What Is Type 1 Diabetes
People of all ages can develop type 1 diabetes.
If you have type 1 diabetes, your pancreas doesnt make insulin or makes very little insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps blood sugar enter the cells in your body where it can be used for energy. Without insulin, blood sugar cant get into cells and builds up in the bloodstream. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and causes many of the symptoms and complications of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults, but it can develop at any age.
Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2approximately 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes, but it can be managed by following your doctors recommendations for living a healthy lifestyle, managing your blood sugar, getting regular health checkups, and getting diabetes self-management education and support.
Do I Have Other Treatment Options For My Diabetes
When medicines and lifestyle changes are not enough to manage your diabetes, a less common treatment may be an option. Other treatments include bariatric surgery for certain people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and an “artificial pancreas” and pancreatic islet transplantation for some people with type 1 diabetes.
Special Requirements Needed To Use A Cgm
Twice a day, you may need to check the CGM itself. Youll test a drop of blood on a standard glucose meter. The glucose reading should be similar on both devices.
Youll also need to replace the CGM sensor every 3 to 7 days, depending on the model.
For safety its important to take action when a CGM alarm sounds about high or low blood glucose. You should follow your treatment plan to bring your glucose into the target range, or get help.
Read Also: Inulin And Diabetes Type 2
Work With Your Health Care Team
Most people with diabetes get health care from a primary care professional. Primary care professionals include internists, family physicians, and pediatricians. Sometimes physician assistants and nurses with extra training, called nurse practitioners, provide primary care. You also will need to see other care professionals from time to time. A team of health care professionals can help you improve your diabetes self-care. Remember, you are the most important member of your health care team.
Besides a primary care professional, your health care team may include
- an endocrinologist for more specialized diabetes care
- a registered dietitian, also called a nutritionist
- a nurse
Threshold Suspend And Predictive Suspend Systems
The threshold suspend and predictive suspend systems can temporarily stop or suspend delivering insulin if your blood glucose level gets low.1
The threshold suspend system stops delivering insulin when your blood glucose level drops to a pre-set level. The predictive suspend system calculates your blood glucose level and will stop delivering insulin before your blood glucose level gets too low. Neither system automatically increases insulin doses.
Stopping insulin delivery at the right moment can help a person with type 1 diabetes avoid low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, a condition when a persons blood glucose level is lower than their target range. These systems may help people with type 1 diabetes who develop hypoglycemia overnight, particularly children.
Don’t Miss: How I Reversed My Diabetes
Testing For Type 1 Diabetes
A simple blood test will let you know if you have diabetes. If youve gotten your blood sugar tested at a health fair or pharmacy, follow up at a clinic or doctors office to make sure the results are accurate.
If your doctor thinks you have type 1 diabetes, your blood may also be tested for autoantibodies that are often present with type 1 diabetes but not with type 2. You may have your urine tested for ketones , which also indicate type 1 diabetes instead of type 2.
Type 2 Diabetes For Dummies
Learn to live a full and active life with type 2 diabetesType 2 diabetes is Australias fast-growing chronic disease, yet it can be prevented with the right diet and regular exercise. Whether you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or are pre-diabetic and hoping to avoid full-blown diabetes, this easy-to-understand book teaches you how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and good blood glucose control so that you can prevent long-term complications and live a full and active life.
An author team of medical professionals, led by Professor Lesley Campbell and Dr. Alan Rubin, offers essential guidance and critical advice for taking preventative measures to avoid developing type 2 diabetes in the first place. For those who have already been diagnosed, the authors walk you through how to deal with type 2 and clearly explain how it affects your body. Highlights ways to manage the daily impact that type 2 has on your life and prevent long-term complications Devotes an entire chapter to foot care Explains glucose monitoring as well as medications that you should be familiar with Details a healthy eating and exercise plan for getting a handle on your type 2 diabetes Makes suggestions for additional resources so you can learn more about your diabetes With a focus on the specific concerns of type 2 diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes For Dummies is a reliable, locally relevant resource on diabetes management.
You May Like: Bach Flower Remedies For Diabetes
The Role Of Insulin In Diabetes
To understand why insulin is important in diabetes, it helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy. Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, these cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into a simple sugar called “glucose.” Then, glucose is transported through the bloodstream to the cells of your body where it can be used to provide some of the energy your body needs for daily activities.
The amount of glucose in your bloodstream is tightly regulated by the hormone insulin. Insulin is always being released in small amounts by the pancreas. When the amount of glucose in your blood rises to a certain level, the pancreas will release more insulin to push more glucose into the cells. This causes the glucose levels in your blood to drop.
