Diabetes Complications

My father was back at SGH for his appointment with an eye specialist. He had a detailed eye check for retinopathy.

One of the complications arising from diabetes is retinopathy. When there is prolonged high blood glucose, the blood vessels of the retina are damaged by becoming enlarged or clogged. The blood vessels can become weak and rupture and the retina can become detached from the back of the eye. A person may notice strange blotches, blurriness, or dark spots in their vision. If this happens, it is important to visit the eye specialist because if left untreated, retinopathy can lead to blindness. Therefore, it's important to keep blood glucose levels as near to normal as possible to prevent retina damage.

The diagnosis: my father's diabetes is causing some minor problems for his eyesight but not untreatable. Phew. My father can still salvage the situation but he has to keep his blood glucose level DOWN! Sigh. Going to be hard work. :( There was the usual queueing and waiting at SGH but at least today's visit in total took about 2.5 hours. It's considered very fast lol.

The next SGH visit for my father is to see the heart specialist.

SGH Experience

I accompanied my father to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) to see the diabetes consultant as well as to get some tests done with regards to his diabetes such as blood test, ECG test, retina check and foot check.

SGH is a big place and at times, very confusing. The signs are quite small and unclear. Without the nurse to direct us where to go, we would surely get lost! We had to run to different places to get the different tests done. At each place, there was queueing and waiting.

It was a very tiring experience for me even though I am not the one undergoing the tests and checks. It must have been worse for my father. :( We will have to go back to SGH at least thrice to see the heart consultant, the eye consultant, and finally the diabetes consultant again for follow up. Sigh. Not looking forward to the queueing and waiting... :(

PS. Seeing what my father has gone through, it serves as a reminder for me to watch my sugar intake. I am so going to make sure I stay pre-diabetic for as long as I can. Friends, do tell me off if you see me eating sweet stuff. Thanks in advance. :)