Diabetes
Why is my nurse
insistent that I take good care of my feet?
Foot care is an important part of diabetes care. Although diabetes can
be controlled with insulin or medications, eventually the high blood
glucose (sugar) levels can cause damage in your body. One of the
problems is with the blood circulation and the nerves that send the
sensation of pain; this is called peripheral neuropathy.
Because you can't feel your feet normally, you may get a cut or blister
on your foot and not know it. The decreased circulation in your feet
means that the blood flow isn't strong enough to help your cut or
blister heal properly. When this happens, the injury can become
infected easily and before it is noticed, the infection may have
progressed quite far.
Good foot care also means watching for ingrown toenails and preventing
athlete's foot.
If I take pills, does that mean I won't have
to take insulin shots?
People who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are usually first treated
with oral medications (pills). The medications work differenty
depending on the type. Some help your pancreas produce more insulin,
some block the enzymes that digest the starches in the food you eat.
People with diabetes can only take oral medications if they are still
producing insulin. If the pancreas no longer produces any insulin, then
insulin, through injections, is needed.
Often, people with diabetes who gain a lot of weight or who have been
taking oral medications for a long time will eventually have to start
taking insulin. Some people take both insulin and oral medications.
What's the difference between juvenile
diabetes & adult diabetes?
Juvenile diabetes use to be the term used for diabetes that was
discovered in children and required insulin to control it. It also used
to be called insulin-dependent diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is what
adults were diagnosed with; it was later called non-insulin dependent
diabetes. However, now the proper and more accurate terms to use are
type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 is the type most commonly diagnosed in children and occurs when
the pancreas does not make insulin. It's cause isn't known. Type 2
diabetes is usually diagnosed later in life, although doctors are now
starting to see it in younger and younger people. Although many people
with type 2 diabetes don't have any risk factors, many other do. It is
often caused by lifestyle factors, such as obesity.
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens when a woman is
pregnant. Often, gestational diabetes can be controlled by diet, but
sometimes the woman must start taking insulin shots for the duration of
the pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born. It is believed,
however, that women who have had gestational diabetes are at a higher
risk of developing type II diabetes later on in life.
If
you have any further questions about diabetes or any other subject
matter, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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