Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children - it is unsure if it is triggered by external factors such as another illness or puberty. However, it has been proved that type 1 diabetes is genetic, meaning it can run in whole families.
Type 1 diabetes CANNOT be cured, it can only be treated by artificial insulin.
Type 2 diabetes usually develops in older people who usually have a bad diet and don’t exercise as much as they should. It develops due to PROLONGED bad diet and it cannot develop by just one slice of cake or bag of sweets. Type 2 diabetes can be controlled by tablets, good diet and exercise. In time, a person with type 2 can stop their medication. If controlled badly, a person with type 2 might have to take daily insulin injections.
CF related diabetes is neither type 1 nor type 2. CF is cystic fibrosis, a chronic illness that impact many areas of the body. CF patients have a small pancreas that makes it hard to digest food without medication; as well as this, it is relatively common for people with CF to develop diabetes (around 50% develop it).
They are no longer to produce the right amount of insulin you need (like in type 1) but they can also become insulin resistant (like in type 2).
Hypoglycemia (or a hypo) is low blood sugar. This is very common for people with diabetes (normally type 1) as artificial insulin can lower blood sugars to dangerously low levels. Symptoms can include; shakiness, tiredness, sweating, headaches, hunger and acting drunk. Hypos can usually be treated by sugar and carbs.
If not treated, a person can pass out from having no sugar in their blood and in some cases it can cause death.
Hyperglycemia (or a hyper) is high blood sugar. This is common for people with diabetes and people are always diagnosed with high blood sugar. Symptoms can include; anger, headaches, sweating, lethargy and the feeling of being sick. Hypers are treated by a correction dose of insulin to lower the blood sugars and lots of water to dilute the blood.
If not treated, a person can go into DKA (this is more common in type 1 diabetics). DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) is a condition where the body is starved of nutrition, so it breaks down the body through the use of ketones. DKA, in extreme cases, can cause the blood to turn acidic and can cause veins to shut down as well as some vital organs.
A way to control type 1 diabetes is through pen injection. Pen injections require the person to take insulin each time before they eat as well as a set injection in the day for long lasting insulin. Pens hold a vial of insulin that need to be changed each time a vial is used up.
Injection sites need to be rotated around the stomach, arms and legs (and anywhere else that is comfortable). Scar tissue can form if a site is used too much and it can be painful to inject into. Pens can also be given cool names to make it more personal.
Pumps act a lot more like a pancreas does in that it can release insulin over a longer period of time to tackle things that are slow release such as pasta. Pumps can be wireless or have tubing, but both types still include vials of insulin (that need to be changed). Pumps also have a higher chance of failing, which means that a person with a pump might need to return back to pen injections if the pump does fail.
Pumps also need to be rotated so that scarring doesn’t occur. Some pumps can also be decorated.
Exercise with diabetes needs to be done carefully. Some actions can cause blood sugars to spike which requires an insulin correction dose while others cause blood sugars to drop which requires the person to take a break and to eat.
A person with diabetes should test their sugars before, after and during exercise and they shouldn’t exercise at all with ketones since it can be dangerous.
Diabetes often effects periods. This means that before a period begins, a person can experience higher sugars which means they might need to accommodate for this. Furthermore, injection sites might become more painful around a period.
- Suggest ways to ‘treat’ a person’s diabetes through herbs and other remedies - usually this is all wrong and if you suggest it to a person with type 1 then you might get ranted at
- Comment on weight. At all. Weight is personal and a person shouldn’t be judged if they are overweight with diabetes
- Make jokes like 'I ate so much I’ll get 5 types of diabetes’. It isn’t funny and you’re only adding to the stigma that all diabetics are overweight
- Try and lecture a person with diabetes, they know what they’re doing most of the time
- Bring up people you know with diabetes and follow it up by saying that they died from it. This usually causes unnecessary stress and anxiety
- Ask for any food you see diabetics eating. Food they have has normally been injected for or the right amount of tablets has been taken or it. OR the food they’re eating is to treat a hypo and therefore cannot be taken
Hope this helped a little bit
