Understanding Diabetes

Knowing that you have Diabetes and what type of Diabetes do you have is not enough. You may say you’ll just take your pills and you’re good. Having Diabetes is a continuous learning process when you want the best for your health. Diabetes can increase your risk to many critical health issues if you don’t get the proper treatment and do the recommended lifestyle changes. Complications of Diabetes can hit you at any age, gender, and skin color.

Here are Diabetes Complications for your Information so you’ll know how to prevent them:

Eye Problems

Due to high sugar in the blood when you have Diabetes, you can have glaucoma, cataract, blurred visions, or any other eye complications. See your doctor once you feel something different in your eyes. Have regular eye check-ups to prevent these. You may want to learn how to become an optometrist to learn more about eye care.

Feet Complications

Diabetic people tend to accumulate blood sugar more in their legs and feet. So, when blood sugar is too high you’ll feel numbness. Fatty substances will build up in the walls of the artery. A leg and  foot massage is very helpful for better blood circulation. Stop adding sugar to your body. Sugar will just make your Diabetes worst more than you ever know.

Skin Problems

Your skin will feel itchy when you have Diabetes. Avoid scratching to avoid having wounds because they are slow to heal when you have Diabetes. Take care of your skin to prevent other skin disorders. The most affected areas are the feet because when feet becomes moist it accumulates fungus or bacteria. So, washing the feet frequently will help a lot. Use proper foot wear also to avoid getting hurt from pointed objects which will cause wounds.

Heart Failure

Diabetes may lead to heart diseases like heart attack and stroke. You don’t want this to happen to you. So, better eat your healthy vegetables and stay away from fatty foods. If you’re obese, try to lose weight the healthy and  natural way to avoid heart enlargement too.

High Blood Pressure

Here’s another Diabetes complication that you should be aware of. So, feed yourself with fresh citrus fruits to maintain a good blood pressure. Stay away from red meat.

Kidney Problems

You can have kidney stones or kidney inflammations if you eat too much salty foods. So, drink 8-10 glasses of water a day and stay away from salty sauces and condiments. Have a balance diet too.

There are other complications that may happen when Diabetes is not managed properly. Living with Diabetes would not be too complicated when you know your limitations and divert your old habits to new healthy ones. Prevent having these complications by proper diet, exercise, and relaxation. Prevention is better than cure. Don’t wait ‘til it’s too late.

After understanding what Diabetes is and knowing its symptoms, you should also know the types of Diabetes. By knowing what type of Diabetes you have, you can give the proper treatment to your body. Understanding your body needs will be easier for you to live properly.

Here are the 3 Types of Diabetes:

1.    Type 1 Diabetes or Insulin Dependent Diabetes.

A person with Type 1 Diabetes produces little insulin or no insulin at all. That is why they need to inject insulin daily into their system to control the glucose level in their blood. Without the insulin injection supplied to their body, they can die. This type of diabetes can happen to young children or young adults. Or it can be an inborn disease.

This type of Diabetes can also be called immune-mediated or juvenile-onset.

Celebrities who have type 1 diabetes:

Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Anne Rice, and more

2.   Type 2 Diabetes or Non-Insulin Diabetes

90% of Diabetic patients have this type of Diabetes. People with Type 2 Diabetes can remain undetected for years. They will be diagnosed when a complication occurs or through a blood sugar or urine test. Mostly who get this type are the obese people because it causes insulin resistance and this will elevate the levels of blood glucose. People with this type of diabetes normally occur at the age of 40 but sometimes it can occur earlier depending on your eating habits and family history.

This type of Diabetes is also called adult-onset diabetes because it’s the adults who are most likely to get this disease.

Celebrities who have Type 2 Diabetes:

Larry King, Sherri Shepherd, Randy Jackson, and more

 3.   Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)

This is a type of Diabetes for woman and is usually found out at the start of pregnancy or during the pregnancy. It is where the blood glucose level is high and gives complications before and after giving birth. After the pregnancy, GMD usually disappears but the mother and the child are most likely to develop type 2 Diabetes later in life.

Celebrities that experienced GDM:

Salma Hayek, Mary Tyler Moore, Angelina Jollie, and more

Now that you know the 3 types of Diabetes, you can identify your type after acknowledging the symptoms of Diabetes. It would be wise to consult a doctor if you find something strange in your body. You can learn how to be a dietician to know more how to eat properly to avoid Diabetes.

If you have noticed, people around you are mostly eating sweets. Whether you’re young or old, sweets are the food that all people love. But as they say, too much of everything will lead to something bad.

Are you always thirsty?

Do you experience persistent hunger?

Is your urinating badly increasing?

Always feeling over fatigue?

Are you having a blurry vision?

Do you experience itchiness on your skin lately?

Are you having problems with wound healing?

Do you feel numbness or tingling of the hands or feet?

(For Women) Are you experiencing yeast infection?

(For Men) Are you having erectile dysfunction?

Are you overweight?

Do you have a family history of Diabetes?

If you answered yes to at least 4 to my questions above, then most likely you have Diabetes or you’re a candidate of having Diabetes.

But, what is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease wherein the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, has cells that do not respond correctly to the insulin that the pancreas produces, or produces no insulin at all to convert sugar (glucose) into energy as a result the sugar builds up to the blood.

Here’s a simple explanation for you to understand:

Every time your food is digested, the glucose tries to go to the bloodstreams. Our body cell uses this glucose for energy and growth. But without the insulin, glucose cannot enter the cells.

After you eat, an adequate quantity of insulin is automatically released by the pancreas to move the glucose that is currently in your blood into the cells, and will lower the blood sugar level.

But if you have Diabetes, the quantity of glucose in the blood is very high. Excess blood glucose will be eliminated though your urine so, the glucose are not getting their proper energy and growth requirement even though you have plenty of glucose in your blood.

So, without energy, you will feel weak, thirsty, and hungry. The itchiness, tingling, and problem with wound healing are the results of the sugar accumulated in your blood.

Take care of yourself. Live a healthy life. Once you have Diabetes, it is there forever. It’s either you maintain a healthy living to live longer or take it for granted and experience its complications. You can check online nursing degree programs if you want to know more about Diabetes and how to care for a patient.

I know all of these because my mom is a Diabetic and I went with her on her medical check-ups. I’ve attended seminars and read books about her condition in order to understand Diabetes more to help her. I am sharing it with you so you’ll be aware of Diabetes symptoms and avoid having it. I hope this is beneficial to you. I will talk more about it on my next post.