To keep your blood glucose levels from getting too low , your body signals you to eat and releases some glucose from storage kept in the liver.
People with diabetes either don’t make insulin or their body’s cells are resistant to insulin, leading to high levels of sugar circulating in the blood, called simply high blood sugar. By definition, diabetes is having a blood glucose level of 126 milligrams per deciliter or more after an overnight fast .
What Oral Medicines Treat Type 2 Diabetes
You may need medicines along with healthy eating and physical activity habits to manage your type 2 diabetes. You can take many diabetes medicines by mouth. These medicines are called oral medicines.
Most people with type 2 diabetes start medical treatment with metformin pills. Metformin also comes as a liquid. Metformin lowers the amount of glucose that your liver makes and helps your body use insulin better. This drug may help you lose a small amount of weight.
Other oral medicines act in different ways to lower blood glucose levels. You may need to add another diabetes medicine after a while or use a combination treatment. Combining two or three kinds of diabetes medicines can lower blood glucose levels more than taking just one.
Read about different kinds of diabetes medicines from the Food and Drug Administration .
You May Like: How Many People In The Us Have Type 1 Diabetes
Heres The Thing: Your Journey Is Unique And It Starts Fresh Every Day
No matter where you are with type 2 diabetes, there are some things you should know. It’s the most common form of diabetes. Type 2 means that your body doesn’t use insulin properly. And while some people can control their blood sugar levels with healthy eating and exercise, others may need medication or insulin to manage it. Regardless, you have everything you need to fight it. Not sure where to start? Learn how type 2 diabetes is diagnosed.
Heres How You Can Get Started:
- Work with your doctor to determine what level of physical activity you should engage in
- Figure out how much time per day you can devote to exercise
- Set fitness goalshaving clear goals can help you stay motivated
- Consider where youll start working outthe gym, in your neighborhood, in a park?
- Build different activities into your daily routine
- Start slowly and allow for recovery time
- Keep track of what you do and stay focused on your goals
- Listen to your body
Don’t Miss: What Blood Test Determines Diabetes
Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies
Another great edition by Alan Rubin. This book is medically backed up by Dr. Sarah Brewer. The diabetes cookbook for dummies shows you how easy it can be to manage diabetes with diet. It includes the latest information on diabetes and product information.
Get ready for some delicious recipes and nutritional information. This edition also includes a section with vegetarian meals and a new chapter on encouraging a diabetic child to eat properly. Make sure to read this book if you want to cook more often and healthier.
4.5/5 stars and 211 ratings
What Is Diabetes What Are The Types Of Diabetes
Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes occurs when one of the following occurs:
- When the pancreas does not produce any insulin
- When the pancreas produces very little insulin
- When the body does not respond appropriately to insulin, a condition called “insulin resistance“
Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have the disease and almost one third are unaware that they have it. An additional 41 million people have pre-diabetes. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy.
Don’t Miss: How To Use Fiasp Insulin Pen
How Does A Continuous Glucose Monitor Work
A CGM works through a tiny sensor inserted under your skin, usually on your belly or arm. The sensor measures your interstitial glucose level, which is the glucose found in the fluid between the cells. The sensor tests glucose every few minutes. A transmitter wirelessly sends the information to a monitor.
The monitor may be part of an insulin pump or a separate device, which you might carry in a pocket or purse. Some CGMs send information directly to a smartphone or tablet. Several models are available and are listed in the American Diabetes Associations product guide.
Symptoms And Risk Factors
It can take months or years for enough beta cells to be destroyed before symptoms of type 1 diabetes are noticed. Type 1 diabetes symptoms can develop in just a few weeks or months. Once symptoms appear, they can be severe.
Some type 1 diabetes symptoms are similar to symptoms of other health conditions. Dont guessif you think you could have type 1 diabetes, see your doctor right away to get your blood sugar tested. Untreated diabetes can lead to very seriouseven fatalhealth problems.
Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are not as clear as for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, though family history is known to play a part.
Also Check: Diet Plan For Diabetes Cancer Patient
What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes aren’t always obvious and they can take a long time to develop. Sometimes, there are no symptoms. It’s important to remember that not everyone with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes develops these warning signs, and not everyone who has these symptoms necessarily has type 2 diabetes.
But kids or teens who develop type 2 diabetes may:
- Need to pee a lot. The kidneys respond to high levels of glucose in the blood by flushing out the extra glucose in urine . Kids with high blood sugar levels need to pee more often and make more pee.
- Drink a lot of liquids. Because they’re peeing so often and losing so much fluid, they can become very thirsty and drink a lot in an attempt to keep the levels of body water normal.
