Glucose is a sugar in the body; too much glucose results in diabetes. When you have diabetes, it is necessary to keep your blood sugar levels stable; otherwise, you can suffer from both short and long-term complications. You have the power to prevent many of these complications by monitoring your glucose levels daily, taking your medication as your doctor prescribes and following a healthy eating plan.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis is an acute but serious condition that can cause a diabetic coma or death, explains the American Diabetic Association. It occurs when your body burns ketones--acids that build up in your blood and appear in your urine--for energy rather than glucose. Three reasons for large amounts of ketones include not injecting enough insulin to transport glucose to your cells, failure to test for ketones when you have signs of low blood sugar and not eating enough, which can result in low blood sugar.
Signs of ketoacidosis include excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. If you experience any of these, test your blood sugar. If it is 240 mg/dL or higher, test your urine for a high ketone level. The test strip will tell you if the ketones are too high; if so, contact your doctor.
Eye Disorders
You are at greater risk for eye disorders such as retinopathy--damage to the retina, glaucoma and cataracts--according to both MayoClinic.com and the American Diabetes Association. You also face a greater risk for blindness than those who do not have diabetes. Most people experience only minor problems, which can be kept minor with regular eye exams. Should you develop a major problem, treating it right away may help increase the efficacy of the treatment.
Foot Disorders
It is not unusual for you to develop problems with your feet when you have diabetes. Two common issues are diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When your blood sugar is not under control, it can damage the nerves in your legs and feet. This can leave you unable to feel hot, cold or pain. In situations when you cut your foot and do not treat it, it worsens, resulting in an infection.
Cleveland Clinic further explains that diabetes restricts the flow of blood, prolonging the healing time of a cur or sore. Poor blood circulation through your arms or legs is known as peripheral vascular disease. When you experience a lack of blood flow because of your condition, and infection occurs due to lack of blood, you are at risk for gangrene. This is death of tissue due to lack of blood. To prevent this type of infection from spreading, your doctor typically has to amputate the affected area, such as your toe, foot or leg.
Kidney Damage
Your kidneys are what your body uses to filter any waste and toxins from your body. Diabetes makes your kidneys work harder, as high levels of blood sugar forces them to filter too much blood. Over time, all this work damages these organs, causing them to fail and lose their ability to filter other waste from your body. Kidney disease is the result, explains the American Diabetes Association explains.
The most common symptom is fluid buildup, while loss of sleep, upset stomach and poor appetite may also indicate this problem. You can treat kidney disease by keeping your blood glucose levels under tight control, taking medications and following a low-protein diet. If your case is severe, a transplant may be necessary.
