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Health & Fitness

Diabetes and Hearing Loss

I have a special interest in this topic.  My husband is diabetic.  He was first diagnosed in 2008 when his blood sugar level was 400!  He was told by his doctor to drive straight to the hospital and check himself in.  Did he do that?  No.  Instead he drove home and called a friend to drive him to the hospital.  He did not know the consequences of such a high blood sugar reading. 

 

            We have studied diabetes as a family, taken nutrition courses,  taken classes on controlling blood sugar levels, seen endocrinologists, gotten new meters that take less blood, and been “yelled at” by doctors for him not checking his blood four times a day. 

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            We have seen a podiatrist every year to have his feet checked.  But, I had to ask for a referral to get him diabetic shoes.  Medicare will pay for a pair of shoes every year if you are diabetic.  The podiatrist checks his toes and feet for diabetic changes.

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            We have seen an eye doctor every year for an eye checkup.  But, until we went to the Joslin Diabetic Clinic two weeks ago, we didn’t know that diabetes can cause retinal changes.  If you don’t have special pictures taken that are evaluated by a specialist you may not know that you are having diabetic changes in your eyes.  We learned that “just because your vision hasn’t changed” doesn’t mean all is well with your eyes. 

 

            The one test that no endocrinologist suggested was a hearing test.  I have had discussions with primary care physicians and endocrinologists encouraging them to refer every diabetic patient for annual hearing tests. 

Today I found at http://www.diabetes.org an article linking diabetes with hearing loss.  The study stated that people with diabetes are at higher risk to develop hearing loss.  If you or a family member has diabetes, call an audiology practice and schedule an appointment for a complete audiological evaluation.  The test needs to be a complete audiological evaluation, not just a hearing test by hearing aid office.  The test needs to be part of your medical file so changes can be monitored.  Insurance companies, including Medicare will usually pay for an annual hearing test to monitor a medical condition.

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