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A Guide To Type 1 Diabetes Self Management. |
By:
John Richmond |
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Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. When the body can no longer regulate blood sugar levels, daily injections of insulin are required to sustain life. While the cause of type 1 diabetes is not known, it is generally believed that environment and genetics play a key role.
More than a million Americans suffer from type 1 diabetes. Heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and circulation problems leading to amputation are some of the complications associated with it. Therefore, having a comprehensive diabetes self management program in place is necessary for those who are diagnosed with this disease.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include: excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, excessive hunger, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue and absence of menstruation.
Fortunately, diabetes self management programs have been created to assist patients with type 1. These programs offer expert help from certified diabetes educators (CDE) and dietitians who are skilled in diabetes control. Patients must learn how to check blood sugar, control the amount of carbohydrates in their food intake, modify or implement diet and exercise plans and self-inject insulin. These experts design a plan of diabetes self management that is tailored to their individual needs. With close adherence to these plans complications are often held to a minimum. Patients tend to have more energy and their outlook improves too. Referrals from ones doctor is the usual path to a diabetes self management program.
Patients who follow a certain routine in their lives tend to adapt to a type 1 diabetes self management plan better than those who do not. Those with hectic and constantly changing routines have a more difficult adjustment.
Diabetes self management typically involves the patient giving his or herself daily injections of insulin. Another option is the use of an insulin pump. This device, which is about the size of a cell phone and worn about the waist, is attached to a catheter implanted under the skin. The pump injects the patient with insulin around the clock in tiny amounts as needed. It can be removed when necessary and insulin doses can be easily changed when necessary to keep blood sugar in check. The pump is a very convenient option because if your eating schedule is interrupted the dosage is easily adjustable.
It is of utmost importance that pregnant women who have have diabetes keep their blood sugar in check. While everyone coping with the disease should see improvements in the way they feel, proper diabetes self management is especially necessary for pregnant women because failure to control their blood sugar increases the chances that their baby could have an abnormality.
Having a comprehensive diabetes self management program is essential for the control of type 1 diabetes. As medical science continues it's pursuit of new ways to treat and manage the disease new methods are continuing to show up on the horizon. While these methods are being developed those with type 1 should continue to do everything possible using current knowledge to keep it a bay and guard their precious health.
Daily diabetes self management is mandatory for those with diabetes and John Richmond who writes for YourDiabetesInfo.com has done extensive research on the subject. Please visit this site for more information. This and other unique content 'diabetes' articles are available with free reprint rights.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article55664.html |
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