I can’t remember exactly how old I was, but if I can recall correctly, I was around the age of 5 or 6 when I got type 1 diabetes. We were lucky, we caught it early, some people are diagnosed with diabetes when they pass out, due to low, or high blood sugars. The thing I can recall from that day is eating a bowl of ice cream at my grandma’s as she did household chores in the kitchen, all while telling my older cousin that I had just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. After that my life changed a lot. For the week or two I was stuck in the hospital, my life was a mixture of poking, needles, glucose meters, hospital jello, and cartoons. After a while I learned on my own how to control my blood sugars, how much insulin to take for certain foods, and eventually, in 6^th grade I started giving myself my own shots. (SOOOOO much more convenient for me.)

So there are two types of diabetes, Type one, the body completely stops making insulin, or simply isn’t making enough. Then there’s type 2, the body is making insulin, but can’t use it correctly. Only 5% to 10% of people are diagnosed with type one diabetes, while 90% to 95% are diagnosed with type 2. Type one generally develops during childhood, and if it isn’t diagnosed soon enough can result in Ketoacidosis.  Ketoacidosis is when there is high amounts of ketone bodies in the blood, this can result in heart failure.  Another thing that could occur without insulin in the body is a coma, these are caused by excessively high blood sugar levels.

So far, there hasn’t been any cure found for diabetes, however, genetic testing has improved the quality of life for many people struggling with diabetes everywhere, they,ve gone from taking insulin shots to taking pills instead. There are a few ways to diagnose diabetes. The first way is to simply check one’s blood sugar, if its above 125 milligrams per deciliter (the normal numbers would be between 70 to 100 mg/dl) The second way is to get a genetic test, this might predict future. Having diabetes isn’t overly complicated. Type one diabetics can take insulin for the things they eat every day, however depending on what, and how much they eat affects how much insulin they need to take. Diabetes might be an awful disease, however at least people who have it can live a long healthy life if they take care of it.

Questions

• How can you mange diabetes?
• What types of Diabetes are there?
• Is there a cure for any of the types?