Health

Treatment for venous and arterial ulcers in San Antonio: An overview

Published

3 weeks ago

November 13, 2021

Arterial and venous ulcers typically develop on the legs and feet. As the name indicates, arterial ulcers form because of damage to arteries, while venous ulcers form because of damage to veins. These ulcers need more attention because the recovery time can take considerable time. Before you seek treatment for venous and arterial ulcers in San Antonio, here are some things to know.

Are arterial ulcers the same as venous ulcers?

The short answer is no, although both may have common symptoms such as pain and inflammation. Common symptoms of arterial ulcers include yellow/black/red sores, deep wounds, and pain at night, although there is no typical bleeding. Venous ulcers are seen below the knee, and on the inner ankles, unlike the former, which tends to develop on the outer sides. Symptoms of such ulcers include inflammation, pain, hardened skin, swelling, and discharge. Risk factors for arterial ulcers include age, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and smoking. The potential causes for venous ulcers may vary, including trauma, varicose veins, obesity, deep vein thrombosis, and high blood pressure.

What are the standard treatment options?

Wound-care clinics in San Antonio offer treatment for both venous and arterial ulcers, but the approach may vary. In the case of arterial ulcers, the approach is to restore blood circulation to the damaged area. Wound care from an early stage is the best way to prevent further complications, but in some cases, doctors may need to rely on angioplasty and other surgical options. It is vital to keep arterial ulcers clean and well-bandaged to prevent infection from spreading further.

Venous ulcers can take longer to heal. The focus of the treatment is to improve blood circulation, and doctors may prescribe antibiotics to accelerate the healing process. Wound care for venous ulcers includes regular cleansing and compression therapy, and if needed, the patient can take medications to minimize the pain.

Visiting a wound-care clinic in San Antonio

Both venous and arterial ulcers can result in serious complications. If your doctor cannot restore blood flow to the affected area, amputation could be the only option left. This drastic measure is the precise reason why patients should consult a doctor when they have a wound that refuses to heal. Early intervention is the best way to avoid infection, and if there is an infection already, doctors can try to minimize the consequences and complications. Check online for clinics in SA for venous and arterial ulcers now.

Health

Understanding The Relationship Between Diabetes And Fatigue

Published

1 week ago

November 22, 2021

Michelle Langton

Diabetes and fatigue have a direct relationship. If you have diabetes, you are likely to suffer from fatigue. However, do not mistake feeling tired with fatigue as those are very different from each other. When you are tired, you may feel energized after resting. But with fatigue, it is hard to get rid of feelings of exhaustion.

Diabetes alone is a severe condition, and when fatigue is added, it can become stressful to manage both conditions simultaneously. But, fatigue should not be left untreated as it can affect your lifestyle significantly. Therefore, to treat fatigue in Lawrenceville, you need to understand its relationship with diabetes.

Why does diabetes cause fatigue?

Diabetes is caused when the human body fails to produce sufficient insulin required to convert glucose into energy. If you are a diabetes patient, you are likely to experience fatigue at some point in your life.

When a person consumes food, their body breaks down the food particles into simple sugars or glucose. Insulin is a peptide hormone that carries these sugars from your bloodstream to your cells and converts it into energy for immediate or later use.

For people with diabetes, their body does not produce enough insulin for this process to take place. If your blood sugar level is high, these sugars will not be converted into energy and will build up in your bloodstream, posing severe health complications. One of these health complications is fatigue.

Other causes of diabetes fatigue.

Changes in blood sugar levels may not be the only reason causing fatigue in your body. There are other factors related to diabetes that may be contributing to the condition. They are as follows.

Frequent urination
Insomnia
Depression
Lack of physical activity
Skipping meals
Extreme hunger and excessive thirst
Blurred vision
Poor nutrition

These symptoms may not cause your fatigue directly. However, all of these factors can cause mental and physical exhaustion, which may cause you to feel tired and unwell for a long time. Persistent feelings of tiredness can eventually lead to the development of fatigue.

Your diabetes medications may be causing fatigue:

Various medications used by diabetes patients can have fatigue as a side effect. Following is a list of drugs that can potentially lead to feelings of fatigue.

Statins
Corticosteroids
Diuretics
Beta blockers

Lifestyle changes are needed to manage your diabetes fatigue.

If you are looking to treat your fatigue using lifestyle changes, you need to take care of your diabetes. Diabetes and fatigue are correlated, and treating them can be successful when regarded as a whole rather than different conditions.

The following lifestyle changes may be effective in managing your diabetes and fatigue altogether.