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• September 21, 2009 5:27 p.m.

  I am a dentist who is certified in treating patients with diabetes. One important factor for the regulation of your glucose is that if you have Periodontal disease it is monitored and treated. Unfortunately 80% of the population has Periodontal disease and they do not know it. Periodontal Disease has been said to be the 6th complication of Diabetes. There are other manifestations which can present such as tooth decay, dry mouth, fungal infections and a disease of the skin which has lessions in the mouth called Lichen planus. I am very passionate in spreading the word that your Oral health is crutial in managing Diabetes. I lost my father due to complications from diabetes 10 years ago. He was very afraid of the dentist so he never went. At that time the links between oral health and diabetes were not very well documented. Now they are! God bless you all. Dr. Maritza

  - Dr. Maritza

• September 21, 2009 4:21 p.m.

  i have a family member who was diagnosed with diabetes and they live with it everyday.......i just want to be more informed...... wht type of research was performed? wht procedures were performed? wht information did you obtain from the research??

  - George

• September 21, 2009 1:30 p.m.

  My nephew is newly diagnosed - last week. He also has Aspergers (on the Autism spectrum) so it's a double whammy. He will be coming home from the hospital shortly and I'd like to send a care package. thinking colored / cartoon bandaids, train stuff (he likes) but am looking for any suggestions...I live out of state so can't "be there" looking for any suggestions, thanks

  - Kristin

• September 21, 2009 1:18 p.m.

  Linda: There are multiple causes for hairloss. It would be best that she check with her healthcare provider.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• September 21, 2009 1:15 p.m.

  Sharon: There is no medical reason that we are aware of.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• September 19, 2009 5:51 a.m.

  Hi, my daughter is on the insulin pump and does a great job with managing her life. She has been a diabetic for 5 years. Recently she started losing her hair. This is the first time I knew there was a link between the two. If her blood sugars are kept in control and her A1C is around 7% will that help with the hair loss?

  - Linda

• September 17, 2009 9:40 p.m.

  My step-son was just diagnosed with type I diabetes. The social worker told my husband and his ex wife that he needed to be in one home for the first month. THey share joint physical custody of their son. Is there a medical reason for this. Both sets of parents have attended the training.

  - Sharon

• September 9, 2009 3:21 p.m.

  Cindy, it sounds like you are doing all the appropirate things. Dietitians at Mayo advise people with reactive hypoglycemia to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day which includes carbohydrates, proteins and fiber. Also, avoid sugary drinks.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• September 8, 2009 2:58 p.m.

  Maria, there may have been multiple issues going on with your mother. Your healthcare provider is in a better position to inform you. Being tired sounds reasonable. How is she now?

  - Nancy and Peggy

• September 8, 2009 2:50 p.m.

  It sounds like a number of high blood glucoses (diabetes out of control) are being discussed here. In most cases, oral diabetes medications are not effective in lowering very high blood glucoses and insulin is indicated as treatment of choice. Infact, most pharmaceutical companies will not recommend the use of certain oral diabetes medications if the A1c is elevated above a certain number. Many times after insulin is started and blood glucoses are lower into goal range; insulin can be stopped and an oral diabetes medication can be started.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• September 6, 2009 4:58 p.m.

  I HAVE REACTIVE HYPOGLYEMIA BASED ON AN 5 GTT WITH GLUCOSE LEVELS DROPPING AS LOW AS 41 WITHIN ONE HOUR. I MAKE SURE TO EAT FREQUENT SMALL ,SNACKS BETWEEN MEALTIME. I HAVE RECENTLY LOST 47 LBS. BUT I STILL HAVE FREQUENT PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW GLUCOSE SUCH AS; NAUSA,WEAKNESS, EXTREME FATIGUE (FALLING ASLEEP). I MAKE SURE I EAT A DIET WITH A LOWER GI WHICH HAPPENS TO BE HIGH PROTEIN LOW CARBOHYDRATES DIET. MY DIET IS HIGH IN FRUIT, VEGETABLES, NUTS,PROTEIN AND SOME COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES. I STILL DO NOT HAVE A SINCE OF CONTROL. I HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL IF I TRY TO EXCERCISE, AND I AM AFFECTED MORE SO IN WARMER TEMPERATURES. QUESTION IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO TO ELEVATE OR STABLIZE MY GLUCOSE LEVELS TO REDUCE SYMPTOMS?

  - CINDY

• September 3, 2009 10:24 p.m.

  My husband has type two diabetes,He take two kind of medicine. One of them is Onglyza and the other metformin. But today his blood sugar is running 401. We have tryed to eat right. Also, he does get exercise. We need help. But also live in a very small town. Hospital is 15 miles away. When he started taking medicine, His blood sugar was 820. The doctor just tolded him his blood sugar was high and started him on medicine. It came down. But, now its up and down. Can you give us any advice?

  - Jackeline

• September 3, 2009 8:32 p.m.

  My husband was diagnosed approximately 2 years ago with Type II Diabetes. He was very sick last week we thought he had the flu. After several days of laying in the bed , he began to have a painful/excruitiating headache. We went to the Hospital and they took his blood sugar/ 412. The doctor wanted to give him insulin but he declined, stating that he would take his meds when he got home. Well to make a long story short, I found out that he hadn't been taking his meds as prescribed, only taking glimepride, not the metformin. The metform rx was year old, I was so upset with him for not taking this disease seriously. He raised tee total hell with me because I took him to the ER the following morning due to the high bs 402; was given insulin and 2 bags of fluid. He went to his doc and they have doubled his meds, 1000 metformin, 8mg glimepride, however; bs still runnig high at times high 300-460. I am running around crazy trying to buy the right foods for him, but he is not happy with the situation. Went to the doc today AIC 12; just hope and pray he will take his meds and conform to this diet vs. old habits of eating fast food double cheeseburgers, sodas and sweets. What cookbooks can you recommend and also quick read to better understand his disease. Thank you.

