What Is Insulin-Dependent Diabetes?

Finding out you have diabetes is scary. But don't panic! Sure, diabetes is serious. But people with diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives. You can, too, by taking good care of yourself.

The Sugar Connection

In diabetes, there's too much glucose in the blood. Glucose is a kind of sugar that you body's cells use for fuel.

When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:

• Right away, your cells may be starved for energy.
• Over time, high glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidney, nerves, or heart.

Insulin-Dependent Diabetes

There two main kinds of diabetes. You have insulin-dependent diabetes. It is also called type I diabetes. It used to be called juvenile diabetes (even through adults get it, too).

You did not catch diabetes from someone else. Instead, insulin-dependent diabetes is caused by damage to the pancreas.

The pancreas is an organ near your stomach. The pancreas contains cells called beta cells. Beta cells have a vital job. They make insulin, a hormone that helps cells take in the glucose they need.

Sometimes, the beta cells get wiped out and cannot produce insulin anymore. Without insulin, glucose stays in the blood instead of going into cells.

Many things might have killed your beta cells. But in most people with insulin-dependent diabetes, the immune system makes a mistake. Cells that should protect you from germs instead attack your beta cells. The beta cells die. Without beta cells, you make no insulin. Glucose builds up in your blood. You get diabetes.

The Diagnosis

You probably knew something was wrong before your doctor said you had diabetes. You may have:

• Lost weight without trying
• Had to use the bathroom a lot
• Felt very hungry
• Felt very thirsty
• Had trouble seeing
• Felt tired
• Gone into a coma

Too-high levels of glucose caused these symptoms. They told your doctor you might have diabetes. To make sure, your doctor took some of your blood and measured how much glucose it had.

Taking care of your Diabetes

The problem in diabetes is too much glucose in the blood. So the goal of treatment is to lower glucose levels with:

• Insulin shots
• Good diet
• Exercise

Insulin shots. Your beta cells no longer make insulin. But you need insulin to live. Insulin shots replace the insulin you no longer make.

Insulin shots let your cells take in glucose. You then no longer have too much glucose in your blood. Your tiredness, hunger, and thirst go away.

Your doctor will tell you what kind of insulin to take, how much, and when. At first, you might feel afraid. Remember how scary riding a bike was at first? Giving yourself shots will become as easy as riding a bike.

Good diet. When you eat, your body changes food into glucose. Your blood glucose levels go up. You deal with this rise in two ways:

• Taking insulin shots before meals.
• Eating a healthful diet

Once, people with diabetes ate a limited diet. For example, they didn't eat any sugar.

But today, you have many choices. The best diet for a person with diabetes is like the best diet for anyone. Such a diet:

• Is low in fat
• Has only moderate amounts of protein
• Is high in complex carbohydrates, like those in beans, vegetables, and grains (such as breads, cereals, noodles, and rice).

The diet for diabetes does need one special thing: consistency. It's best to:

• Eat about the same number of calories each day
• Plan your meals and snacks for the same times each day
• Never skip meals

Each person is different. You and your dietitian will work out a meal plan just for you. To make sure your plan fits your life, tell your dietitian:

• What foods you like and don't like
• Your daily schedule
• Other health problems you have
• Your exercise habits

Exercise. Being active helps your cells take in glucose. It lowers glucose levels in your blood. So exercise is good for most people with diabetes.

Tell your doctor about the kinds of exercise you do now. You doctor will help you fit them to your new lifestyle. If you don't exercise already, your doctor may advise you to become more active.

Glucose testing. You now know that insulin shots, a healthful diet, and keeping fit help keep glucose levels normal. You can check your glucose levels at home to keep track of how you're doing.

To test your blood, you need a drop of blood from your finger. You place the drop on a special test strip. A small device called a glucose monitor tells how much glucose the drop of blood contains.

Most people with insulin-dependent diabetes do best by testing at least four times a day. Write down each result, along with the time and date. You will soon learn how well your treatment plan is working. And you will learn how exercise and food affect you.

What Can Go Wrong

Diabetes can cause three types of problems:

• Ketoacidosis
• Hypoglycemia
• Complications

Ketoacidosis. There are times your blood glucose levels may go way too high. Perhaps you ate too much or took too little insulin. Maybe you are sick or under a lot of stress. In any case, you have too little insulin in your blood. Your starving body starts breaking down fat for energy. As a result, your body produces chemicals called ketones.

Ketones are bad for you. They may make you:

• Throw up
• Have trouble breathing
• Be thirsty
• Have dry, itchy skin
• Go into a coma

You can protect yourself from ketoacidosis. You should test your urine for ketones (using test strips you can get at the drugstore) when:

• You have some of the symptoms of ketoacidosis (in that case, also test your glucose level)
• Your glucose levels are over 240 mg/dL
• You are sick

Call your doctor right away if your urine has ketones.

Hypoglycemia. Sometimes, your blood glucose levels can fall too low. This is called hypoglycemia. It can be caused by:

• Taking too much insulin
• Eating too little or skipping eating
• Eating at the wrong time
• Exercising extra hard or too long
• Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach (without eating)

If your blood sugar is getting too low, you may feel:

• Shaky
• Tired
• Hungry
• Confused
• Nervous

If you think your sugar is low, test it. Test it also if you feel "odd" or "funny". If your glucose level is low, eat or drink something with 15 grams of sugars right away, such as:

• 1/2 cup of fruit juice
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 cup of skim milk

If you can't test your glucose right then, eat something with 15 grams of sugar, just to be safe.

Complications. Too-high levels of glucose in the blood over many years can hurt your organs. Diabetes can damage eyes, kidneys, and nerves. It also makes heart and blood vessel disease more likely.

The best defense against complications is taking good care of your diabetes. Keeping your glucose levels in control will make you feel better now. And it will help you stay healthy in the future.

SOURCE:
American Diabetes Association
1660 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: 1-800-DIABETES
Click here to go the American Diabetes Association Website.