There are two specific types of diabetes. They are known rather simply as Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is an auto-immune disorder in which a person’s body attacks and destroys the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. Type 2 involves the development of insulin resistance and/or a relative insulin deficiency.
As several of you are probably aware, the occurrence of either of these scenarios is a big deal. Insulin is the only hormone in the body that facilitates the removal of glucose (in so many words, sugar) from the blood and its passage into cells (eg: muscle, liver cells, etc.). There are many and several problems associated with not having insulin complete this task. If you’re ever in a doctor’s office, they usually get thrown under the umbrella term of “complications.” There are the “acute” or short lasting problems of diabetic ketoacidosis (ie: DKA, imagine your blood literally turning into acid), diabetic coma, or the very common hypoglycemia that can ultimately lead to seizures; then there are the "chronic" problems most people hear about that result in heart problems, blindness, and loss of feeling in one’s extremities (ie: feet and hands).
To prevent these complications, the goal of any diabetic is maintain blood glucose levels as close as possible to those of a person with normal insulin function. I am in no way equipped to speak on all the different methods for doing just that. And different methods work better and worse for different people. In general, they are all combinations of the same things though: Exercise, frequent blood glucose monitoring, finding the right balance of diabetes related prescriptions for you, and paying close attention to what food goes into your body.
It’s often a lot to ask of someone to take care of all those things. But as a diabetic, you eventually learn that they are necessary steps in order to live a good, enjoyable life. And that’s usually worth it.
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