Type II Diabetes

[barefoot serpent]

Thanks for the anecdote Clodfobble. Most of my following installments will just be my own anecdotal observations so with this caveat:
Your results may vary
I shall tell my story.

First, just to cross some eyes and dot some tees:
Diabetes is usually caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to handle the glucose load in the blood stream or from the development of insulin resistance -- enough insulin but the body no longer uses it. Here is a good link on the subject:
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pub...linresistance/
Insulin resistance is not just a simple trigger mechanism but in my case:
Type II in family (mother)
high cholesterol (230)
high blood pressure (>120/80)
overweight (225-230lbs - at 6'1.5")
If anyone reading this has any of the above characteristics -- it's time to get tested!

The telltale 'symptoms':
Thirst:
the blood becomes clogged with excess glucose (a very sticky molecule) so the only way for the body to eliminate it is via the kidneys. Thus, frequent visits to the pissoir and refrigerator are necessary. The fridge is bad too -- easy access to snacks! Anyway, this is very bad for the kidneys especially with high blood pressure.

Neuropathy:
Tingling and numbness in the extremities -- usually the feet & toes. Again, sticky blood is not nourishing the nerves at the far reaches of the circulatory system and so they start to die. This can be easy to writeoff as 'oh my feet are swollen at the end of the day -- it's normal, I'll just put then up'. This can be the worst damage. Nerves are extremely slow to impossible to regenerate. Many Type II diabetics are missing toes, then feet, then legs...

Dry skin:
For me, chronic dry and cracking skin around the finger nails. This is also easy to writeoff -- who doesn't have this from time-to-time? But if it persists for more that a couple of days - no matter how much hand cream you use - it could be trouble. This is also symptomatic of the bloodstream being clogged up. Other people report chronic dry skin patches that I would guess may seem like eczema.

Inability to lose weight:
Diet as I might, I could never seem to lose more than about 5 lbs. The bloodstream becomes so overloaded with glucose that it can't carry anything else like fat away. Metabolism goes to hell.

Changing eyesight:
Gradual worsening of sight -- very easy to writeoff as just getting old. The fluid pressure in the eyball can be affected and thus alter the shape of the eye. At about 45 my arms were no longer long enough so I had to start using reading glasses. Eventually loss of sight from retinopathy and/or glaucoma awaits the Type II diabetic -- if untreated!

So it's a bad trajectory, with plenty of subtle but insidious pitfalls. A major mid-course correction was required to save my bacon.