Travel tips for Diabetes Patients

Diabetes is a chronic illness and needs to be continuously managed. However, it does not mean that diabetics cannot travel or will have any problems while on a trip. There are only some tips that the patient needs to keep in mind to have a tension-free and safe holiday.

• Get the location and duration of the trip approved by the treating physician.
  
• If possible, get the doctor to prescribe medication that may be required during the travel period. The medications may include not only those used to treat diabetes, but also ones for preventing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea etc.
  
• Make preparations for getting your blood sugar checked at the destination. You should also try to identify medical services in the vicinity of your area for any emergency.

Travel tips:

Apart from the medical services available at the place of your stay, it is also necessary to be alert and make preparations thereof, during the duration of your journey. Some tips for the journey are:

• Keep the insulin or the oral anti-diabetic drugs handy; carry it in hand baggage in the plane or train.
  
• Protect the insulin from extreme heat or cold.
  
• Maintain your food habits even when your routine is different. Eat at regular intervals and do not overeat.
  
• Keep candies or toffees handy in case of a sudden drop in blood suga

Diabetes Risk Factors in Teens

Usually below mentioned points are the major risk factors of Diabetes in Teenagers.

• Family history of diabetes
• Low activity level
• Poor diet
• Excess body weight (especially around the waist)
• Age greater than 10 years or more but no physical activity.
  
• High blood pressure
• High blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat molecule)
• HDL cholesterol of less than 35
• Impaired glucose tolerance (identified by your doctor)
• Diabetes during a previous pregnancy, or a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
• Certian ethnicities - African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans all have high rates of diabetes

Dealing with Ups and Downs of Diabetes in Teen ages. (PART2)

Take Action!

It’s time for YOU to do something about your diabetes care.

Set goals for what you will do.

Start small and work your way up. For example: “I will cut down on regular soda and drink water instead.” When that’s going well…take the next step. Add another goal “I will dance or bike ride a couple of times a week.” Then add a new goal “I will eat smaller servings of cookies, burgers, and fries.”

Try to make each new goal just a bit harder.

After you shoot hoops twice a week, try adding another activity on three other days. Raise the goal until you reach a level that works for you.

Avoid goals that will be too hard to meet.

For example, rather than saying you’ll never eat a burger or a candy bar again, say you’ll
only eat one a week.

Tell your family or friends about your goals.

Maybe they’ll be active with you or help out some other way.

Reward yourself when you reach each goal.

Keep in mind that rewards can be anything—not just food. You do not have to reach all your goals at once. Start with one or two, then add more.

Dealing with Ups and Downs of Diabetes in Teen ages. (PART1)

Feel good about yourself. Get help to deal with the ups and downs of diabetes. Seek support from other teens and take action to manage your diabetes one step at a time.

Feelings

Many teens like you deal with diabetes everyday. Most of the time, it’s not a problem, you just deal with it. But sometimes, you may just want it to go away. Do you ever…

1. Ask “why me?”
2. Think you’re the only one who feels sad, mad, alone, afraid, or different?
3. Get tired of others teasing you if you are overweight?
4. Blame yourself or your family for your diabetes?

All of these feelings are normal. Lots of teens who have diabetes feel the same way. It’s okay to get angry, feel sad, or think you’re different every now and then. But then you need to take charge and do something to feel better.

Everyone feels down sometimes. You are not alone.

Still down?

Reach out for help. Talk to someone in your family or where you live, a friend, a school Teacher, or your doctor or diabetes educator. It might help to write down your feelings in a journal. If you still feel down or sad, ask your parents to help you find a counselor.
It is okay to ask for help.

Speak up

There are many people who care about you and want to help you stay healthy and happy. Your health care team (diabetes educator, dietitian, doctor, nurse, psychologist, and social worker) can help you learn how to make healthy food choices, be more active, and feel good about yourself. Stay in touch with them.
Let your health care team know how you feel and what you need.

Let your school know what’s up

You or your parents need to give the school nurse, teacher, or other
school staff a copy of your diabetes care plan. Let people at your school
know you have diabetes and that you need to eat healthy foods, eat
your meals, take your medicine on time, and be physically active.
Don’t let diabetes stop you from joining in school activities. You can
do all the things your friends do and then some!

