Introduction to Dia Newsdrop

Introduction to
Dia Newsdrop with a side order of insulin.

Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, do you remember the day you first heard these words as a diagnosis after feeling sick for a while ? Well I can remember it well ..........

My head went straight into overdrive, so many questions, so much confusion in my mind that day. How ? Why ? No ...... Check again ! NO I can't do this, followed by silence, because I just couldn't think of what to say, and then came the tears, lots and lots of tears, no tissues used, this called for a tea towel !.

No this was not depression, it was grieving, and boy did I grieve, in every sense of the word. But in my usual fashion I picked myself up and decided to grab this vicious beast and do what I could to house train it.

I look back now and smile to myself when I think of how confident I felt as I joined the many groups and forums related to all types of diabetes and the appliances and medications used to manage the condition, but no one ever told me that Diabetes was also a language and not a language I spoke.

Terms like MDI, BG, subcutaneous, infusion sites, CGM, hypo, ratios, bolus, basel, trends, exchanges, tubing, meters, ketones, corrections, calibration, hba1c, carb counting, and then there were the needles 4mm 5mm 6mm, the appliances, on any given day these terms were just part of an average conversation between people and I had no idea what they were talking about.
With Googles help I wasn't long taking a crash course, so I could ask relatively intelligent questions in order to learn a bit more than just basic information.

It was then that I learned our online community is vast, with information and support that is second to none.
I somehow thought our hospital teams would have every single bit of up to the minute information. I now can't even figure out why or how I could have thought up this Gem, when it clearly takes lots of time online, and on social media daily to hear all about what's new, what's available in Ireland in reality, and what's only in our dreams.

Enter Dia Newsdrop where we will publish a news blog, monthly with any new information we have,

that our diabetes community might be interested in.

Follow or Subscribe Free of course and you should receive this by email,

and let's face it nowadays everyone has an email address, haven't they ?

31st March is our first issue.

Davina

Diabetes

Diabetes Information

Diabetes affects people from all walks of life - from the very young to the very old - and is now considered an epidemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

What is diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when the sugar (glucose) level in the blood is too high. 
This happens when the body is not burning up carbohydrates properly due to a defect in the pancreas, the gland that produces insulin.  Insulin is the hormone which keeps blood sugar levels within the normal healthy range.  Diabetes may be present either when no insulin is made or when insulin is made but not working properly.

There are two types of diabetes - type 1, formly known as insulin dependent diabetes, which usually occurs before the age of 35, but can
happen at any age in reality, as Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune
disease, there is no known cause and no cure.
A person with type 1 diabetes makes no insulin and therefore needs to inject insulin to regulate blood sugar levels and remain healthy.  

Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin depdendent diabetes) more commonly occurs in adults after the age of 40 and is 
extremely common in old age.  In this case, the person with 
diabetes makes some insulin.  Usually associated with 
being overweight, but can also be caused by other medical conditions and medications,  this condition responds well to weight loss through dietary regulation.  Sometimes weight loss is not enough and tablets are required to help the person's own insulin to work or additional insulin may be required.  This type of diabetes is also known as adult-onset or maturity-onset diabetes.

With an average of seven years between onset and diagnosis, the earlier the condition is detected the easier it will be to manage.  Early
detection gives the ability to protect against heart attack, stroke and vision loss which is due to high blood sugar levels over years.

Symptoms of Diabetes

Symptoms of diabetes vary in intensitiy but may include:

• Lack of energy
• Tiredness
• Excessive thirst
• Frequent passing of urine
• Weight loss - in the region of 7-14 pounds
• Blurring of vision
• Recurrent infection

Diabetes is detected by a simple blood test that detects how much glucose is in the blood.

The onset of type 2 diabetes is gradual and therefore hard to detect.  
Some people have few early symptoms and are only diagnosed several years (3 - 12 years) after the onset of the condition and in half of these cases various complications are already present.

Risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes

Some people are more at risk of developing diabetes than others.  The known risk factors inlcude:

• A family history of diabetes, Being overweight (80% of people with diabetes are overweight)
• Age (the likelihood of developing diabetes increases with age)
• Lack of physical exercise
• Having had diabetes during pregnancy or having had a large baby

In Ireland, it is estimated that there are 200,000 people with diabetes with many unaware. The majority of these people will only be  diagnosed through an acute medical event of the complications of long term untreated hyperglycaemia. A further 200,000 people have impaired glucose tolerance or "pre-diabetes" of which 40% will develop diabetes in the next 5 years if lifestyle changes are not made.