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Reflecting about diabetes
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Diabetes What is diabetes? Should I be worried about getting it? What food can diabetics eat? Can they live as long as non-diabetics? Those were some of the questions that swarmed in my head when two of my close relatives were diagnosed with diabetes. After my relatives had been diagnosed, my whole extended family changed in how we ate and looked at food. I became very aware of this disease and thought I knew a little bit of what it was, but still had a lot of questions. I now feel like I have the knowledge of exactly what diabetes is, how to deal with it, and most important, preventing it. You may ask yourself, what is diabetes? Diabetes is usually a lifelong (chronic) disease in which there is a high level of sugar in the blood. To understand that though, you must first understand the job of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control your blood sugar. When you eat, your body turns that food into a sugary substance called glucose. Now your pancreas is supposed to release insulin. However, if you have diabetes, that process doesn’t work, causing ...
I wonder what images are going through your mind right now. Most of you are probably thinking “no sugar, injections, diets, doctors.” You’re right, mostly. Pre-med students have it down to a science; some of them even have the nerve to try explaining it to me. I may not know all the details, but I know what they feel like. I have heard just enough horror stories to scare me away from reading up on my own illness. Yes, I realize the stupidity of this rationalization, yet almost every person I talk to about my fears seems to have the same story to tell me: “I had an aunt who had diabetes, but she didn’t take care of herself. She went blin...
According WebMD 2014. Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy found in food. There are three major types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes. It is a hormonal disorder of the pancreas either decrease in insulin level also known as hypoinsulinism or increase in insulin level also known as hyperinsulinism. Lowered amounts, insufficient of, or ineffective use of insulin leads to the disorder of diabetes mellitus. It is common chronic disease requiring lifelong behavioral and lifestyle changes. According to Peakman (2012). The development of type 1 diabetes mellitus is a genetic and an autoimmune process that results in destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, leading to absolute insulin deficiency. There is usually a pre-diabetic phase where autoimmunity has already developed but with no clinically apparent insulin dependency. Insulin autoantibodies can be detected in genetically predisposed individuals as early as 6-12 months of age. In persons genetically susceptible to type 1 diabetes, a triggering event, possibly a viral infection the leads to production of autoantibodies that kill the beta cells and results in decline and a lack of insulin secretion. According to Wherrett. It is caused by impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance and has a gradual onset. Those with type 2 diabetes may eventually need insulin treatment. Gestational diabetes mellitus is glucose intolerance during pregnancy in a woman not previously diagnosed with diabetes, this may occur if placental hormones counteract insulin, causing insulin intolerance. Complications in diabetes mellitus includes: Hypoglycemia it is ca...
As you may or may not already know, diabetes is a non-communicable disease. Learning about diabetes interests me because my grandmother and grandfather are both diabetic. I see what they go through every day with pricking their finger, injecting insulin and watching what they eat. It seems to be a hassle, but for them- it’s their life.
Diabetes is a disease in which a person’s body in unable to make or utilize insulin properly which affects blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas, which helps to regulate glucose (sugar) levels, break down carbohydrates and fats, and is essential to produce the body’s energy. The CDC (2013) offers reliable insight, summarized here, into the different types of diabetes, some causes, and health complications that may arise from the disease.
When the blood glucose is higher than the normal levels, this is known as diabetes disease. The body turns the food we eat into glucose or sugar and use it for energy. The insulin is a hormone created by the pancreas to help the glucose get into the cells. The sugar builds up in the blood because either the body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t well use its own insulin (CDC, 2015). In the United States diabetes is known as the seventh leading cause of death. There are different types of diabetes. However, there are two main types of diabetes and these are; Diabetes type 1 and Diabetes type 2 (CDC, 2015).
Specific purpose: To inform my audience about what diabetes is, what causes this condition and its health effects.
