There are several types of Diabetes, but I chose to talk about Type 1, which used to be called “juvenile diabetes”. This type is generally discovered in young children and young adults. This type of diabetes is where your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that usually is secreted by the pancreas and it controls how sugars and starches are processed in the body for energy use. As of right now, there is no cure for diabetes but you can manage it to live a longer healthier life.
Several symptoms can be a red flag to get checked out. First of all frequent urination and an increase in thirst are very common, as well as weight loss, extreme hunger, and fatigue. Family History and genetics are huge risk factors for possibly developing diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes can affect major organs including the heart, nerves, and kidneys among other things. Over time it affects each one at a different pace such as causing heart disease. By controlling your blood sugar it also prolongs your life. Keeping it under control is key. Diabetes can cause nerve damage, eye problems, skin and mouth conditions, etc. Usually, it is diagnosed with a blood test.
As for treatments there is taking insulin, exercising and eating right, and monitoring blood sugar. Type 1 Diabetes requires a lot of commitment and time. You are being challenged every day by the food and drinks we drink. You have to pay attention to what you are putting into your body so you can adjust your insulin accordingly.
It can be a pretty draining disease, especially at the end. When the kidneys need help, it starts to get serious. I have found that there are 2 types of Dialysis that I am aware of one is called hemodialysis and the other is called peritoneal dialysis. This dialysis is more complicated, you have to have a tube inserted in the abdomen and you always have fluid inside you. That is cycled in and out with a machine. It is a bit time-consuming and only lasts 10-15 years before they are probably going to have to switch to hemodialysis which is a bit more invasive and hard to control the outcome sometimes.
There are a lot of newer ways to get your insulin as opposed to just a shot in your arm or leg or something like that. I have seen digital pumps also. Also when your blood sugar is too low it can also be a problem so once in a while you may have to indulge in a bit of sugar to get the level back on track. The opposite can also happen when you have severely high blood sugar you can die from that if you don’t get it down. So every diabetic is highly recommended to carry what is called an epi pen. It is a large dose of insulin that you would just very quickly shove into the leg or arm to calm down the effects of high blood sugar.
All in all, it is a disease that is a mystery on how to cure at this point and something now to ignore or take lightly. It slowly shuts down a lot of things in your body and eventually causes complications that can usually lead to death. If in question get checked out by a physician.
