How long can internal organs take the distress of high blood sugars before they!
Question:
My husband is insulin dependent and an uncontrolled diabetic who will not listen to reason..
Answers:
if by distress, you mean permanent damage, the question is difficult as most o fthe damage isn't apparent till it's well advanced. However, diabetic kidney transplant receipients have shown characteristic diabetic kidney damage after only a year or two. Damage to organs -- kidneys, eyes, nerves, arteries, . -- seems to be dependent on the excess amount of glucose present and the length of time it's present. I suspect the damage begins essentially instantly, but it takes us a while to see its accumulation.
If by distress you mean really serious problems, the answer is "very quickly". Depending somewhat on his diabetes Type, he can get in very serious trouble very quickly. Without insulin or with the wrong dosage, he's pushing the boundaries. Any other factor (eg, food, stress, infection, exercise, .) merely increases the likelihood. Ketoacidosis usually gives some warning, though it may not be obvious to the patient who may merely feel a bit odd. An observer may note 'acetone breath', or not.
Ketoacidosis is an absolute medical emergency, about as severe as an auto accident or falling a few stories or a gunshot wound. It is NOT something which can be handled at home with some rest, a little quiet, and fluids. Death, or severe system damage, is easily possible.
As for your husband refusing to "listen to reason", he might take seriously some comments from a nurse or a Certified Diabetic Educator or even a doctor (assuming there's a doctor who can spare enough time to explain it). Richard Bernstein's book, The Diabetic Solution, is a possibility as well. Bernstein is the first patient in the history of medicine who measured his own blood glucose and took control (more or less) of his diabetes treatment. He was an engineer, and so annoyed at the way medicine handled him, that he went to medical school and is now in practice in suburban New York. Your husband may appreciate the story. He seems clearly irritated by the whole business, and Bernstein's example may be interesting to him.
Other Answers:
couple of days u gotta make make him see!! if he's not taking his insluin I know from experience that it only take a few days maybe hours. he'll get really sick hislevels will shoot up than he'll get the signs of dehdration he'll get whats called acidostis not sure how to spell it. which they need to be put on a insulin infusion in hospital signs of this is vomiting, extreame thirst, and if that is untreated give him a few extra days and his body will be too full of sugar and glucose that it will put him into a acidostisis coma.. which if STILL is untreated can result faital.
Source(s):
own experience - SCARY STUFF
My boyfriend has been insulin dependent since he was 13 he was taking four shots a day and sometimes five. He has been on an insulin pump for at least 5 years. He has regular checkups and in all this time every organ and everything else checks out fine. He is not overweight he weighs 150 and is 5' 10" tall. Not all people have problems from taking insulin but of course their are some that do. Your husband should be checked regularly.
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