Thyroid info and complications of high blood sugar

Low thyroid symptom check list here.

Just Google diabetes complications and you will find tons of sites with info. Don't be put off by the word diabetes. Anyone with raised blood sugar levels is on the diabetic road, whether or not you become insulin dependent or not. Quality of life is a huge issue for those of us on this road. Personally, I don't want to go blind, lose a limb to amputation or have a heart attack/stroke, but the likelihood of these things occurring is very high if I let my elevated blood sugar go untreated.

Symptoms/complications of high blood sugar/diabetes:

Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are associated with long-term complications that threaten life and the quality of life. The disease is the leading cause of adult blindness, end-stage kidney disease(ESRD) and amputations (as a result of nerve disease).

People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have coronary heart disease and stroke than people who don't have it. Diabetes complicates pregnancy and results in more birth defects than babies born to women without the disease.

• Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about two to four times higher than adults without diabetes.
• The risk of stroke is two to four times higher.
• An estimated 60 to 65 percent of people with diabetes have high blood pressure.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20 to 24 years old.
• More than half the limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes.

It's important to know how serious the complications of diabetes can be. If you have diabetes, you will be the person most responsible for working to avoid the worst effects of the disease. You will want to know about these problems so that you can be alert to detecting them and preventing them. Diabetes care is a 24-hour-a-day effort, and preventing complications is worth establishing good self-care routines. The most effective way to avoid complications from either type of diabetes is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as you can. (taken from http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/diabetes/complications.asp)

amputation

anemia

arm pain

arthritis

cardiomyopathy / cardiovascular disease

cardiac neuropathy

cataracts / blindness

convulsions

diarrhea, chronic

digestive problems

erectile dysfunction (impotence)

fatigue / fainting

feet, general

feet, altered gait

feet, deformity

feet, neuropathy

feet, numbness

feet, pain

feet, scaly

feet, ulcers

flatulence

frozen shoulder

glaucoma

gluconeogenesis

hand numbness

heart attack / blood clots

headaches

heart / arterial disease

heartburn / belching / gastroparesis

high cholesterol

hypertension / high blood pressure

hyperglycemia

hyperinsulinemia

hypoglycemia

ilio-tibial band/tensor fascia lata syndrome

impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)

joint inflammation / tightness

ketoacidosis

kidney stones / kidney disease / nephropathy / infections

leg pain

macular edema

microaneurysms

mood changes

night blindness

nerve damage

obesity / weight gain

osteoporosis

periodontal disease

peripheral vascular disease

proteinuria

retinopathy

salivary duct stones

short-term memory loss / loss of mental activity

skin tightness / skin conditions

sleepiness

sweating

thirst

twitching limbs

ulcers

vision changes / diseases

One that isn't in this particular list (from Dr. Bernsteins site and is referenced to the chapters in his book where these symptoms are mentioned) is:

Tinnitus (go here for an article to read on the topic) and hearing loss ( article here, and here, and here). An excerpt from this article:

Since vascular and nerve tissues play predominant roles in auditory function, any disease that has the capacity to damage their cells has potential to negatively affect the various hearing organs. A link between hearing and diabetes seems likely indeed if the rich blood supply to the cochlea and/or the nerve centers in the hearing pathways, including the brain, are affected.

In fact, diabetes-related damage to blood vessels in the cochlea was documented in recent animal studies. Through surgery, researchers observed microvascular changes in the inner ear, including differences in circulation flow, narrowing capillaries and loss of outer hair cells that amplify the sounds that enter the cochlea. Such changes would be nearly impossible to observe directly in human ears. The human auditory system is obscured because the cochlea is embedded in the temporal bone and the neural pathways are complex and distributed through the brainstem and cortex.

Another good article:

A Diagnosis of Pre-diabetes:

What does this mean? It means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin and your blood glucose levels are higher than they should be. Since the levels aren't as high as they would be if you had Type 2 diabetes, the term "pre-diabetes" is used. Your doctor may also call this condition "impaired fasting glucose" or "impaired glucose tolerance. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 41 million adult Americans between the ages of 40 and 74 have pre-diabetes.

Risk Factors:

The risk factors are the same for pre-diabetes as they are for Type 2 diabetes.

• Overweight or obese

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Family history

• Age

• Race - African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians are at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes

• A previous diagnosis of gestational diabetes

Signs and Symptoms of Pre-diabetes:

Very often there are no signs or symptoms for pre-diabetes. It is often discovered during a routine physical with basic screening for fasting blood glucose levels. The normal level is below 100 mg/dl. If it's 100 to 125 mg/dl, this indicates that you have impaired fasting glucose or pre-diabetes. Over 126 mg/dl most likely means a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.

Preventing Type 2:

Having pre-diabetes puts you at a higher risk for Type 2 diabetes in the future. But it doesn't have to mean that you will get Type 2 diabetes. A healthy lifestyle change can lower your risk and improve the way your body uses insulin. A low fat diet and calories can help you lose weight. The less fat and more muscle you have, the less resistant to insulin you will be. Exercising regularly not only helps you to lose weight, but also help lower your blood glucose level by using glucose as energy.