Re: leg swelling and nighttime urination---TO NANCY

October 13, 2003

Donna,

You have undergone a whipple and yet your doctor doesn't seem

concered about frequent nighttime urination?? Can you get a follow

up appointment with the surgeon who did your whipple. You see

nighttime frequent urination is the classic sign of high blood sugar

and if you have a consistent pattern of this then you have diabetes.

I have diabetes and if I find myself having to pee more than once at

night I know I will have to 6 times. I will then stop the madness

and check my blood sugar and find I have blood sugar of at least 170

to make me pee a lot. One quick shot of insulin and I am fine.

What is bad about diabetes isn't one day of high blood sugar and it

isn't one week of high blood sugar (unless it is very high) it is

the damage that is done to your body from always having even

moderately elevated blood glucose levels. This does damage to your

circulatory system, to your nerves, your eyesight, it seriously

weakens your immune system and you cannot fight infections, and the

frequent urination occurs because the kidneys end up with the task

of attempting to remove all the excess sugar. This is why so many

long term uncontrolled diabetics have renal failure not to mention

lose limbs and go blind, suffer strokes, and heart attacks. Diabetes

is not something to ignore.

Since you had a whipple you are playing with less pancreatitic

tissue and though most of the islet cells are in the distal portion

of the pancreas and not the head it is not uncommon for people with

whipple's to eventually develop diabetes.

Make a doctor address your concerns by performing thorough testing

on you. A simple blood test can give the doctor a 3 month average

blood sugar level. If you cannot get your doctors to test you, find

a new doctor.

As a result of surgery I am diabetic. Diabetes can be managed with

good care, education, and developing good habits. But ignored it

will mame and/or kill.

Sorry to be dramatic but this is a serious situation and you have

undergone a surgery that puts you at risk for diabetes and you have

the classic signs of hyperglycemia.

stregnth, compassion, blessings,

Bert

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