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Fitness & Health

Diabetes and oral health care

I got diagnosed with Diabetes on June 2000, a month after my beloved son died. It was my desire to have another baby at some point so I underwent a thorough medical checkup. The diagnosis should not have stopped me from having another baby but I felt I needed to have my diabetes under control. Perhaps it was because of my deep sadness over my son’s death that I had no desire to take care of myself. I struggled with my overweight body until there came a time that my blood pressure shot up to 160/90 which seemed so scary. My stress test showed distressing results that the doctor thought I needed Angioplasty. An angiogram revealed no major arteries were blocked. Phew what a relief.

Being diabetic made me take some changes in my life like small frequent meals, exercise, and being careful to about infections.  People like myself are 2x times more likely to develop serious gum problems.

Why?

Well, diabetes makes my body more susceptible to bacterial infection, since there is a decreased ability to fight bacteria that invade the gums. I was not aware of gum problems until my dentist fitted me with my new invisalign dental braces.  There was a time my gums became swollen. Just by sheer coincidence, Colgate sent me a two tubes of Colgate Total® Pro-Gum Health toothpaste for me to use. I am glad that I am informed of this special toothpaste that may help a lot of diabetic patients out there.

Good oral health could improve diabetes control

People with diabetes can protect their oral health simply  by brushing with a toothpaste specially formulated for gum health. A toothpaste like Colgate Total® Pro-Gum Health toothpaste can help reduce bacteria build-up that cause gingivitis, an early form of gum disease and  provides bacteria protection even after brushing.

Those with poorly controlled diabetes increase their risk of gum problems. Periodontitis can also make diabetes control more difficult. This is because inflammation of the gums can reduce the action of insulin, leading to difficulty in controlling blood sugar levels. Researchers believe that there is a two way relationship between periodontitis and diabetes.

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It was Chronic Calculous Cholecystitis with Choledocholithiasis

butch-and-me

What a mouthful of a tongue twister! Chronic Calculous Cholecystitis with Choledocholithiasis simply means Inflammation of the gall bladder with dislodged gall stones. That was the diagnosis when I got my medical certificate after being discharged from Medical City. The operation itself called for Open Cholecystectomy with IOC, Common Biliary Duct (CBD) Exploration Tube drainage. I stayed in the hospital for 8 days.
gall-bladder-operation
Everything happened so fast on December 22 at the emergency room of the Medical City which is close to our home. I didn’t realize surgery was an option. This pain I was told is due to bilary colic, a dislodged gall stone causing me pain. My liver, pancreas enzymes, were elevated. My blood sugar shot up to 379 due to body stress. My surgeon said he will try laproscopy with open surgery as the last course of action, However, he changed his mind after assessing my lab results. Open surgery was decided late at night of December 22 due to my elevated enzymes.

Since I wasn’t prepared for my surgery, it gave me little time to research on my ailment. All of the materials online were from medical bulletins or rehash of previous web content. I decided to share my personal experience to add to all the medical materials scattered online for those that need more information on gall bladder removal and common bile duct exploration. Remember, this is my personal experience and will vary depending on lab results and the overall assessment of the doctors.

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Let’s take control of diabetes. Now.

285 million people have Diabetes. That is 6.6% of the world’s adult population.

I am one of them.

diabetes-control

Let me tell you my story.

I was diagnosed of Diabetes on June 2000 a month after my beloved son died. I desired to have another baby at some point so I got a thorough medical checkup. The diagnosis should not have stopped me from having another baby but I felt I needed to have my diabetes under control. I was given Solosa (2 mg) and metformin (500 mgs after meal). Overweight at 145 pounds then, my blood sugar was pretty high at 180 mg/dl. Perhaps it was because of my deep sadness over my son’s death that I had no desire to take care of myself. I struggled with my overweight body until there came a time that my blood pressure shot up to 160/90 which seemed so scary. My stress test showed distressing results that the doctor thought I needed Angioplasty. An angiogram revealed no major arteries were blocked. Phew what a relief.
Read More »Let’s take control of diabetes. Now.

Committed to a healthy lifestyle

There is no other choice. Choose a healthy lifestyle. I am diabetic and though my blood sugar is controlled, my cholesterol level is quite high. It is a genetic predisposition that my siblings continue to battle daily. I have removed pork and beef in my diet but still struggle with high cholesterol levels.

My new-found friend, Jean Goulbourn invited me to try her other advocacy for the weekend and to take a walk in the path of natural healing and enter a journey into optimum well being. Her company, Global Vital Source (GVS) had this weekend session in New World Hotel, which was called the called the digestive clean-up or DCU, part of the Clean and Nourish regimen that GVS offers. We were a large group of 34 but eager to know more of

Digestive clean up is akin to an internal spa. It is supposed to be a natural method of cleansing the body. It is a detoxification method of cleansing that causes the discharge of accumulated toxic matter from the digestive tract, liver and gall bladder.

Two days before, I received a text message to refrain from coffee and fatty foods. Vegetarian diet was suggested. At around 8:00 PM the night before my weekend overnight, I had to fast. No food or water. Off I went to the venue, the New World Hotel in Makati, at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. The GVS staff were already there ready to take our weight , blood pressure, waist measurement and materials. A medical technologist took blood samples for blood chemistry.
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