Dr.Gamal Bakeer 27.11.2001
|
What
is Type 1 Diabetes? Finding out you have diabetes is scary.
But don’t panic! Sure, diabetes is serious. But people
with diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives. You can too by taking
good care of yourself. The Sugar Connection In diabetes, there’s too much glucose
in the blood. Glucose is a kind of sugar that your body’s cells use for
fuel. When glucose builds up in the blood
instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes There are two main kinds of diabetes.
You have insulin-dependent diabetes. It is also called Type I
diabetes. It used to be called juvenile diabetes (even though adults get
it too). You did not catch diabetes from someone
else. Instead, insulin-dependent diabetes is caused by damage to the
pancreas. The pancreas is an organ near your stomach. The pancreas
contains cells called beta cells. Beta cells have a vital job: they make
insulin, a hormone that helps cells take in the glucose they need. Sometimes, the beta cells get wiped out
and cannot produce insulin anymore. Without insulin, glucose stays in the
blood instead of going into cells. Many things might have killed your beta
cells, but in most people with insulin-dependent diabetes, the immune
system makes a mistake. Cells that should protect you from germs instead
attack your beta cells. The beta cells die. Without beta cells, you make
no insulin. Glucose builds up in your blood, and you get diabetes. The Diagnosis You probably knew something was
wrong before your doctor said you had diabetes. You may have:
Levels of glucose that were too-high
caused these symptoms. They "told" your doctor you might have
diabetes. To make sure, your doctor took some of your blood and measured
how much glucose it had. Taking
Care Of Your Diabetes The problem in diabetes is too much
glucose in the blood. So, the goal of treatment is to lower glucose levels
with:
Insulin shots.
Your beta cells no longer make insulin. But you need insulin to live.
Insulin shots replace the insulin you no longer make. Insulin shots let your cells take in
glucose. Then you no longer have too much glucose in your blood. Your
tiredness, hunger and thirst go away. Your doctor will tell you what kind of
insulin to take, how much and when. At first, you might feel afraid.
Remember how scary riding a bike was at first? Giving yourself shots will
become as easy as riding a bike. Good diet.
When you eat, your body changes food into glucose. Your blood glucose
levels go up. You deal with this rise in two ways:
Once, people with diabetes ate a
limited diet. For example, they didn’t eat any sugar. Today, you have
many choices. The best diet for a person with diabetes is like the best
diet for anyone. Such a diet:
The diet for diabetes does
need one special thing—consistency. It’s best to:
Each person is different. You and
your dietitian will work out a meal plan just for you. To make sure your
plan fits your life, tell your dietitian:
Exercise.
Being active helps your cells take in glucose. It lowers glucose levels in
your blood. So exercise is good for most people with diabetes. Tell your doctor about the kinds of
exercise you do now. Your doctor will help you fit them to your new
lifestyle. If you don’t exercise already, your doctor may advise you to
become more active. Glucose testing.
You now know that insulin
shots, a healthy diet, and keeping fit help keep glucose levels normal.
You can check your glucose levels at home to keep track of how you’re
doing. To test your blood, you need a drop of
blood from your finger. You place the drop on a special test strip. A
small device called a glucose monitor measures how much glucose the drop
of blood contains. Most people with insulin-dependent
diabetes do best by testing at least four times a day. Write down each
result, along with the time and date. You will soon learn how well your
treatment plan is working. And you will learn how exercise and food affect
you. What Can
Go Wrong Diabetes can cause three types of
problems:
Ketoacidosis.
There are times your blood glucose levels may go way too high. Perhaps you
ate too much or took too little insulin. Maybe you are sick or under a lot
of stress. In any case, you have too little insulin in your blood. Your
starving body starts breaking down fat for energy. As a result, your body
produces chemicals called ketones. Ketones are bad for you. They may
make you:
You can protect yourself from
ketoacidosis. You should test your urine for ketones (using test strips
you can get at the drug-store) when:
Call your
doctor right away if there are ketones in your urine. Hypoglycemia
Sometimes, your blood glucose levels can fall too low. This is called
hypoglycemia. It can be cause by:
If your blood sugar is getting too
low, you may feel:
If you think your glucose is low,
test it. Also test yourself if you feel "odd" or
"funny." If your glucose level is low, eat or drink something
with 15 grams of sugars right away, such as:
If you can’t test your glucose
right then, eat something with 15 grams of sugar, just to be safe. Complications.
Too-high levels of glucose in the blood over many years can hurt your
organs. Diabetes can damage eyes, kidneys and nerves. It also makes heart
and blood vessel disease more likely. The best defense against
complications is taking good care of your diabetes. Keeping your glucose
levels in control will make you feel better now. And it will help you stay
healthy in the future. Other related
materials: For
additional information on diabetes, visit the
American Diabetes Association Book
Store or follow the hyperlinks to view our Complete
Guide to Diabetes, The
Uncomplicated Guide to Diabetes Complications, and 101
Medication Tips for People with Diabetes.
American Diabetes Association Additional Information: |