Taking the piddling tour

This is a delicate subject, er, excuse me for a moment.
Okay, I'm back, Mr. Editor.
As I was saying before I made another stop on the Piddling Tour, this is a delicate subject evolving around diabetes.
There, I've blurted it out: I'm a lifetime member of Diabetes Anonymous -- ever since 1978.
Of course, this Ol' Columnist has always blamed my granddaddy, Angus MacDonald Corbett, for in my pre-teen years he feed me candy by the ton and then my father, Willard, lived on candy and sweets as a youngster and then, in his later years, suffered the indignities of diabetes, including being a charter member of the Piddling Club.
So like father, like son, the onslaught of one of mankind's worst diseases, began slowly until in my senior years, diabetes has reached far beyond the chuckling stage.
Now, before I get into the heavy-duty research materials, let me tell you, I take 92 units of insulin a day plus five tablets of Metformin.
Excuse me, it's piddling time.
Dr. Paul Latimer of the Okanagan Clinical Trials (250-862-8141) details some of the problems arising from the disease which can cause such seriious health complications as vision loss and amputation, in addition to life-threatening problems such as stroke, heart disease and kidney failure (see www.okanaganclinicaltrials.com)
So Doc, that's the reason my eyesight has become blurry on occasion.
In Latimer's study, he reports the body's ability to process sugar is "becoming one of the four big killers in the western world."
However, what really made me take notice in Latimer's summation of the disease was the fact that depression can set in, and, I might, add unexpectedly.
You might be humming along and, without warning, the "blues" as we used to call it, jumps in.
There have been instances of depression setting in. Even great men such as Sir Winston Churchill and the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, had fits of great anxiety and went into severe depression. I do not know if this was compounded by diabetes, but it is highly likely.
In Diane O'Grady's excellent book, "Teach Learn Live -- The Complete Diabetes Education Guide for Health Care Professionals," the Vernon-based diabetes nurse educator, writes about the signs and symptoms.
"Increased thirst and urination, excessive hunger, weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision are classic signs and symptoms,"she writes, "The client may present with any combination of the following:
1. Polyuria (increased urination) -- As the body tries to rid itself of excess glucose, water is drawn from the tissues and excess urine is produced. Recurrence of bed-wetting is a common sign of hyperglycemia in the child.
2. Polydipisia (increased thirst) -- Increased thirst is caused by the need to replace fluid lost through increased urination.
3. Polyphagia (excessive hunger) -- Increased hunger is caused by the need for energy from food because the body cannot use the glucose it has.
4. Fatigue, weakness and weight loss -- These occur when the body is unable to use or store glucose, its primary fuel source.
5. Slow healing of wounds and cuts -- The hyperglycemic environment is a perfect medium for the proliferation of bacteria and yeast. The client is particularly suspectible to vaginal and urinary tract infections.
6. Pain, numbness or tingling in the body extremities -- These sensations are caused by a buildup of glucose on the nerves and small blood vessels which supply these parts.
7. Itchy skin -- Sugar crystals just beneath the skin's surface cause itching.
8. Vision changes -- Retinal edema and hemorrhage cause changes in vision, including blurred vision. These changes are not permanent, and often improve after six to eight weeks of better glycemic control. For this reason, a change in eyeglass prescription needs to be postponed until glycemia improves.
9. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, flushed skin and a musty or fruity odour to the breath; and 10. Unconsciousness -- This may occur if hyperglycemia is severe, prolonged and left untreated.
There is hope, however.
Since I am preaching to myself as well as thousands of others who may bee reading this column, if you have any, and I mean any, of these symptoms, as I've listed above, please, get to your medical doctor/diabetes expert A.S.A.P
For as someone wise once said: The mind is a terrible thing to lose.
Getting back to Dr. Latimer's diagnosis, he said in his article that "the causes underlying the association between depression and diabetes are still unclear. Depression may develop as a result of the stress of having a chronic illness, but may also be the result of the metabolic effects of diabetes on the brain. More research is needed to uncover the relationship between the two disorders."
He claims that diabetes is more common in psychiatric patients in general than in the rest of the population."In fact, type 2 diabetes is thought to be two to four times more prevalent among people with schizophrenia and up to three times more prevalent in those with bipolar disorder," he wrote,"There is also a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease."
Then Dr. Latimer went on to emphasize that "stress and anger at having a chronic illness are also common mental health implications to coincide with diabetes. These are also important to manage as stress can raise blood glucose and blood pressure. Getting regular sleep and exercise and ensuring a positive support network can all help to reduce the effects of stress. Diabetes affects more Canadians each year and two of the primary risk factors for the disease are obesity and lack of exercise. Leading a balanced and healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and limiting fatty foods can prevent adult-onset diabetes in most cases."
The Ol' Columnist has taken the liberty to quote freely from both Dr. Latimer and Ms. O'Grady's (Diane.O'Grady@interiorhealth.ca) writings, for it would be presumptious of me to be knowledgeable in these areas, which I'm not.
So I leave with the warning that diabetes is one of the most mind-and-physically debilitating diseases known to mankind.
Now, excuse me, where's the nearest restroom?