Thursday 9 January 2003

Pic of the day: Leg with small sore. Not very appetizing, is it?

Glucose & legs

The icy cold keeps its hold on the south coast of Norway. Today the temperature on Kjevik, the airport here, was -16 degrees Celsius, that is to say, 16 degrees below freezing. Only a few places in the north were as cold. I don't remember whether or not we beat Spitsbergen this time (the island group close to the north pole). But the middle parts of our long country have thawed. The price of electricity remains high, as the water magazines are still 26 percentage points lower than they use to be at this time of the year. But even so, sooner or later a man needs a shower. Solidarity has its limits, at least for most of us.

It was then that I looked at the small wound on my leg. I had just put a band-aid on it on Saturday night (or rather Sunday morning) when I discovered it. Back then it was fresh, clearly a sign that I had cut myself one of the times I fell, possibly on the concrete steps of the stairs. It's hard to say, really, as I did not feel it when I got it. My shins are not particularly sensitive even when I am fully conscious, for that matter.

Well, after almost a week it was worse than when it started. It was bleeding slightly even before the shower. After I dried off (and took the photo), I've added antiseptic salve and a light compress. But I doubt I've seen the last of it. And it made me think. Well, actually I was already thinking, but it diverted my thoughts to the topic of diabetes and leg sores.

I don't think that's what's going on here. I suspect it's simply my age ... the warranty is expired, so to speak. I already have a bad rash on the leg, not quite constant but recurring. It's irritating, but at my age one is generally glad to have skin at all, as well as the rest of the stuff that covers the bones. Or perhaps that's just me. Anyway, this new thing with fainting for any length of time seems more like a sign of too little glucose in the blood rather than too much. Still ...

***

My parents both got late-onset diabetes, as did at least one of my grandfathers. So I may not retain my excellent glucose regulation for decades to come. (Provided the decades come at all, of course.) In the past, I have been largely immune to any problems regarding blood sugar. If I did not eat for a considerable length of time, my stomach would be very unhappy about it and eventually even start to hurt. But I did not grow weaker, and it would not keep me from doing whatever I was doing, including taking long walks. Only this fall did I for the first time get weak and shaky after walking for an hour (to the shop and back) without breakfast. Even then, I wasn't sure that was the reason. Perhaps I should have filled up with water first ... I don't generally feel thirst either, except in extreme cases such as a bad diarrhea. My body used to compensate automatically. But of course, that was before the warranty ran out ...

Given my family history, I'm pretty sure to get diabetes if I grow much fatter than I am, or if I stop moving. As it is, I walk to the bus each work day, for about a quarter of an hour each way, and slightly less from bus to work. I use stairs instead of elevator, and tend to move about a lot during work hours. But I don't do sports and sex and sweaty stuff like that. So I'm probably living on the margin here.

Still, I would be surprised if I suddenly get diabetes without noticing. The late onset version tends to be a very slow process. There should have been some sign during the tests that I take every few years. But perhaps I should ask to have my blood sugar tested if I meet a doctor again in the near future. Just in case. Because I don't particularly want to spend years without one of my legs, the way my mother did. Much as I generally feel it's an honor to be like her, there is a limit.