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| Diabetes Information |
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Becoming a Diabetes Expert
I am a diabetes expert. No I'm not a doctor or a nurse. I am a mom. A mom to a 13 year old girl named Ashley who has Juvenile Diabetes. Ashley was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes just before her fifth birthday. She went into a diabetic coma and almost died. None of that would have happened if I had known the warning signs. In this article I am going to give you some information on diabetes and the warning signs. There are two types of Diabetes. Type I - Juvenile Diabetes and Type II - Adult Onset Diabetes. Here we are going to concentrate on Type I. With Type I , which mainly occurs in young people, the pancreas produces very little or no insulin. This disease is now being classed as an Auto-immune disease. This is what can happen. A person becomes ill with a flu-like virus. Normally the white blood cells would attack these invading organisms and the person would begin to get better. But, in a person prone to diabetes the white blood cells become confused and attack the beta cells in the pancreas. To better understand this let me explain what the pancreas does. The pancreas is a gland positioned behind the stomach. It has two major functions. The first is to produce enzymes that help to digest food. The second is to produce the hormones insulin and glucagon. These two hormones are important because they play a major part in regulating the glucose (sugar) level in your blood by keeping it at an even or normal level. When your pancreas becomes damaged it is unable to manufacture insulin. Insulin helps your beta cells absorb sugar. Your body needs the sugar to produce energy. Your body, unable to use glucose because of the lack of insulin, is forced to obtain energy from fat instead. This is very dangerous and if not treated eventually leads to a coma. If you are aware of them the warning signs are very easy to see. The warning signs of Juvenile Diabetes are: irritability, frequent urination which is associated with abnormal thirst, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, weight loss despite a normal (or even increased) intake of food, and unusual hunger. Something usually not mentioned but, which happened with my daughter was nightmares & sleep walking. In children, frequent bedwetting - especially by a child who never previously wet the bed - is another common sign. Just before going into a coma you will notice breath that smells like acetone (ex:fingernail polish remover). This is a sign of ketoacidosis. You should get this person to the hospital immediately. People with Type I Diabetes are subject to episodes in which blood glucose levels are very high (hyperglycemia) and very low (hypoglycemia). Either of these conditions can lead to a serious medical emergency. To better understand this you should know that a normal blood glucose level is between 70 - 120. When my daughter went into a diabetic coma her level was over 1,000. She has been as low as 19. This is very scary. This is what I notice when Ashley becomes low. You look into her eyes and she looks far away. Her eyes are glassy and vacant looking. She becomes confused, disoriented and sometimes combative. Her speech is slow and often slurred. Her hand will tremble and she says she feels shaky. Sometimes Ashley does not recall these episodes. Episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) which strikes suddenly, can be caused by a missed meal, too much excersize, or a reaction to too much insulin. The initial signs are hunger, dizziness, sweating, confusion, palpitations, and numbness or tingling of the lips. If not treated the individual may go on to experience double vision, trembling and disorientation; they may act strangely and may even lapse into a coma. In contrast, a hyperglycemic (high blood glucose) episode can come on over a period of several hours or even weeks. The risk of hyperglycemia is greatest during illness. When insulin requirements rise; blood sugar can creep, ultimately resulting in a coma, a reaction also known as diabetic ketoacidosis. One of the warning signs of developing hyperglycemia is the inability to keep down fluids. Possible long term complications include stroke, blindness, heart disease, kidney failure, gangrene, and nerve damage. So you see I am a diabetes expert. It was important for me to know my enemy. My enemy is diabetes and with education I can fight it. Devoting her last 8 years to Diabetes Education, Kimberly maintains her website ElviraDarkNight.com and publishes the Living Life as a Diabetic Newsletter and also dispatches donated Diabetic supplies to needie individuals without Health Insurance. Kim would like to personally invite you to become informed on issues of Health, Nutrition & Diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: Culturally-tailored Education Can Improve Blood ... - Science Daily (press release)
Diabetes - Google News |
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Alternative Medicine Fanning the Flames of the Diabetes Epidemic INTRODUCTION Pre-Diabetes Awareness: Gamblers Understand the Odds Do you gamble? Play Texas Hold'em poker, casino games, or lotteries? Then understanding your odds of winning is part of the challenge. Diabetes the Silent Killer The Iceberg Effect! What sank the "Unsinkable Ship" the Titanic was not the tip of the iceberg, but the lurking 90% percent of the iceberg hidden under the surface. In the movie you see the captain steer the ship clear of the block of ice on top of the water, but underneath not known to the captain, crew or passengers, the razor sharp ice was splitting the steel bottom of the vessel like a stick of melted butter. Only after it was too late that the damage was known to all. Only a handful survived! Type II Diabetes: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes The term diabetes refers to higher than normal levels of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. Type II diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, was commonly referred to as adult onset diabetes until recently when the name no longer accurately describes the population with this disease. