Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic (long-term) illness in which your body does not make enough of the hormone called insulin, or when your body has difficulty using the insulin that it does make. Insulin changes the glucose from your food into energy your body can use. If you have diabetes, the glucose from your food does not get changed into energy. It stays in your blood, causing your blood glucose ("blood sugar") to rise.

Over the years, high blood sugar can cause serious damage to the body, such as loss of vision, kidney problems, heart problems, and strokes. These problems can be delayed or prevented if you manage your diabetes well.

If I stop eating sugary foods, will my diabetes go away?

No. The major source of glucose is from carbohydrates like bread, rice and pasta. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products have carbohydrates also but not as much as grains. Carbohydrates contain important vitamins and minerals that are necessary for energy, so it is important to have enough of them, but not too much.

Are there different kinds of diabetes?

The two most common types of diabetes are type I and type II.

Type I diabetes is the most common kind in young people. In this type, your body stops being able to make insulin. To stay healthy, you must take insulin shots every day. People with type I diabetes can live long and healthy lives if they take their insulin injections and keep their blood sugar under control.

Type II diabetes is most common in adults, although more teens have type II diabetes than before. With Type II diabetes, you are not able to make enough extra insulin to keep blood sugars normal. You are most likely to develop type II diabetes if you have a family history of diabetes and are overweight. With type II diabetes, you can often keep your blood sugar under control by eating a healthy diet, exercising, and taking medicine. Sometimes people also need to take insulin shots.

How is diabetes diagnosed and what are the symptoms?

Diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test or urine test.

Some symptoms of diabetes are:

being extremely thirsty
having to urinate often
losing weight (even though you may be eating more food than usual)
nausea and/or vomiting
feeling very tired

How do I check my blood sugar?

You will need to check your blood sugar several times each day using a device called a glucose monitor (or "glucometer"). Your health care provider will teach you how to use it. A glucometer helps keep track of your blood sugar, so you will know whether you need to make any changes to your diet, medicine or insulin doses.

What if my blood sugar is too high?

Talk with your health care provider about what to do if your blood sugar is too high (called hyperglycemia). You might need to take an extra shot of insulin, or, if your blood sugar is extremely high, you may need medical help.

What if my blood sugar is too low?

If your blood sugar is too low (called hypoglycemia), you will need to eat or drink some sugar to "spike" your blood sugar back up. You should always carry a source of sugar with you in case your blood sugar drops.

If your blood sugar is very low, you could pass out and need emergency medical help. For this reason you should always carry a card or wear a bracelet or necklace that lets people know that you are diabetic. This will help you get the proper treatment right away.

Some signs of low blood sugar are:

shaking
dizziness
sweating
confusion
pale skin color
clumsiness
rapid heart rate

If you feel like you have low blood sugar but you are not able to check your blood sugar, you should eat your glucose tablets or drink some soda/juice just to be safe, then check your blood sugar as soon as you can. It is important to treat low blood sugar right away.

Is diabetes serious?

Diabetes is serious because it never goes away and because you must take proper care of yourself to stay healthy. The longer you have diabetes, the higher your risk for certain problems like heart disease, poor vision, kidney disease, and circulatory problems. The better you keep your blood sugar under control, the better chance you have of delaying or preventing these problems when you are older.

Your family, health care team and school may all help you take care of your diabetes.

What else do I need to know?

It is important to do your best to stay healthy and keep your blood sugar under control. For young people, this can be a challenge. The changes in your hormones at puberty can sometimes make it hard to keep your blood sugar under tight control and this can be frustrating. It can also feel frustrating to have to think so much about controlling your diabetes while most other people your age don't have to worry about it.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, there are resources available to help you cope with your diabetes. It might help you to talk with someone who understands what you're going through. Your health care provider or your parents can help you find a counselor or support group in your community.

Remember that staying healthy includes avoiding smoking and alcohol. This is important for all teens, but especially for teens with diabetes. Smoking can cause serious damage to your circulation, and drinking alcohol can lead to dangerously low blood sugar.

Be sure to meet with your health care provider regularly to discuss your progress. If you work together to care for your diabetes, you can look forward to living a normal and healthy life.

Resources

Organizations

American Diabetes Association

1701 North Beauregard Street

Alexandria, VA 22311

Phone: 1-800-DIABETES

E-mail: askada@diabetes.org

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)

1 Information Way

Bethesda, MD 20892-3560

Phone: 1-800-860-8747

Fax: (301) 907-8906