  - Krista

• August 30, 2009 5:25 p.m.

  I am a 53 year woman with Type 2 diabetes. In Feburary of this year I started going through Menopause. My blood sugars started running a little higher than normal so my doctor put me on 4 mg of Glimpiride, instead of my Actose, to go along with my 1000mg of Metformin twice a day. My blood sugars are way out of control, sometimes reaching 400. I have been exercising during this time and have lost 20lbs. I now weigh 180. I did go to my doctor and she doubled my Glimpiride. If I eat any carbs my blood sugar will go up to 250's. I am not sure what else I can do to get my blood surar down. Any sugestions?

  - Nancy

• August 23, 2009 12:59 a.m.

  I'm very concerned about my mom who has type 2 diabetes. She was diagnosed about a year ago. She's been seeing a Podiatrist regularly and recently he removed a blister on her big toe and then wrapped it. Apparently the wrap was too tight and this cause a sore which because infected. The effects were gradual over the past month she's felt very weak, sleepy and nauseaus. We took her to the Dr. he gave her an antibiotic for the toe. She seemed to be getting better and then she woke up in the middle of the night and was lethargic and incoherent. My Dad took her to the hospital. They said the infection had spread. The determined that they would need to remove the toe and bone, which they did this past Wednesday. She was out of it after the surgery, but the next day she was like a new person. Very alert. She wasn't in any pain. Yesterday she seemed tired, but today I could have never imagined what we'd encounter. She was in the deepest sleep I'd ever seen. I tried to wake her over and over and she heard me and responded at times coherently to what I was saying, but she never awoke. I asked her why she was sleeping and she said "I'm very tired, leave me alone". She'd open her eyes and then they would roll to the back and close. I was in her hospital room for over 5 hours and she never woke up. I asked the nurses and Dr. and they said her vitals are good, she's just tired, she didn't sleep last night. Can you help me understand what's going on? Thank you

  - Maria

• August 20, 2009 4:23 p.m.

  Since I was 28, 3 years ago, I've had several tests to find out what's wrong with me. I now take several medications for what my doctor tells me is uncontrolable hypertension. Without medication my blood pressure runs 200/150. bp 200. Last week the sugar in my urine was over 1000. After fasting my blood results came in today at over 250. In the three years of tests I lost 60 lbs. I am currently 180. I go back to the doctor next week to find out what new medication and/or treatment I will begin. How scared should I be?

  - Katrina

• August 18, 2009 4:02 p.m.

  Karen, I checked with a top research physician here at Mayo and presently at the Mayo Clinic we have no such study on the vitiamin deficiencies running, but our Dr. was aware of the issue.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• August 17, 2009 9:51 a.m.

  Penny, have your husband see a healthcare provider immediately.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• August 17, 2009 9:48 a.m.

  Bernice, it sounds like you have multple issues going on. I would start with seeing your primary healthcare provider and he or she can refer you to specialists from there.

  - Nancy and Peggy

• August 15, 2009 8:01 p.m.

  I believe I have been diabetic since twelve. I would fall asleep after every meal, even breakfast if I laid down. I think my adrenal gland is involved because of pain After I had my children, I noticed in the family pictures I was asleep. My children had to wake me up to cook dinner after I would get home from work. I has an IUD Which was removed due to a vicious infection that took one of my ovaries and in later years resulted in a total hysterectomy. I went blind while in nursing school be cause I missed breakfast. I fasted for an x-ray, checking for an ulcer. The nursing instructor gave me a small glass of orange juice and I was fine. I have gone blind once since than, I forgot to eat breakfast, ate a candy bar to stop my pangs. Later while driving on the interstate I loss my sight, for five min. talk about scared. After that I talked my doctor into testing me, my glucose fasting was normal. But a half hour afterward I had the shakes, thirst. She says I have reactive diabetes. But even with the gloucophage 500 before meals and the 45 mg of Actos daily, I'm again falling asleep after dinner meals. It's not every time, so I haven't gotten a reading.I have arthritis that travels from one joint to the next and sever arthritis of the lower spine, neck,shoulders, hands, both hands and carpal syndrome. I believe I have an autoimmune disease. What type of doctor can diagnose me properly? I am a sixty year old female who is hopeless in VA

  - Bernice

• August 14, 2009 7:39 p.m.

  My husband blood sugar is 569 is that bad and what should I do?

  - Penny

• August 12, 2009 10:51 a.m.

  My husband has diabetes. I read about a small research study done at Warwick University in England that points to a possible vitamin deficiency, thiamine or vitamin B1, which their tests show diabetics expell from their bodies at a much higher rate than non-diabetics. This came out on BBC News in August of 2007. Are there any follow-up studies or clinical trials which verify this finding?

  - Karen

• August 10, 2009 2:01 p.m.

  Jeff: Type 1 diabetes results from an autoimmune attack on the B-cells that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a mixed disorder that results in B-cell dysfunction, insulin resistance, and other defects. Heredity plays a major role in Type 2 and is impacted by life style issues. Both types cause abnormal blood glucose levels. C-peptide is a blood test that can help deferentiate between the two types of diabetes. C-peptide is used to detemine insulin production and individuals with type 1 have minimal or no insulin production. Nancy

  - Nancy and Peggy

• August 10, 2009 1:07 p.m.

  Linda, "Sweet, fruity, odor" Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (high blood glucose) Good luck on the test!

  - Nancy and Peggy

• August 7, 2009 9:19 p.m.

  I have a question - In a Diabetic emergency what is the smell of your breath? I'm needing this for a test tomorrow.

  - Linda