Depending on your family, you can expect different responses to your diabetes and different levels of enthusiasm for helping you work toward your diet and exercise goals. Some may partake wholeheartedly, looking at this as a team effort. Other families or family members may resent making changes when they aren’t even sick. You need to find the approach that works best for you. In some situations, you may be better off if you go it alone.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus (MEL-ih-tus), often referred to as diabetes, is characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels that result from the body’s inability to produce enough insulin and/or effectively utilize the insulin. Diabetes is a serious, life-long condition and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism (the body's way of digesting food and converting it into energy). There are three forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that accounts for five- to 10-percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes may account for 90- to 95-percent of all diagnosed cases. The third type of diabetes occurs in pregnancy and is referred to as gestational diabetes. Left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause health issues for pregnant women and their babies. People with diabetes can take preventive steps to control this disease and decrease the risk of further complications.
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American Diabetes Association answeredIn between doctor's visits:
- Write your blood glucose check results in your log book every day.
- Keep a list of your questions.
- Make a list of the medicines, vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements and other remedies you take. Include the over-the-counter medicines that you buy in the drug store. List when, why, how much you take, and if you need any refills.
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American Diabetes Association answeredSee All 2 Answers
A new class of medications called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors help improve A1C without causing hypoglycemia. They work by preventing the breakdown of a naturally occurring compound in the body, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 reduces blood glucose levels in the body, but is broken down very quickly so it does not work well when injected as a drug itself. By interfering in the process that breaks down GLP-1, DPP-4 inhibitors allow it to remain active in the body longer, lowering blood glucose levels only when they are elevated. DPP-4 inhibitors do not tend to cause weight gain and tend to have a neutral or positive effect on cholesterol levels. Sitagliptin (Januvia) and saxagliptin (Onglyza) are the two DPP-4 inhibitors currently on the market.
Acarbose (Precose) is an oral medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes. It blocks the enzymes that digest starches in food. The result is a slower and lower rise in blood glucose throughout the day, especially right after meals. It belongs to the class of medicines called alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.
Chlorpropamide (Diabinese) is an another oral medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes. It lowers blood glucose levels by helping the pancreas make more insulin and by helping the body better use the insulin it makes. It belongs to the class of medicines called sulfonylureas.
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American Diabetes Association answered
Studies have shown that intensive diabetes management is beneficial for people with diabetes who are hospitalized. Your blood glucose control will affect how quickly you recover, how long you are hospitalized and whether you experience complications during your hospitalization. Your blood glucose needs to be monitored while you are in the hospital, and the results should be available to all members of the healthcare team. It is a good idea to talk to your provider before any scheduled hospitalization about the plan for achieving your blood glucose targets during your stay.
Insulin is the most effective and efficient way to keep blood glucose levels in your target range. Even if you are not on insulin at home, you may need insulin during your hospitalization. You can often go back to oral medications after you get better.
If you are acutely ill, need to be in an intensive care unit or are recovering from surgery, you should receive insulin intravenously. That way, the nursing staff can react very quickly to blood glucose levels that are too high or low and make adjustments in your dose.
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American Diabetes Association answeredSee All 2 Answers
Your child’s school may already have a policy in effect to deal with the needs of children with chronic illnesses, including diabetes. However, you and your child’s health care team will need to develop a Diabetes Medical Management Plan (DMMP)—to address your child’s specific health care needs.
The plan spells out the medical care your child should receive at school, including information about blood glucose monitoring, meals and snacks, insulin and emergency care, which may include the administration of glucagon. Some children are capable of self-care, whereas other children will need a great deal of help. All children with diabetes will need help in the event of an emergency.
At its core, effective school-based diabetes management requires three things:
- All school staff members who have responsibility for a child with diabetes should receive training that provides a basic understanding of the disease and the child's needs, how to identify medical emergencies, and which school staff members to contact with questions or in case of an emergency.
- The school nurse holds the primary role of coordinating, monitoring and supervising the care of a student with diabetes. In addition, a small group of school staff members should receive training from a qualified healthcare professional in routine and emergency diabetes care so that a staff member is always available for younger or less experienced students who require assistance with their diabetes management.
- Children possessing the necessary skills and maturity to do so should be permitted to self-manage their disease in the classroom or wherever they are in conjunction with a school-related activity. Such self-management should include monitoring blood glucose and responding to blood glucose levels with needed food and medication while utilizing appropriate safety protocols.
These principles are based on recommendations from the diabetes healthcare community and form the cornerstone of effective school diabetes care.
Written materials are available from the ADA that explain diabetes care in a school setting. The ADA’s packet on school discrimination can be obtained at www.diabetes.org or by calling 1-800-DIABETES. You can also discuss a specific school or day care problem with an ADA legal advocate.
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American Diabetes Association answered
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) was a 10-year study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. More than 1,400 people with type 1 diabetes were divided into two groups: those who intensively managed blood glucose levels and those who used standard care. The study showed that keeping the blood glucose level closer to normal reduces the risk of diabetes complications (eye, kidney and nerve disease).
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LIVESTRONG answeredSee All 2 AnswersDiabetic patients who maintain excellent control of their diabetes can significantly reduce their risk of developing cancer. However, diabetes that is not well controlled has been found to be a risk factor for cancer. Uncontrolled diabetes is known to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by as much as 50 percent. Diabetes has also been linked to a 43 percent increase in the relative risk of colon cancer and an 11 percent increase in the relative risk of rectal cancer. Studies have also suggested that uncontrolled diabetes may also be associated with an increased risk of cancers of the breast, liver, kidney and uterus.
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Intermountain Healthcare answeredType 2 diabetes is lifelong condition that requires a specific diabetes management plan. If you are taking GLP-1 agonists or any other medication for your diabetes, and your diabetes symptoms go away or you decide you feel fine now, do not stop taking your medication. You need this medication to stay well.
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American Diabetes Association answeredSee All 2 Answers
Some researchers believe that when a virus infects a body, it might somehow change the structure of the antigens on the surface of the islet cells. If this occurs, then the altered antigen might appear to be foreign to the immune system, and a person’s own insulin-producing islet cells might be destroyed.
Islet transplantation is a procedure that involves moving the islets from a donor pancreas into a person whose pancreas has stopped producing insulin. Beta cells in the islets make the insulin that the body needs for using blood glucose.