My grandmother is a real bad diabetic. She did not take care of herself at all, even after she had her first heart attack (don't think was caused by her diabetes, just her weight) she now has to get dialysis done once a week. She is so tired afterwards, and the joints in her feet have no cartilage left.

It is so important to take care of yourselves

it's hard, because diabetes is so "silent" - it's not visible at first glance and it's not something that can just be 'fixed" - which is why it's so hard to deal with for a lot of people.

How closely linked are diabetes and dialysis?

I have a good friend of many years who has been on dialysis for several years. She was told she is too obese to have a kidney transplant, even though I believe she is on the list.

When I asked her, she said she is not diabetic. Could this be true or could she be in denial?

Diabetes and kidney disease is very linked.
A little phyiology here.
Kidneys ar filter. Much like your kitchen sponge. So far you have an idea of the organ itself.
When Glucose builds up it craetes an acid, Similar to acetone.
Now we all know waht nail polish remover does to synthetic materials or varnished finishes.
This is the same thing it does to the kidney. IT slowly eats away at the kidney and prevents it from working.


Ther are many differnt type of diabets kidney related nephropathies.
theer is Microalbinmuria. the presence to ohigh prtiens in the urine. This is caused by teh kidney being damaged in some way and not eing able ot filter out the excess proteinses which is another acid.

there is End Stage REnal disase, where the kidney is far damaged even in teh tubes to handle filtration and blood cleanisng.
Dialysis is the artificial action of blood cleaninsing from toxins, literally. A shnt isplaced na main vein and teh blood flows out theorugh a process and through a few filters. these filters take the matter that would notmally be filtered out, like White blood cells, glucose, proteins, infections waste, dead RBC etc and removes them.
Her runaway diabetes is an exact cause, as well as her heart attack from uncontrolled diabetes.