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles digested carbohydrates. If neglected, diabetes can cause serious health complications, ranging from blindness to kidney failure. Diabetes and its Management Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most costly burdensome chronic diseases of our time and is condition that is increasing in epidemic population in the whole world. The complications resulting from the diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and are associated with failure of various organs such as the eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetics are also at a significantly higher risk for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke and they have a greater likelihood of having hypertension dyslipidemia and obesity. Diabetes: Calling For Double Trouble! Diabetes!!! Exercising for Diabetes Sufferers Exercise is often recommended in treating type 1 (insulin- dependent) and type 2 (noninsulin- dependent) diabetes ~ both as a stand-alone activity and in combination with diet and drug therapy. For people who are heavily dependent on medicines, exercise cannot replace drugs but it does contribute to normalizing the glucose metabolism. The Subconscious Diet Can Help Protect Your Child From Type 2 Diabetes Until obesity became epidemic, type 2 diabetes was virtually unheard of in children and teens. It was originally called "adult-onset" because it was mainly seen after middle age. At least 9 million American children are seriously overweight and another 9 million are heavy enough to be at risk, yet studies show that many parents are in denial about their children's obesity. Syndrome X - What Is It And Have You Got It? Syndrome X or the X factor as it is sometimes known was first described in 1988 by Professor Gerald Reaven , an endocrinologist at California's Stanford University after twenty years of study. Since this first identification the understanding of Syndrome X has come a long way. Diabetes Awreness: There?s No Substitute for Good Friends Was there a time when you relished the idea of giving dinner parties? Diabetes, A Bad Omen Or A Fresh Start? So you've learned that you've got diabetes. Well after the initial shock, you are stuck with dealing with the lifestyle changes that come with your diagnosis. When you go into the situation knowing that this isn't the end but only the beginning of a new phase in your life it gives you a better perspective on life. Gone are the days of feeling like garbage and not knowing the genesis of the problem. Oftentimes, folks feel a sense of relief when they finally realize what the problem is. The stress of uncertainty lifts and the realization sets in that their life is now on a straight path. Well sort of.. Diabetic Foot Care Tips: Cant Afford to Ignore It! Most of the time, we focus on health or skin care completely ignoring the importance of our feet. Foot care is equally important especially for diabetic people to avoid foot complications. Feet is one part of our body which is used the most. Even then, we tend to ignore it until we don't come across some serious feet problem. Feet are made up of 26 bones, held together by tendons, ligaments and muscles and wrapped in skin. Preparing Your Child and Family for Life With Diabetes After the initial shock of diagnosis wears off and we become more comfortable with administering insulin shots, scheduling blood tests and mealtimes, and carbohydrate counting we have a chance to look to the future. At that point it really begins to sink in what a long-term commitment parenting a diabetic child really is. We now understand we have been drawn into a different lifestyle that will last as long as we are parents. Even when our child is grown up and leaves home we will still be concerned and involved with the diabetes community. Diabetes Type 2 and Artificial Sweeteners Diabetes Type 2 (adult onset) Diabetes Has Become A Risk in Mens Life This is true that men with diabetes have an increased risk of developing erectile dysfunction compared with men without diabetes. Erectile dysfunction in diabetes has many potential causes, including the specific diabetes complications of neuropathy and vascular disease, as well as conditions commonly associated with diabetes, such as hypertension, use of various medications or psychogenic factors. Build Health: Want To Prevent Diabetes? To prevent diabetes you will get a real jolt when you follow the prescription offered up in the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Diabetes Break-Thru Helps Battle Blood Sugar Woes Are you a diabetic? If so, you are definitely not alone. Recent numbers report that there are some 18 million Type 2 diabetics. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists released statistics at it's annual meeting suggesting two-thirds of Type 2 diabetics don't have their blood sugar under control. Do You Have Diabetes? Symptoms Of Diabetes And How To Address Them Diabetes mellitus is a condition resulting from the pancreas' inability to produce enough insulin, which is needed by the body to help create energy. A deficiency of or ineffectiveness of insulin leads to high glucose levels in the blood, thus, leading to this illness. I Have Diabetes or Another Chronic Condition - Should I Use an HSA? Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are becoming quite popular for people who are generally healthy. But what about sick people? What about people who have chronic conditions like diabetes, multiple sclerosis or the like? Does an HSA make sense for them?
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