Diabetes

Living with Diabetes

For many of us Diabetes is something we here talked about, but never totally comprehend the seriousness of the condition.

In its simplest form, its a serious lifelong condition where a person's blood glucose (sugar) level is too high, falling into two main categories;
Type 1: Where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. Type 2: Where the body does'nt produce enough insulin, or the body's cells don't react to insulin.

In both cases, if glucose is unable to get into our cells effectively, it creates too much glucose in our blood, causing complications and problems.

Glucose comes from the carbohydrates we eat and drink, helping to give our body energy. It works alongside a hormone called insulin that's made by our pancreas, the insulin allowing the glucose to enter our cells from our blood.

Diabetes can have the following symtoms, but not in all cases, infact type 1 on occasions can be mistaken for a virus, so this is far from an exhausted list and with type 1 and 2 the symptoms can differ. In all cases it's better to check out the specific symptoms related to your condition. You may experience feelling hot sweaty, very thirsty, very tired, mood swings, blurred vision, peeing a lot especially at night, weight and muscle loss, itching around the penis or vagina with symptoms of thrush, cuts that seem to heal slowly. I can't stress enough If you are in any doubt or worry, seek help from a professional person by going to see your GP as soon as possible for advice.

Once diagnosed you'll need treatment. In the case of Type 1 it will be insulin delivered daily by injections or pump therapy. In the case of Type 2 it will be finding the right medication through your GP, as some may have side effects. Then learning how to measure and control your levels by interventions yourself. Have regular checks, learn to carb count and monitor your blood glucose levels so that they stay balanced. It's important also to have a balanced healthily eating regime, taking regular light exercise.

You may have heard the terms Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia. These describe when the blood sugar level is high (Hyperglycemia) and when the blood sugar level is low (Hypoglycemia)

It's difficult to write about diabetes when there's so much to cover, such as pregnancy, eye screening etc.. My advice would be to speak with your GP, read credible sources of literature such as the NHS and Diabetes association, join support groups, carry some form of medical ID with you
and attend a course on managing your diabetes.

In all aspects of diabetes, modern technology has improved, improving life expectancy. However how you deal with your 360 degree personal heath investment will contribute a lot more.

Life doesn't end just because of diabetes. This statement doesnt just apply to the patient, it's also for the carer who devotes a large amount of time supporting and helping. You can still do everything you did before, its more about life style choices, education and time management that reduce or increase its impact.

The most important message to leave the reader with...
Remember you control your diabetes, don't allow it to control you, and with all conditions the quicker it's diagnosed the more effective the treatment..