Diabetes and Dementia

bluestar

Active Member
Messages
36
I am type 2 diabetes and have managed to control this with diet. Everthing is fine except the weight that I seem to be strugling with. I have been worried though because reseach shows that diabetes can lead to dementia. I am on my early 40s and I want to have more years added to my life. My dad has Vascular Dementia due to a stroke. My mum is type 2 diabetis and most of my aunties are diabetic,high blood preassure atc.

What can one do do prevent this from happening. I worry sometimes when i forget things. I writeh things down to remind me later. I went to see the Gp and was told that my memory is fine. Can someone advise me , I am worried. :(
 

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
Please do try not to worry, Bluestar. Vascular dementia following a stroke is caused by the damage done by the stroke and is not an 'illness' as such - at least, in my cousin's case. I asked the specialist.

The main things to do are to keep yourself generally healthy and active, eat a good diet (plenty of fresh fruit and veg, meat, fish and dairy) according to your dietary preferences and while managing your blood glucose, don't smoke, and don't drink too much alcohol.

If you are reasonably active, eat well, keep your diabetes and your blood pressure under control, and can get your weight down, in my opinion you (and I!) are no more at risk of a stroke than anyone else.

Talk to your GP about your worries, if you feel it would help, listen to what s/he recommends

I am noticing a few memory problems (it was plant names yesterday :roll: ) but I always get to it eventually. I think some of it is age. It's retrieving the memory that's the problem, rather than losing it :lol: and I find it's worse after a little too much wine :oops: I think the research linking dementia to diabetes only showed a very small increase in risk, and I don't think it mentioned how well the study group(s) were controlling their diabetes. Maybe they just had bad lifestyles which contributed to both!

It sounds to me from your post that you actually know all the above already, and are doing all the right things in any case. Weight is such a problem, isn't it? Keep on at it - we'll both get there in the end.

I have a friend, admittedly a Type 1, who is in her 90s now, has been diabetic since her late 30s, and is still as bright as a button and driving herself :shock: . So there's no reason why we shouldn't live full and interesting lives.

Viv 8)
 

bluestar

Active Member
Messages
36
Thanks Viv for the words of encouragement. You are right there is hope for us if we get everything under control. Nice to know that your freind is in your nineties and had diabetes all this time. You seem to be doing well yourself. Good luck with the journey.

Bluestar
 

JUSTFOCUS

Well-Known Member
Messages
354
Dislikes
Scrooge . People who are always feeling sorry for themselves . The NHS . The benefit agency .Atttention seekers on forums or chat rooms.
Hi Bluestar
i have found that i have short term memory loss but i have been assured it's side affects of medication . I try to write out notes to help but sometimes i forget to. :wink:
 

neilalastair

Well-Known Member
Messages
47
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
the western high carb diet.
Hi,
I am type 2 and in my 40s and had a Father with Dementia.
He died last year at 74. He was considered as borderline diabetic, by his endo.
He was under and Endo as he had MEN1, Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, and a load of other stuff wrong with him. However he managed to have a fulfilling career in the RAF and then as a ex patriot abroad working in the airline industry.

If he had managed to stay of the cigarettes and alcohol for more than 10 minutes he might not have ended up with Dementia, which is really what I am putting his dementia too.

I did read of a 90 year old American woman with type1 who outlived all her "healthy" siblings one of whom did end up with dementia. Ultimately there is no way of knowing what is going to hit.
I have just been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism but it looks as if I havent inherited MEN1 from my dad at least.