WHAT IS TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS?
It is a disorder that disrupts the way that your body uses sugars. All the cells in your body need sugar to work normally. Sugar gets into cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. If there is not enough insulin, or if the body stops responding to insulin, sugar builds up in the blood. This is what happens to people with diabetes.
There are 2 types of diabetes. People with Type 1 Diabetes make little or no insulin. People with Type 2 diabetes sometimes also make too little insulin but more often the problem is that their cells do not respond to insulin.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF TYPE 1 DIABETES?
- Urinating often
- Intense thirst
- Being very tired
- Losing weight
- Blurred vision
In extreme cases, type 1 diabetes also causes nausea or vomiting, belly pain and difficulty in breathing.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD HAS TYPE 1 DIABETES?
Your doctor or nurse can do a blood test to measure the amount of sugar in your blood. The test will show whether you have diabetes. If you do your doctor or nurse can then decide whether it is type 1 or type 2 – based on your age, weight and other factors.
HOW IS TYPE 1 DIABETES TREATED?
Treatment of type 1 diabetes involves two key parts – measuring your sugar often to make sure it does not get too high or low and using insulin shots or an insulin pump to keep your blood sugar levels in the right range.
People with type 1 diabetes also need to actively plan their meals and activity levels. That’s because eating raises blood sugar while being active lowers it. Despite the need to plan people with diabetes can have normal diets, be active, eat out and do all the things that most other people would do.
HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO SEE MY DOCTOR?
You will probably need to see your doctor every 3 months. Sometimes you will need more visits to learn how to manage your diabetes or if your blood sugar is not well controlled.
During your visits, your doctor will want to measure your blood sugar using a test called HbA1c. This test tells you your average blood sugar over the last 3 months. Its results will help your doctor decide whether to adjust your treatment.
During some of your visits, your doctor will also check the other aspects of your health. For instance, she might measure your blood pressure or cholesterol. It is very important that you keep all your appointments with your doctor.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KEEP MY BLOOD SUGAR CLOSE TO NORMAL?
Having high blood sugar can cause serious problems over time. It can lead to:
- Nerve damage.
- Kidney disease.
- Vision problems (or even blindness).
- Pain or loss of feeling in hands/feet.
- The need to have fingers, toes or other body parts removed (amputation).
- Heart disease and strokes.
Having low blood sugar can cause problems too. It can make your heart beat fast and make you shake and sweat. If blood sugar gets really low, it can cause more serious problems too. People with very low blood sugar can get headaches, get very sleepy, pass out or even have seizures.
