Tammy Galligher is an Expert on living with diabetes long-term. To check out Tammy’s full bio, click here.
The potential long-term complications of diabetes are the ones we all strive to avoid. However, there are a number of “smaller” complications that we are more susceptible to that can make day-to-day living a flat out pain.
Those of us diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as young children in the 1980’s and before had things a bit differently than we do now. We watched videos that were meant to scare us into being good diabetics. The videos showed older people who had lost their feet or had gone blind from diabetic retinopathy.
If you had a glucose meter, it was the size a small laptop. Some of us didn’t even have a meter and we watched the test strips change colors and compared them to the chart on the side of the bottle to see where on the “range” of colors our blood sugar stood. It was not unheard of to have someone smell our breath for keytones. If you had an insulin pump, it was the size of a backpack and the needle seemed just as big. We had two kinds of insulins — N and R – and sliding scales had not been heard of.
The technology was primitive and my doctors and diabetes educators always focused on avoiding the worst complications. However, they left out many of the smaller, annoying complications associated with diabetes, such as skin problems.
Skin irritation can disrupt normal activities and create more challenges to controlling blood sugar levels. When you combine bacteria and diabetes, the result can be downright ugly. Diabetes can contribute to the development of styes, boils, carbuncles, fungal infections and dry itchy skin.
Symptoms of a bacterial infection include inflamed, red and sometimes painful tissue. Years ago these bacterial problems often lead to death for diabetics. Thankfully now, due to antibiotics and better ways to control blood sugar, death is much less common.
Most often the culprit for fungal infections is Candida albicans, a yeast-like infection that is most common in moist, warm folds of the skin. Common fungal infections are jock itch, athlete’s foot, ringworm and vaginal infections.
Proper skin care and drying under folds in the skin can help reduce the risk of fungal infections. Using talcum powder in areas where skin touches skin can help prevent chafing. And, if your skin is dry, avoid taking very hot baths and showers. Moisturizers and lotions are your best weapon to fight dry skin, but do not put It between your toes because that encourages fungus to move in.
Of course, the first and most important weapon against any complication is good blood glucose control. When we feel good in our skin, we have a better day all around, helping our stress, our blood glucose levels and our lives.
(Each of the Expert columns are based on the experiences and knowledge of the individual columnists. The columns are meant to provide you with helpful information, but are not meant to be considered direct advice. Before making any decisions that could affect your health, make sure to contact a physician or the appropriate medical professional.)
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