Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a growing epidemic, it is a condition characterized by blood glucose levels that are higher than normal (hyperglycemia) due to either insufficient amounts of insulin being produced by the pancreas and/or the inability to properly us the insulin, that is made in your body, by the pancreas due to insulin resistance. There are a few types of diabetes that will be discussed here, some of which are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. I would like to share that my son, who is now 13, has juvenile diabetes, which in now being recognized as just type 1. Brandon (my son) was diagnosed when he was 8 years old and it is a continuous battle in trying to keep up with counting carbs, dosing insulin, and helping him not to forget that he must dose himself appropriately for the carbs he eats every time he puts food or sugary drinks in his mouth. The main reason for choosing this topic is for me, as his parent, is to learn more about the different types, how better I can help him, prevention of complications tips and over all general informative information about diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes has 3 types that will be discussed in this paper, the first of which will be type 1diabetes. Having type 1 diabetes means your insulin secreting cells have completely shut down and your body no longer produces insulin on its own. With type 1, you are dependent on giving yourself insulin injections, the amount you will give yourself depends greatly on the amount of carbs you ate. A normal blood glucose reading for a person without diabetes runs between 82-110. A person with type 1 should be in the range between 70-130, any number higher than 130 is called hyperglycemic and any number below 70 is called hypoglycemic.

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/what.htm

If you are hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic damages may be occurring in your body and appropriate measures should be taking with a correction