April 26, 2006
Other
Question from Miami, Florida, USA:
My boyfriend has had type 1 diabetes since he was five and began to use his insulin pump in the seventh grade. I’m very scared because he has frequent high blood pressure. He asked his doctor in one of his visits recently and the doctor said its kind of normal because he’s growing. Is having excessive high blood pressure okay when you’re growing?
I’m curious because, the other day, we got into a fight and he told me later on that he could not feel his ears or hands. A while back he had mentioned that those with diabetes have an increased chance to have something amputated, such as a leg, when there’s an infection. His mother told him that the whole no sense of feeling in the ear and his hands are the beginning signs of that something may need to get amputated. Is this true? How can he get help?
Answer:
High blood pressure is not normal at any age. Repeated episodes of documented high blood pressure in your doctor’s office may require treatment. His physician should be able to best determine what is worrisome and what might need treatment.
Regarding your boyfriend’s hands and ears, feeling numb after an argument likely is not related to problems with his hands and ears. If that feeling of numbness persists, he should review it with his physician who can help you determine if it represents a problem. Excellent control of diabetes is essential in preventing these complications. Please continue to encourage your boyfriend to achieve excellent control of his diabetes.
MSB