Diabetes also known as high blood sugar levels, develops when your body either cannot make enough insulin or can't properly use the insulin that it makes. Diabetes has been around since the 1500's. The ancient Chinese described the signs of diabetes as described as "large amounts of urine." (Beaser 2). It wasn't until the ancient Greeks who actually gave the name of diabetes, which meant "to flow through." (Beaser 2) Later the Latin's added the word mellitus, which means sweet urine. The medical term is now diabetes mellitus. To understand the multiple ways to treat diabetes, you first need to understand what diabetes is and how your body reacts to it. Everyone needs food to survive, without food you will starve to death. Once we put food into our mouth, our body breaks it down to be used for fuel by the cells within our body. This process is called metabolism. Food is f...
Diabetes is a disease that causes an abnormally high level of sugar, or glucose, to build up in the blood. Glucose comes from food we consume and also from our liver and muscles. Blood delivers glucose to all the cells in the body. In people without diabetes, the pancreas makes a chemical called insulin which is released into the blood stream. Insulin helps the glucose from the food get into cells. When the pancreas doesn’t make insulin, it can’t get into the cells and the insulin stays in the blood stream. The blood glucose level gets very high, causing the person to have type one diabetes.
My interest in this topic is a result of recent experiences with Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 (DMI), especially with the following two instances: a young adult patient admitted at the hospital following a DKA episode during one of my nursing rotations and one of my instructors with type 1 diabetes. Also, my father was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, this has increased my eagerness to study and explore more about the disease.
This cause me to ask questions, “Why me?” Why is this disease a real thing. Why am I different? As I grew older, I started to see how I was different than most children my age. I was diabetic, but that was not all, I was more of an adult than other children. I had so many responsibilities to deal with because of being diabetic. As I felt I had grew up fast, meant I thought I didn't need help because I could do anything, yet you need help to grow. As it became summer, it had been a year of having diabetes. I went to camp. Camp Joslin which is a summer camp for children with diabetes. Honestly is was very bizarre to think that everyone there had something in common. I had never been around so many diabetics in my life. We all had to test their blood sugar and take insulin. For the week I was there, everyone was the same. It gave me a sense of being like everyone else. I got a chance that none of my friends got, to go to camp Joslin. I was thankful and happy. As I continued to grow older and went to high school, I was still different. I began to realize that being different wasn’t really a curse, but it was a gift. I came to the conclusion that even when life is hard, you can always handle it. The question “Why me?”, does not solve your
Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. Studies show that diabetes affects 23.6 million people-7.8 percent of the U.S. population. Being diagnosed with diabetes may cause changes in some people’s lives. You can never just look at a diabetic and understand the things that they go through on a daily basis. A question you may ask yourself is, “What is the life of a diabetic like?”
My family has a history of diabetes - all of my grandparents are diagnosed with type II. Before had I left for boarding school, I ate breakfast with them every morning, and noticed that their food was especially bland. They picked at the fruits and never ate them. Even though I had already developed a strong interest in medicine, I never understood their food options. When my mother explained to me
Diabetes is a disease that I came across when researching my maternal side of my family history. Diabetes is a disease that affects your pancreas an important organ in regulating blood sugar. When a person has diabetes there are two ways it can affect the pancreas because there are two types of the disease. Type-1 diabetes affects the pancreas by not allowing the body to produce enough insulin to keep the body’s blood sugar at a healthy number. The opposite is for Type-2 which produces too much insulin and gives the body too much insulin keeping the blood sugar number above healthy (Type-2).
Diabetes is a common disease, which can be a serious, life-long illness caused by high levels of glucose in the blood. This condition is when the body cannot produce insulin or lack of insulin production from the beta cells in the islet of Langerhans in the pancreas. Diabetes can cause other health problems over time. Eye, kidneys, and nerves can get damaged and chances of stroke are always high. Because of the serious complications, the purposes of teaching a plan for diabetes patients are to optimize blood glucose control, optimize quality of life, and prevent chronic and potentially life-threatening complications.
Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy in food. This means that a person has too much glucose in the blood. There are three major types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. All types of diabetes mellitus have something in common. Normally, your body breaks down the sugars and carbohydrates you eat into a special sugar called glucose. Glucose fuels the cells in your body. But the cells need insulin, a hormone, in your bloodstream in order to take in the glucose and use it for energy. Insulin is produced in the pancrea...