see your Dr. and get your feet examined and get tested for the neuropathy (there are several tests they can do to find out the cause). If it is diabetic neuropathy there are several things you can do 1) get your diabetes in control. Early neuropathy is reversible with normal blood sugars, 2) Check your feet daily to be sure there are no ulcer, bunions, etc. 3) Get good foot wear 4) have the Dr or the nurse check your feet every visit to be sure they are no places that may be breaking down. This is good advice for everyone with diabetes whether they have neuopathy or not. Good luck

The answer to this is yes and no. No, because diabetes is a genetic disease and we can't change our genetics. Though you can't change the genetic predisposition for diabetes, there are environmental factors in diabetes that can be changed so that the symptoms go away and medicine may not be needed to control the blood sugar. Lifestyle change is needed and should be a part of diabetes management anyway. This means diet, exercise, and wt. loss if overweight. This will help whether it is enough is the question. Do it and see the benefits whether he comes off medication or not.

The answer to your question would require more information. Do you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes? If you have Type 1 diabetes, the answer is you will have to stay on insulin for the rest of your life to stay alive. If you have Type 2 diabetes, it may be possible to stop insulin. Lifestyle such as diet and exercise with wt. loss will help. I do not know if you are overwt., so I can't tell you how much wt. loss would help. Also, if you are Type 2, what oral agents have you been on? Have you used 2 or 3 oral agents at a time? This is the best I can do with the limited information I have. I hope it helps.

There could be, but probably not. Low hemoglobin occurs from bleeding, lack of iron intake, vit. B12 deficiency, and a few other causes. It could be due to more metabolism from poor diabetic control, but this is rare. First, get her iron levels checked. In the elderly, the diet is often not good with iron-containing foods, so low iron and thus low hemoglobin (since it requires iron for its make-up) is common. Have her Dr. begin by checking her iron levels as well other tests related to iron. If normal, then look for other causes. Finally, get her diabetes under control. I don't know how old she is, but at any age, high blood sugar can damage the heart, brain, kidneys, nerves, eyes, etc., so get it under control.

Yes, diabetes can cause wt. loss. Several medications we use today to treat diabetes can also cause wt. loss. Without information on what type of diabetes he has & what medicine he is taking, I cannot give you an answer as to why he is losing or whether this is good or bad. In general, for type 2 diabetes, wt. loss is desired and part of the treatment plan. Thus, loss of 20 lbs is a good thing if your husband was overwt. If this was the case, don't worry. Celebrate!

Rarely. Thyroid disease can be a part of a syndrome of endocrine organs that are attacked by the immune system. This can include loss of adrenal gland, celiac disease, loss of hair, loss of skin pigment, etc. This problem is due to autoimmunity and results in a loss of function of the glands due to destruction. So, the result is usually loss of function, not an increase. Hypothyroidism is the usual problem with diabetes, not hyper or overactive, though this can occur. In any case, get the overactive thyroid problem taken care of, because it may make the diabetes hard to control as well as its effect on other organs, such as the heart.

Yes diabetes can impact the liver. The most common way is the formation of fat in the liver, called Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFL). The fat can enlarge the liver and cause sclerosis or scaring. The sclerosis is not reversible but the fatty liver is by tighter control of the blood sugar. Strive for the best control you can achieve without significant hypoglycemia. Good luck!

Unless the diabetic has a bleeding defect or is taking an anticoagulant there should be no difference from a person without diabetes. Now this statement applies to the well controlled diabetes. In the poorly controlled diabetes there is a problem with stickiness of the platelets that can disrupt the clotting mechanism. So keep your blood sugar in good control and control any bleeding as you would if you did not have diabetes. The first step to control bleeding is pressure on the spot of the bleeding. If a major artery is cut a tournequet may be needed as well as pressure. In that case get medical help ASAP. For common bleeding simple pressure will usually do the trick. BUT keep your blood sugars in control to avoid clotting problems.