Still my friend?

Ever worry that your friends may have wrong ideas about diabetes?

1. Tell them that you have diabetes. You don’t have to keep it to yourself. The more people know about diabetes, the more they will understand. Explain that your body needs help to use the food you eat.

2. Be sure everyone knows that no one can catch diabetes from you.
3. Good friends help each other out. They understand your needs and offer support. Hang on to friends who help you make healthy food choices when you are eating out.
4. Ever have kids make fun of you about your diabetes or weight? Teasing hurts. The best thing is to just walk away.

Dealing with Diabetes (Types, Symptoms, Diet, and after Effects)

Improper diet and lack of exercise are the main causes of diabetes. This is not a disease of a special age group; every one from the category (New-born to 85 year old) can have diabetes. The diabetes started off with common (ignore able) symptoms but left untreated very dangerous symptoms, which sometimes can cause a very irreversible loss to our dears lives. The common diabetes symptoms includes, dizziness, lack of interest, excess urination, burning of the feet, headache, etc…. but someone who have un cured diabetes say 15---20 years old then he or she can have the severe symptoms like Heart Attack, Blindness, Kidney failure, Brain hamerages and sometimes death.

In South Asian region even in Pakistan it is very common disease the popular television star, Zeba Bakhtiar, and famous cricketer Wasim Akram was diagnosed with diabetes in their early ages. It took several months before either star was diagnosed with the disease. Both had experienced symptoms like frequent urination, blurry vision, and dizziness, but neither had a family history of the disease. When the diagnosis was finalized, and they were found that they have suffered with a silent killer disease (Diabetes), both stars suffered from a very severe psychological stress, but soon they realize that this is not the end of life, they both know that this disease demands a complete change in life style. Although it is very difficult to change the life style at once but there were no other options………

As diabetes demands a complete lifestyle change, it is often a difficult disease to come to terms with - both physically and emotionally. Below is the example of a young lady who dealt with diabetes with great courage…..

“A 32 year young lady had diabetes in the age when she was just 24 years old; the disease was diagnosed when she had a fainting spell and blurry vision. Just after the diagnosis of the diabetes she comes under psychological stress she thought that she wouldn’t be able to have her babies, and no one in Pakistan would marry her, Although her fear proved unwarranted, the now mother of two children says that she don’t have a fear of diabetes and from last 6 years she is taking insulin injections, Walk (Approximately 3---5 Km Daily), Control on her diet, and a proper calorie count, and she had managed her diabetes”

So, undoubtedly, life with diabetes calls for strict vigilance and rigorous self-discipline. Eating right and exercising are essential for a healthier life in all respects, especially since the disease is currently incurable

Diabetes, Herbal treatments, and people believe.

Home remedies, herbal treatments are very popular in curing diabetes. A recent study conducted by the Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, in collaboration with Nutrients Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, has shown that taking a small quantity of cinnamon, from one to six grams per day, may reduce serum glucose, triglycerides, LDL ('bad') cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with Type II diabetes. Including cinnamon in the diet may reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The study underlines the fact that medicinal/culinary herbs have been reported to yield hypoglycemic (sugar lowering) effects in patients with diabetes. Examples of these include bitter melon, Korean ginseng, onions, water-soaked fig and garlic, among others.

However, many such home remedies are false, like the popular belief that bitter gourd or karaila reduces blood sugar. The only way gourd can affect glucose levels is if the patient consumes at least two kilograms of sun-dried and purified gourd peel on a daily basis (which seems impossible and this remedy is thought to be very tedious). Many local quacks and pirs also claim to successfully treat diabetes with similar remedies. A famed clerk from Hyderabad NWFP Pakistan was known to insist that patients stop all modes of medical treatment and also lift all dietary restrictions. His 'cure' relied on pure sugar that had been 'blessed' with divine powers that he personally gave to affected males. Thousands of people from all over the country visited his shrine in the hope of a miraculous cure, some waiting for days in mile-long queues outside his home. But this hoax was eventually exposed when a large amount of his believers suffered a rapid death.

