Diabetes in the UAE (1)
Today, Farook wished to visit a friend in a major Dubai hospital, and invited me to join him.
I've been to this hospital several times as a visitor. The hospital provides very cheap care (in wards) for anyone with a health card, and luxurious care for those willing to pay for it. From what I've seen, the quality of the care provided is excellent.
Farook's friend was in a posh private room with someone to assist him. I asked the friend's name, and was told only that he had a son named Ahmed, which narrows his identity down quite a lot.
As best I could tell, Ahmed's father was in hospital for gangrene resulting from diabetes.
In talking about diabetes, there are two measurements: the older English measurement is used in the US, I've seen it used in Indian newspapers, and it seems to be common in the UAE. The International measurement (now used by Europe, the UK, and the Antipodes) is 1/18 times the English measurement. Most non-diabetics have blood sugars of 70-100 (English) or 4 - 5.5 (International).
Blood sugars that are frequently above 200 (English)/ 11 (International) invariably lead to problems. I've seen the gangrene occur many times in diabetics who cannot control their sugars. The diabetic begins by losing toes, then feet, then legs.
Other problems include blindness, strokes, heart failure, kidney failure, and general circulatory failure (among others). It's just a question of which one will kill the uncontrolled diabetic first.
But, while I was curious, no one was speaking English.
'What is he taking?' I asked.
'Insulin tablets.'
Unfortunately, there are no insulin tablets, so whatever he's taking, they either didn't know, didn't understand the question, or didn't know the English for the correct answer.
'What are his sugars?' I asked.
'135.'
If his sugars never exceed 135, he wouldn't have gangrene, so that answer was also not altogether in concordance with what I observed.
The discussion among Ahmed's father and the two visitors (Farook and Hajj Waleed) resumed in Arabic. Farook and Hajj Waleed had brought a book as a present, but I never learned what the book was.
I saw the lunch Ahmed's father had been given by the hospital, one with what is called a low glycaemic index, or the best possible meal for a diabetic.
The attendant then brought in four cups of very sweet tea and four sugary muffins, or, as most diabetologists will say, 'Poison for diabetics.' The patient (and Farook, and Hajj Waleed) all enjoyed their tea and their muffins.
From what I saw, the patient, in spite of the hospital's efforts, is not observing a proper diet, and must have had sugars that frequently exceeded 200 (English)/11 (International), or he wouldn't have gangrene.
But, while I had lots of questions, sadly, I have no answers.
I've been to this hospital several times as a visitor. The hospital provides very cheap care (in wards) for anyone with a health card, and luxurious care for those willing to pay for it. From what I've seen, the quality of the care provided is excellent.
Farook's friend was in a posh private room with someone to assist him. I asked the friend's name, and was told only that he had a son named Ahmed, which narrows his identity down quite a lot.
As best I could tell, Ahmed's father was in hospital for gangrene resulting from diabetes.
In talking about diabetes, there are two measurements: the older English measurement is used in the US, I've seen it used in Indian newspapers, and it seems to be common in the UAE. The International measurement (now used by Europe, the UK, and the Antipodes) is 1/18 times the English measurement. Most non-diabetics have blood sugars of 70-100 (English) or 4 - 5.5 (International).
Blood sugars that are frequently above 200 (English)/ 11 (International) invariably lead to problems. I've seen the gangrene occur many times in diabetics who cannot control their sugars. The diabetic begins by losing toes, then feet, then legs.
Other problems include blindness, strokes, heart failure, kidney failure, and general circulatory failure (among others). It's just a question of which one will kill the uncontrolled diabetic first.
But, while I was curious, no one was speaking English.
'What is he taking?' I asked.
'Insulin tablets.'
Unfortunately, there are no insulin tablets, so whatever he's taking, they either didn't know, didn't understand the question, or didn't know the English for the correct answer.
'What are his sugars?' I asked.
'135.'
If his sugars never exceed 135, he wouldn't have gangrene, so that answer was also not altogether in concordance with what I observed.
The discussion among Ahmed's father and the two visitors (Farook and Hajj Waleed) resumed in Arabic. Farook and Hajj Waleed had brought a book as a present, but I never learned what the book was.
I saw the lunch Ahmed's father had been given by the hospital, one with what is called a low glycaemic index, or the best possible meal for a diabetic.
The attendant then brought in four cups of very sweet tea and four sugary muffins, or, as most diabetologists will say, 'Poison for diabetics.' The patient (and Farook, and Hajj Waleed) all enjoyed their tea and their muffins.
From what I saw, the patient, in spite of the hospital's efforts, is not observing a proper diet, and must have had sugars that frequently exceeded 200 (English)/11 (International), or he wouldn't have gangrene.
But, while I had lots of questions, sadly, I have no answers.
posted by Dubai@Random at 7:02 pm
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