A large number of people in the United Kingdom have diabetes (recent estimates are over 2.3 million) this number is growing rapidly and nearly half a million people have diabetes and do not even know it. If diabetes isn't treated, it can cause long-term health problems because the high glucose levels in the blood can damage other parts of your body. If you've been recently diagnosed, find out about what treatment options are available.
Diabetes is where a person has high levels of sugar in their blood. Think of it like a really sticky sugary kind of blood. This stickiness means that your blood can get stuck when it gets to small vessels (like those in your feet and eyes). When blood gets stuck it clots and the part of the body that was supposed to get this blood is damaged.
When this sticky blood gets trapped in larger vessels especially when combined with high Cholesterol (think of lumps of butter or lard blocking your blood vessels along with sticky blood) and high blood pressure you are at risk of heart attacks (where parts of your heart do not get enough blood), strokes (where parts of your brain do not get enough blood) and Heart Failure (where your heart does not pump blood out very well) – so called Cardiovascular Disease.
Diabetes can be managed effectively and many people with diabetes lead a healthy, active life.
What is Diabetes?
Once you are diagnosed with diabetes it is very hard to cure. Treatment is mainly about trying to keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible through diet, exercise and medication where necessary.
Diabetes is a chronic condition, meaning that once you are diagnosed, it's there to stay. While this idea can be scary and even overwhelming at times, the good news is that with regular medical care and keeping your blood glucose as close to normal as possible, you can live a long, healthy life. With education you will learn to manage your daily care, while your doctor and nurse help guide you in the right direction and help you correct things when required.
The Facts
- Diabetes (or more properly diabetes mellitus) is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar (glucose) level. There are 2 types
- Type 1, where a person develops cells that damage the pancreas (the organ that produces insulin to reduce sugar in the blood) and so cannot manage their own blood sugar.
- Type 2, where a person becomes resistant to insulin usually linked to increased weight and decreased levels of exercise.
What Causes Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes (which tends to start later in life) is caused mainly by lifestyle factors and your genes (genetic information passed from your parents). Lifestyle factors are important too.
A number of lifestyle factors have been shown to cause diabetes lack of exercise, poor diet (leading to above normal weight), and smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. A recent study has shown that people with high levels of physical activity, a healthy diet, who did not smoke, and consumed alcohol in moderation had an 82% lower rate of diabetes.
Managing your diabetes
Diet
Remember our equation between food intake and weight gain this also results in higher blood sugar.
You should look for advice on what you can eat to better control your diabetes see our recipes for some good ideas.
The old advice 'a little bit of most things will do you no harm' and this is not too far wrong. If we can understand what we eat, what is good or bad for us either by reading food labelling or by cooking fresh food. Remember Average Adult Male 2500 calories per day, Average Adult Female 2000 calories per day to include a variety of food including 5 portions of fruit and vegetables.
As a rough guide good for you are lean meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables. Bad for you are sugars and processed carbohydrates. Anything you can do to increase your level of exercise will help to control your diabetes as when you work your muscles you use glucose removing it from your blood. Depending on your age and your general health exercise may include going to a gym, running swimming or increasing the number of steps you take in a day. Try a fancy gizmo to count your steps or compete with a friend to make it more interesting.
Medication
There are a wide range of medications that can be prescribed for people with diabetes ranging from Oral medications (taken by mouth) to injections (commonly insulin). We are not going to discuss medications here, but we suggest that you understand what medications you are taking, how they work and why you are taking them. This enables you to better understand yourself and your diabetes along with how you are treating it.
education
There are number of ways to learn about your diabetes your nurse or doctor can advise you on some but you can also find out for yourself. www.nhs.uk/diabetes is a very useful website, Diabetes UK (www.diabetes.org) also has local groups where you can go to discuss your diabetes and socialise. The NHS also, in many areas organise structured education for people diagnosed with diabetes usually in groups to enable you to learn with others.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycaemia) Plan
Diabetes is normally about high blood sugar, however Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), where your blood sugar level decreases below normal, can happen especially when you are treated with insulin or diabetes drugs that increase the body's own production of insulin. Learn to identify your particular signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, which may include weakness, shakiness, a sweaty or clammy feeling, fast heart rate, confusion, dizziness, changes in vision and lack of coordination. If you feel this happening then you can treat with 15-20 grams of pure glucose (the amount found in 3-5 glucose tablets) is the recommended treatment. A sugary drink is often used such as Lucozade as an effective means of treating Hypoglycaemia yourself.
You should then check your blood glucose 15 minutes after treatment to assure that your blood glucose level has returned to the recommended range. If it hasn't, treating again is generally recommended.
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