“My child has been hospitalized for diabetes complications. Will he be OK?”
My 14-year old son has been hospitalized for diabetic neuropathy. What exactly is this, and will it have long-term effects on him? I'm extremely concerned!
4 Answers
You need to talk to his endocrinologist. Nerve damage affecting his stomach and heart.
Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus may lead to unpleasant complications as nerve damage (neuropathy). It may also cause kidney damage (neprhopathy), heart problems and blindness. In the other hand, good control of his diabetes would help him to have a healthy long life.
Diabetes is a metabolic condition characterized by high blood glucose, excessive urination and excessive thirsty due either lack of Insulin or insulin deficiency. There are different kinds of diabetes. But the major categories of diabetes are type 2 and type 1. Type 1 diabetes (juvenile diabetes) is insulin dependent (with out Insulin survival is not possible) and type 2 can respond to life style change wieght reduction and oral medications. Though as the time goes by they both required insulin to controll blood glucose.
Diabetes have acute and chronic complications. Chronic complications are as a result of long term poor diabetes care. Those are cardiovascular disease, nerve disease (neuropathy) kidney disease, eye disease etc. These complications have serious morbidity and mortality rate. To prevent these grave health consequences one needs to take good care of his or her diabetes. Maintaining an HbA1c below 8% will be desirable and getting it below 7% is ideal.
Taking good care of diabetes, regular exercise, healthy diet and avoiding stress are helpful even if one has already chronic complications of diabetes. Optimum care may reverse or slow the progression of these chronic complications.
If your son has diabetic neuropathy which is a chronic complications of diabetes, then it means that his nerves which control movement, mainly extrimties are affected. He will feel pins, pricks, tingling sensation, numbness and leg pain at night. It can also developed to problems with the movement of the food on his stomach (intestines) called gastroparesis were he will feel full and nausea when eating as the intestines do not move properly.
If he doesn't not control blood sugars other complications may also follow.
At this time try to control his diabetes. In the long run you may reverse it or slow it down not only the neuropathy but also the other chronic complications.
You should work closely with his doctor and diabetes educators. To control his diabetes better.
If he is experiencing pain and tingling sensation. Ask your doctor to prescribe him, pain killers (naproxen) or gabapentin, Lyrica, amitriptyline, doulexetin etc. They are different classes of medications. They will bring some relief if he has pain. I use them in my clinic all of these and others depending on the response of the patient.
Please manage his diabetes well. Get HA1c <7%. And please discuss these issues with your doctor.
Good luck
Diabetes have acute and chronic complications. Chronic complications are as a result of long term poor diabetes care. Those are cardiovascular disease, nerve disease (neuropathy) kidney disease, eye disease etc. These complications have serious morbidity and mortality rate. To prevent these grave health consequences one needs to take good care of his or her diabetes. Maintaining an HbA1c below 8% will be desirable and getting it below 7% is ideal.
Taking good care of diabetes, regular exercise, healthy diet and avoiding stress are helpful even if one has already chronic complications of diabetes. Optimum care may reverse or slow the progression of these chronic complications.
If your son has diabetic neuropathy which is a chronic complications of diabetes, then it means that his nerves which control movement, mainly extrimties are affected. He will feel pins, pricks, tingling sensation, numbness and leg pain at night. It can also developed to problems with the movement of the food on his stomach (intestines) called gastroparesis were he will feel full and nausea when eating as the intestines do not move properly.
If he doesn't not control blood sugars other complications may also follow.
At this time try to control his diabetes. In the long run you may reverse it or slow it down not only the neuropathy but also the other chronic complications.
You should work closely with his doctor and diabetes educators. To control his diabetes better.
If he is experiencing pain and tingling sensation. Ask your doctor to prescribe him, pain killers (naproxen) or gabapentin, Lyrica, amitriptyline, doulexetin etc. They are different classes of medications. They will bring some relief if he has pain. I use them in my clinic all of these and others depending on the response of the patient.
Please manage his diabetes well. Get HA1c <7%. And please discuss these issues with your doctor.
Good luck
Diabetic neuropathy is extremely uncommon in children with diabetes, but it does occur. How long has he had diabetes? How well has he been controlled? What were his symptoms that caused his hospitalization (we don't usually hospitalize people for neuropathy)? Has he had nerve conduction studies? Diabetic neuropathy is usually caused by long-term poor diabetes control. Neuropathy can be treated with various meds, but the best treatment is to get the diabetes in good control: 1) follow a proper diet 2) exercise regularly 3) check blood sugars at least 4x/d or go on a continuous glucose monitoring system 4) adjust insulin to get blood sugar in the normal range 5) take medicine for the neuropathy. If all this is done, I would predict the neuropathy will get better. It's hard work, but it can be done.
Good luck.
Good luck.
