Understanding Diabetes - Accu-Chek, Diabetes Information, Learn More About Diabetes

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Understanding Diabetes

What is diabetes? Diabetes is the result of having too much sugar in the bloodstream. Normally, the food a person eats is converted to blood sugar, which provides energy to all the body's cells. A hormone called "insulin" is needed to unlock the cells and let the sugar in. If a person's body doesn't manufacture insulin-or changes in their body causes their cells to resist the effects of insulin-sugar will stay in the bloodstream.

Over the short term, that will make the person feel ill, sap their energy, and stop the muscles and cells from growing. Over the longer term, high levels of sugar in the blood can damage the eyes, nerves, blood vessels, kidneys-virtually all of the body's systems.

Fortunately, medical advances have made it possible for people with diabetes to use diet, exercise, and medications to keep their blood sugar levels close to normal. When their blood sugar is within the range recommended by their doctors, a person with diabetes can feel as healthy as anyone else and significantly reduce their odds of developing long-term medical problems. Even people who already have some diabetes-related complications may be able to reverse the damage or minimize their symptoms by controlling their blood sugar carefully.

Types of Diabetes

You may have heard of "type 1" and "type 2" diabetes. Each one requires a person to carefully control their blood sugar to avoid short and long-term medical problems. But they differ in some important ways.

Type 1 diabetes occurs most often in children and young adults (which is why some people still call it "juvenile" diabetes). Their bodies, for reasons we don't know just yet, stop manufacturing insulin. As a result, they have to "take" insulin every day through injections, a pump, or other means. About 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1.

The other 90% of people with diabetes have type 2. This used to be called "adult-onset" or "non-insulin dependent," but the truth is, children and teenagers can get type 2 diabetes, and sometimes it has to be treated with prescribed insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when a person's pancreas doesn't create enough insulin, or their body has become desensitized to it. Type 2 diabetes is treated with controlled diet and exercise, oral medications, and sometimes insulin injections.

The Emotional Effects of Diabetes

Even though diabetes can be managed, people with diabetes can feel burned out by the need to continually watch what they eat, test their blood sugar, regulate medications, and exercise as often as they should. That's where you come in.

Even if you aren't personally responsible for their self-care, you can help by listening, understanding, and remaining flexible. Sometimes a person doesn't want advice, or a pep talk. Sometimes they just want to talk, and a sympathetic ear is worth everything.