Patient: "If you apply for diabetes, they will not give you work"

In Ernesto Martínez, an alarm was sounded when he realized that he was beginning to lose weight for no apparent reason and to urinate more than usual. Eighteen years ago, he began to feel the symptoms. He discovered that he had type 2 diabetes.

"In one night, I started to lose weight, I was always hungry and I wanted to urinate, I had no vehicle and, wherever I am I got off the bus to find a bathroom because it's irrepressible, "says Ernesto.

He observed that everything that was happening to him was not normal and that it was not normal. was at that time that he had sought the help of a professional.He had pbaded several tests and the answer was clear: he had 600 milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dl) of glucose, when normal levels were between 90 and 130 mg / dl and up to 180 mg / dl after eating.

The next steps were to take steps to restore your body with a diet and exercise , and take the medications prescribed by the specialist, including insulin.

"I followed both stages The first care I followed my diet, I had exercises, but there was a moment when I honestly neglected myself; you trust me, because I started eating more than I should and stopped exercising, "says Ernesto.

To remain stable in front of the diabetes, Ernesto affirms that the key resides in the quantities of can eat two pupusas but can not compete or eat more than this amount, or to consume a portion of two tablespoons of beans or beans. rice, but not more.

"Some diabetics' problems are that if you put a job application that you have diabetes no longer gives you work, or because you ask for permission on a recurring basis, because you're sick of Diabetes, you are fired and someone else for you, "says Martinez.

He met A diabetic patient told her that she had fainted repeatedly in her work in a call center and that she was blamed for taking the drug, but in reality she had low levels of insulin and her body was reacting when blood pressure dropped. He fainted.

Martinez went through the phases of illness to exercise, eating healthily, but to control the disease with pills, it happened eight years ago to inject insulin, his pancreas only producing it more by negligence.

] "I arrived at this point because my pancreas was terminally ill, it was not working at all.Of course, we have to accept it, and I think it's the biggest problem of all people who suffer from the disease, both those who know that they have it and those who do not know it, and if they are not well educated, they will continue to make mistakes and you will not be able to control diabetes because we say, "Gasiocitis will not go down badly twice a day," but you should be aware of it, "says the patient.

Another problem that arises with diabetes is that sometimes the body has high blood sugar levels, between 300 mg. and 400 mg., but physically, they feel no discomfort similar to that of the diabetic, but over time, the most serious problems of the disease appear, says Ernesto.

"Your feet start to lose sensitivity, You can walk on the beach in the hot sand, you see everyone running because of the high temperature and you do not feel anything, you lose sensitivity in the hands and feet. feet, as when your limbs fall asleep and you feel permanent, you can burn, you can hurt yourself and you feel nothing, "explains Ernesto.

What happens, says the patient, is that the metabolism does not work the same way, and when you contract recurrent infections that do not heal.

"I entered this phase, I had a wound that was complicated, started very small and an ulcer was generated, and it is already very careful in addition to resting and to heal, to take antibiotics, I thought it had to happen to me to think, I was admitted to the hospital for 70 days, "says Ernesto.

To have controlled diabetes, like the patient explains, it is necessary not only to have a normal blood sugar, but make a good diet, have a good weight, exercise, good blood pressure, take the drug on time and have normal triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

"Socially, people find it difficult to accept that they have the disease, and I am a man of faith and I believe that God will heal me but I must also do my part so that I can feel good, "said Martínez. [196] 59003] Illness
According to Roberto Cerritos, chief of the endocrinology department of Rosales Hospital and president of the Salvadoran Diabetes Association (ASADI), El Salvador has more than 20,000 39 million diabetics, 500,000 of whom do not know it.

In 2015, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) announced that 465 million people had diabetes worldwide, a figure that is expected to reach 690 million by 2040, explained Cerritos.

The celebration of World Diabetes Day, every November 14, was intended to raise awareness of the disease. IDF and the World Health Organization (WHO) created this commemoration in 1991 in response to the increase in the number of diagnoses.

One of the problems raised by Cerritos is that the vast majority of people do not accept diabetes and because they do not control it, they suffer the consequences of severe symptoms of the disease.

"We want to make the prevention of relatives of diabetic patients, because the ideal would be to know which children are already carriers of the diabetes genes, but it is impossible to know But the environmental part can be changed", said the specialist.

The doctor claimed that pediatricians play an important role, because if the doctor discovers that there are diabetic parents in the family, he must insist on the parents so that the minor Eat well, have a diet balanced and expend energy.

"If the child grows up with healthy eating and exercise, it will prevent the onset of diabetes or delay the onset of the disease," he says. declared. In adulthood, the person with diabetes genetic factors should avoid smoking, stress, alcoholism and multiple pregnancies to delay the onset of the disease.

Gerson Ávalos, an internist at Rosales Hospital and a student in endocrinology, explained that one of the symptoms of the disease is the need to drink a lot of fluid, because of the high blood sugar content; very eager to urinate, up to 10 times a night, and a lot of fatigue and anxiety to eat more than usual, because of the lack of insulin in the body .

Other diabetic patients may experience blurred vision, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, weakness, dizziness, and weight loss.

And some serious symptoms, in addition to diabetic foot, stroke, and blindness, are erectile dysfunction, lower limb pain, diarrhea, constipation, and excessive sweating. he declares.

According to Avalos, the diet of diabetics would be ideal for the entire population because it is the healthiest and does not mean restricting a type of food, but provides for a diet consisting of vegetables, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. simple sugars, such as honey, refined sugar, bread and flour.

Cerritos pointed out that it was necessary to educate the population and that health authorities should take action because otherwise it is educated, the number of people affected will increase further and it will be impossible to treat all diabetics.

The ASADI organization conducted a survey which found that the highest number of diabetics was in San Salvador and the northern part of the country, due to the high consumption of cereals, where most cases involve women, and currently, because of poor eating habits, also in children.

For a diabetic to remain stable with his disease must have adequate weight, normal glucose 24 hours a day, in addition to blood pressure, cholesterol, triglyceride hemoglobin and urine normal because it is not just the amounts of sugar in the blood that must be measured.

ASADI has already 30 years of foundation and the main goal is to raise awareness and educate about the disease.

Currently facing two serious problems, one of them is the economic factor that does not allow them to the entire Salvadoran population, and the second is that people do not accept to have to follow their illness to remain stable, medically and psychologically.

Today, 100 patients meet every Wednesday to talk about it. the disease, where they have interviews to learn about diabetes and monitor their disease.