Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food we eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin. Likewise, it doesn’t use insulin well. As a result, glucose stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.
There are different types of diabetes. All types are complex and serious. The three main types are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. I will explain each type in my next post.
Moreover, it can cause serious health complications. For instance, heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, lower-extremity amputations, and many others. Unfortunately, diabetes has no cure. But, people can take steps to manage it and have a healthy life as well.
Symptoms
Consequently, type 1, symptoms are often sudden and can be life-threatening; therefore it is usually diagnosed quite quickly. In comparison to this, in type 2, many people have no symptoms at all. However, other signs can go unnoticed being seen as part of “getting older”.
Common symptoms include:
- Being more thirsty than usual
- Passing more urine
- Tiredness
- Always feeling hungry
- Having cuts that heal slowly
- Itching, skin infections
- Blurred vision
- Unexplained weight loss (type 1)
- Gradually putting on weight (type 2)
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Feeling dizzy
- Leg cramps
The beginning of your education about diabetes
Millions of people around the world live with diabetes or know someone living with it. In fact, there is no cure for it. No matter how frightening, and frustrating diabetes can be, people with diabetes can live long, healthy, and happy lives.
My goal with this blog is to provide you the information to help make that happen. Last, but not least, my blog is one of the million places where your education about diabetes can begin.
