Monday, May 23, 2016

Are You Living With Type 1 Diabetes?

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At the age of four, I was told I could no longer have candy, always had to poke my finger, and had to take shots on a daily basis. This was the day I was diagnosed with diabetes. Here is an explanation of what type 1 diabetes is and some signs and symptoms to look out for.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, usually affects children and young adults. Only about 5% of diabetics are actually type 1.1 Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas completely shuts down and stops working. This results in the body not being able to produce insulin at all. In type 2 diabetes, the body still produces insulin, just not properly.

Some symptoms of type 1 and 2 diabetes include:
  • Frequent urination
  • Extreme thirst
  • Feeling hungry
  • Fatigue
  • Blurred vision
  • Cuts and bruises slowly healing
  • Weight loss (even though you are eating more than usual)

If you or a loved one start experiencing these symptoms, it is important to get checked for diabetes.

There are 3 different ways to get checked for diabetes.2 These include; glycosylated hemoglobin test, fasting plasma glucose test, and oral glucose tolerance test. To read more about how these tests are given go to:

When I was 4 years old I was showing all signs of type 1 diabetes. Coincidentally, my grandma had type 2 diabetes and had all the equipment to check my blood sugar. She came over to test it and sure enough my blood sugar level was way beyond the normal range. I was rushed to the emergency room and stayed at the hospital for about a week learning how to live with and treat this disease that I now will live with forever or until a cure is found!
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References:

1American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.diabetes.org/

2s/Symptoms-Diagnosis-Monitoring-of-Diabetes.Symptoms, Diagnosis & Monitoring of Diabetes. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/SymptomsDiagnosisMonitoringofDiabete

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