DEAR DR. GOTT: On May 18, 2009, I was injured when a heavy metal door was slammed down on my head. Since then, I have suffered from severe neck pain and headaches that have caused serious sleep disruption and constant fatigue. All of these symptoms are unprecedented for me.
I have had physical therapy, an epidural steroid injection, numerous prescriptions for pain, muscle relaxers and have done home exercises recommended by my physical therapist. All provided only temporary relief, and my doctor has said I’ve reached my maximum medical improvement. Actually, there has been no improvement.
Despite my best efforts, I have had absences from work in excess of my former employer’s guidelines and, after six years, was terminated. This, of course, has resulted in financial problems.
After five to six weeks of feeling lethargic, experiencing extreme thirst, blurred vision and weight loss, I visited my doctor on Aug. 27, 2010, and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. No one in my family has ever had diabetes.
Could the physical distress and mental anguish from my accident have contributed to this condition?
DEAR READER: If I understand you correctly, you were diagnosed with diabetes 466 days after your accident. In the interim, you obviously saw a number of healthcare providers who failed to either order lab work or zero in on the diagnosis.
Glucose is the primary source of energy in our cells that make up muscles and other tissues. As food is digested, sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. With the aid of insulin, cells are able to absorb the sugar and convert it to energy. When type 2 diabetes occurs, cells become resistant to the insulin and/or the pancreas is unable to produce adequate amounts of insulin. As a result, sugar builds up in the bloodstream.
Long-term complications can include nerve damage, pain, and tingling and numbness that commonly begin in the toes and fingers and gradually spread upward through the body over a period of months or years. The kidneys, bones, joints and other areas of the body can be damaged, as well.
My guess is that your neck pain and headaches were and are the result of the accident. You had major trauma to your head and may have even suffered a concussion. There is evidence that stress can cause sugar levels to elevate in known diabetics. This still leaves a big question unanswered as to whether stress is a trigger in a person with no prior history. Perhaps some light can be shed on the matter if your physician has lab results in your file done prior to and following the accident. Request a review of the results to determine whether there was a gradual increase in readings that might not have been identified prior.
From the copies of the MRI results you sent, I can see that you are 67 years old. Is there a possibility that because of your pain, headaches and lack of employment that you have gained a little weight and become sedentary? Are you exercising as much as possible under the circumstances and eating well-balanced meals? Everything we do affects our bodies in positive or negative ways. Sometimes simple lifestyle changes can make an enormous difference and even allow for previously prescribed diabetic medications to be reduced or eliminated.
Take a positive view. Work daily on a healthier lifestyle, and try to prove your doctor wrong. Perhaps you haven’t reached your maximum medical improvement. I would like to hope you are 67 years young and can overcome your devastating accident.
To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Diabetes Mellitus.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com. Good luck.
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