Alcoholism and diabetes. Help!

  My father was diagnosed with Diabetes over 20 years ago.  He is in total denial that he has it, and has never done anything to treat his diabetes.  He also is an alcoholic, also in denial about that.  His drinking is consistantly an every day thing.  He normally drinks anywhere from 1 to 3 half pints of whiskey every day.  He does use the tester strips that you dip in urine to check his blood sugar.  He tells my mother that they are fine, but on several occaisions where he has dripped urine, she has checked them and they instantly turn black.  His urine is thick like Karo syrup.  Recently, he is taking spells of extreme hatefulness and just plain hard to get along with.  What are the symptoms that we need to watch?  There is no way in this world we can get him to a doctor, so I need to know what to look for in case emergency help is needed.  I thoroughly expect him to just drop dead one day.  He is 63 years old, approx. 230 lbs, gets no exercise, sleeps and watches TV.  Can you please tell me what to watch for?  I would sincerely appreciate it.

[HVM-MD-SA]

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Your father, as you describe him, has 2 serious strikes against him, and is behaving as though he couldn't care less.  In some States a judge approached by the family of such an individual might agree to an involuntary commitment for treatment of his alcoholism, or appoint a guardian to make medical decisions for him.  These are large and serious undertaking, and should only be considered witht the full involvement of local lawyers and physicians who have a clear picture of your father's medical conditions and who know the local statutes pertaining to competency issues and pertaining to involuntary treatment for alcoholism.  Without a heavy-handed intervention (and, perhaps, in spite of one) your father's conditions will, in all likelihood, deteriorate further.  It sounds to me that the best way to proceed is to work closely with a local physician who could guide you in caring for your father.  If you work at it, you can probably even find someone in your area who could do a housecall and perform some basic laboratory tests.  Once your father has been more carefully evaluated by a physician, you can get that doctor to give you some advice about "what to look for."  Until that time, use your common sense, and , when in doubt, pick up the phone and call the nearest emergency room for advice.  Good luck!
This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and
treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition.
Steve Adelman, M.D. (a.k.a. DrSteve)

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