Friday, November 30, 2012

Diabetes - Scrambled Brain Issues

I have this nagging suspicion that having diabetes and extra large glucose molecules floating around my vascular system may in all likelihood have a potential impact on my BRAIN. Why you ask.........

Well, for one there are definite links to dementia and vascular disease. It is also becoming obvious to me that mood and diabetes are intricately linked.  I mean I not only notice this in my own actions and moods, but now in those of my two other D kids under my direct care. 

Of course the obsessive part of me, or my brain, asks questions like; how early does the small vessel damage in the brain occur? Is it inevitable? And am I turning into this monster as I go about my day-to-day activities? Or, is it simply normal responses to everyday stresses causing my temper to flare, and my words to fly, often inappropriately, and almost always too quick for me to control.

Then there are my Kids. The ones with Diabetes of course. They are notoriously more temperamental then the other siblings. My teen is, lets just say, unbearable some days, and linked to poorly controlled sugar levels, sleep patterns, and the typical hormonal fluctuations she is unfortunately afflicted with solely based on her pubescent phase of life. Undoubtedly annoying to me nonetheless.

Back to my brain. I admit I have insurmountable domestic responsibilities. We moved again, and have just recently started a new school year at differemt schools. Sounds a lot like typical life. Changes, the ebb and flow, the usual. But is my mood, behavior, and my ability to handle stress some how worse and more difficult to manage because my small brain  (not my size, he he) vessels are being ravaged over time by the occasional elevated sugar levels?  So really, has diabetes and high sugar levels "Scrambled My Brain"

Anyone else out there in the D-sphere find that concentration, temperament, memory is effected from having diabetes for many years or at the very least when your diabetes is completely messed up.

I wrote this post a few months ago, and have since found out my thyroid was really, really low, and since taking synthroid, my memory and concentration has improved, but I still pose the above question.

4 comments:

k2 said...

I'm sure my brain has been scrambled a'la diabetes... but I don't remember! ;)

Jonah said...

What I've noticed the most is that when something interferes with my sleep- and that something is often diabetes- it interferes with how well I think all day.

Bernard said...

Ignoring the temporary challenges from lows or highs, I don't think I've seen any brain-related issues because of diabetes.

Mind you I'm in my mid-50s, so doing any heavy thinking is more challenging than when I was diagnosed at 15!

FYI, I joined Lumosity.com some time ago. My father (no diabetes) was diagnosed with Parkinson's about 8 years ago. I decided it made a lot of sense to do more brain exercising.

diabetes diet said...

Eliminating sugar, especially fructose, and most grains. For most people it would be best to limit fruit to small quantities.