- Feel tired often. This is because the body can’t use glucose for energy properly.
My Sweet Life: Successful Women With Diabetes
By Dr. Beverly AdlerAn anthology of essays written by 24 dynamic women living with diabetes, sharing their personal stories on life with diabetes and everything that goes along with it. The book features autobiographical essays on how these accomplished women have succeeded in life, either because or in spite of their diabetes. These women vary in age, from thirty-somethings to a woman in her 90s who has lived with diabetes for over 70 years! They write about their diabetes diagnosis and how diabetes has shaped their life for worse and better. In the introduction to the book, Beverly writes, Who better to share our ups and downs than another woman who walks the same walk as us? Sometimes it helps just to know that other women have overcome the same challenges as we are going through.
Recommended Reading: Who Buys Diabetic Testing Supplies
Moose And Giraffe Poetry Books
By Yerachmiel AltmanA longtime type 1 in the Boston area, Yerachmiel has written two fun picture and poetry books for kids with diabetes who may not be aware of the latest in diabetes technology. The Moose with the Pump and I Can Help Take Care of Me were both released in paperback and e-book formats in 2016.I felt that the books available did not outline the changes, hardware and life the newly diagnosed child would face, Yerachmiel tells DiabetesMine. My real dream would be to do a series of these books one for each season, and one for each major activity or challenge a child with diabetes might have. Im thinking summer camp, school, parties , family trips, and doctor appointments. I would be open to other ideas as well.
Life Is Short Laundry Is Eternal
By Scott BennerScott Benner is the Diabetes Dad from New Jersey behind the blog, Ardens Day, named for his daughter Arden whos been living with type 1 since age 2 in 2006. This 228-page paperback is hugely entertaining. Its a guy sharing his own experiences as a stay-at-home dad the good, bad and the ugly. Diabetes doesnt take center stage, but he does describe the emotions around his daughters diagnosis. And he gives a glimpse into his day-to-day activities and how diabetes and other duties, like doing those dreaded loads of laundry, all fit together.
Also Check: Is Coffee Healthy For Diabetics
Diabetes & Keeping Fit For Dummies
It’s not a secret that physical activities are essentials for diabetics. The effects of diabetes and poor management can lead to several complications. Therefore, the American Diabetes Association recommends two types of physical activity: aerobic activity and strength exercise.
This book is a trusted guide for any diabetic that wants to keep fit fast easy. Keeping fit is beneficial for your weight management and high blood pressure.
4/5 stars and 56 ratings
Balancing Pregnancy With Pre
By Cheryl AlkonAuthor Cheryl Alkon writes: I started blogging about my efforts to get and stay pregnant, while managing my type 1 diabetes. I liked the support I received from commenters. Plus, I wanted to connect with others who were pregnant, had given birth, or who were trying to conceive At the same time, I found that there were no insiders guides to pregnancy with pre-existing diabetes that were told from an actual woman with diabetes perspective. This was Cheryls impetus to compile this book, which gives the insider details of pregnancy and type 1 or type 2 diabetes, based on both her personal experiences and insights from dozens of other women who have been there.
Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Make Insulin
What Problems Can Happen With Type 2 Diabetes
Sometimes, kids and teens with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, or obesity might develop thick, dark, velvet-like skin around the neck, armpits, groin, between fingers and toes, or on elbows and knees a cosmetic skin condition called acanthosis nigricans. This skin darkening can lighten over time with improvement in insulin resistance.
Polycystic ovary syndrome in girls is also often associated with insulin resistance. This hormone problem can make the ovaries become enlarged and develop cysts . Girls with PCOS might have irregular periods, might stop having periods, and may have excess facial and body hair growth. It also can cause fertility problems.
People with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes are also more likely to develop hypertension or abnormal levels of blood fats . When these problems cluster together, it’s called metabolic syndrome. People with metabolic syndrome are at risk for heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.
Diabetes also can cause heart disease and stroke, as well as other long-term complications, including eye problems, kidney disease, nerve damage, and gum disease. While these problems don’t usually show up in kids or teens who’ve had type 2 diabetes for only a few years, they can affect them in adulthood, particularly if their diabetes isn’t well controlled.
p
What Causes Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction that destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, called beta cells. This process can go on for months or years before any symptoms appear.
Some people have certain genes that make them more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, though many wont go on to have type 1 diabetes even if they have the genes. Being exposed to a trigger in the environment, such as a virus, is also thought to play a part in developing type 1 diabetes. Diet and lifestyle habits dont cause type 1 diabetes.
Also Check: How Do You Know Have Diabetes