Managing and Understanding Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes can be particularly scary because it is so common and because of what it can do to the human body. Blindness, loss of limbs, kidney failure, heart disease, strokes, are all things that can be caused by diabetes. The disease itself can be brought about by a poor diet, obesity and heredity.

Prediabetes

This is the state in which only some of the disease's classic symptoms have manifested. At this point it is still possible to reverse the condition with a change of diet and increased exercise. Insulin is still being produced by the body but the process is defective. The symptoms exist because of the decreased insulin production or because the body has become resistant to its effects. This is the point at which people with a greater likelihood of getting the disease, either due to heredity or diet, absolutely must make a lifestyle change.

Symptoms

The classic symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst and blurred vision, tingling in the extremities, slow wound-healing and fatigue. There may also be an increased occurrence of skin and urinary-tract infections. Any one or more of these may be a sign of incipient full-blown diabetes.

A look at each of the symptoms mentioned above:

Excessive thirst

This symptom should not the sole reason for suspecting diabetes as there are several other potential causes of extreme, persistent thirst. Still, it is one of the primary symptoms and should definitely be taken seriously when it occurs in conjunction with the other symptoms.

Vision problems

The condition is called diabetic retinopathy. It is caused by damage to the blood vessels that supply the retina. People experiencing this symptom may have blank or blurry areas in their vision, and have an extreme sensitivity to glare in bright lights.

Tingling in extremities

The term for this is neuropathy and it is caused by damage to the nervous system from high quantities of glucose in the blood.

Slow wound healing

Fatty deposits in blood vessels as a result of the onset of diabetes can slow circulation thus making it more difficult for the body to heal wounds. The slow healing is also due to a high glucose concentration in the blood. Immune cells do not work as well with high level of glucose.

Fatigue

With low levels of insulin, or in cases of resistance to insulin, glucose does not get used up, so it remains in the blood instead of being used for energy.

Understanding diabetes is the first step to managing the disease. Education and healthy lifestyle changes are imperative.


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