Having been Type I diabetic for over 14 years, I am always looking to improve my diabetes treatment. I have gone through teenage hormonal changes, two pregnancies and general illness all without much incidence, and I would like to keep it that way. Diabetes can be a very scary thing but with the proper diabetes treatment, it is most certainly a manageable disease.
There are two types of diabetes; Type I which is usually diagnosed during childhood, and Type II which is generally diagnosed after the age of 18. Each require a different set of diabetes treatment, mainly because a person with Type I does not produce any insulin on their own while a person with Type II is just extremely insulin resistant or makes very little insulin.
Type I diabetics basically have to take insulin in some form. There are now several options of diabetes treatment, though, which can make the process much more manageable especially for those weary of needles. The standard treatment is to use insulin by needle self injection as little as once per day and as much as six to eight times per day. There are both short and long acting insulins and most likely a person with Type I diabetes will need to take a mixture of both. If you are not fond of the idea of needles, there is now an insulin inhaler that has just been introduced to the market. It is not widely used yet, but when discussing your diabetes treatment with your doctor be sure to ask about it.
In addition, the most cutting edge diabetes treatment is the use of an insulin pump. An insulin pump site is inserted once every three days and acts like an external pancreas, giving the patient continuous short acting insulin to keep the constant blood sugar levels in normal ranges. When eating, the patient self administers insulin through the pump rather than giving shots.
Realistically, I have found this to be the best diabetes treatment for myself because I have been able to adjust my insulin rates down to the half hour rather than taking shots and waiting for the insulin to react. While on the pump, I have been able to take my A1C levels (a three month overview of sugar levels) from 7.1 to as low as 4.2 during pregnancy. Normal ranges are 4.0 to 7.0, so my doctors were quite pleased with this as was I.
Be sure to check out all of your options and take an active role in your diabetes treatment. The disease is quite manageable, especially if you take control and ask questions.
Reference: Ann Merier, Diabetes and Cholesterol Medication
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