It is also believes that drinking four to six glasses of water before breakfast and before meals helps keep her sugar level in check. There is no medical evidence, however, it is witnessed and practiced by some people known to me.
It is essential for people with diabetes to manage a balanced food intake and exercise regularly to maintain normal blood sugar levels in an attempt to avoid hypoglycemic as well as hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) reactions, which can be fatal. People who use oral pills tend to neglect diet and exercise, expecting medicine to do miracles. However, whenever people eat anything they want, medicinal agents prove to be ineffective.

So the conclusion here is that the healthy diet is the key to preventing diabetes and helpful in its treatment. Regular exercise can help reduce the risk of diabetes. Activity can also reduce the risk of developing related complications like heart diseases, strokes, kidney failure or blindness.

Diabetes and Heart Disease

People with diabetes are more likely to get heart disease. When you have diabetes, your blood sugar level is often much higher than it should be. Too much sugar in the blood can cause damage to many parts of the body, including blood vessels. Some lifestyle habits may also raise the risk of heart disease. Here are few points to remember to avoid the diseases associated with diabetes.

1. Reduce Your Weight
2. Keep you sugar level under control
3. Avoid oily things to avoid high Cholesterol levels
4. Exercise regularly
5. See your doctor at least once a month
6. Closely monitor your Blood pressure
7. If you are a smoker, stop it immediately

Remember:

Diabetes and heart disease are related. Diabetes, being overweight and having high blood pressure are related. Diet and exercise are good ways to control your blood sugar level, lower your blood pressure and cut your risk of getting heart disease. When diet and exercise don't help enough, medicines can help control blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels and control blood pressure. You can do a lot to help by your own efforts

High and Low Diabetes Feelings

High blood sugar (hyperglycemia)

This often happens when the person with diabetes has eaten too much, has too little insulin in his or her body, or is under a lot of stress. Be alert for these signs in your relative:

- Frequent need to urinate
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Extreme thirst or hunger
- Blurred vision

Low blood sugar(hypoglycemia)

This often happens when the person with diabetes has not eaten very much, has too much insulin in his or her body, or has exercised beyond his or her limits. Be alert for these signs in your relative:

- Shaking
- Fast heartbeat
- Sweating
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Extreme hunger
- Weakness and tiredness
- Irritability

Diabetes and Depression

It's hard to hear that i have diabetes, and it's hard to live with diabetes every day. There's never a break from diabetes. Caring for our diabetes takes a lot of effort, and the burden can seem like more than we can handle. Feeling sad and blue and depressed at times is common among people with diabetes, but this is nothing to feel ashamed of. Serious depression is a medical problem. If any one of you have serious depression, it can be hard to get out of bed, do our work, or enjoy anything. We might have trouble being with family and friends or taking care of our diabetes. At this point the only thing which can work is the realism, the realism that only I myself can change the situation by my own will power and efforts only then the treatment with counseling or medicine can help us feel better, and we can take charge of our diabetes again.

Diabetes Food Pyramid

The Diabetes Food Pyramid divides food into six groups. These groups or sections on the pyramid vary in size. The largest group -- grains, beans, and starchy vegetables -- is on the bottom. This means that you should eat more servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables than of any of the other foods. The smallest group -- fats, sweets, and alcohol -- is at the top of the pyramid. This tells you to eat very few servings from these food groups.

The Diabetes Pyramid gives a range of servings. If you follow the minimum number of servings in each group, you would eat about 1600 calories and if you eat at the upper end of the range, it would be about 2800 calories. Most women, would eat at the lower end of the range and many men would eat in the middle to high end of the range if they are very active.

The exact number of servings you need depends on your diabetes goals, calorie and nutrition needs, your lifestyle, and the foods you like to eat. Divide the number of servings you should eat among the meals and snacks you eat each day.

For more information on "Food for Diabetic patients" please log on to: http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/foodpyramid.jsp

Diabetic Patient's Feet care

When you have diabetes, taking good care of your feet is very important. Poor foot care can lead to serious problems, including possibly having to remove the foot or leg.
As a person with diabetes, you are more vulnerable to foot problems because the disease can damage your nerves and reduce blood flow to your feet.

Here are some diabetes foot care tips to follow.

Quit smoking

Smoking can worsen heart and vascular problems and reduce circulation to the feet.

Avoid activities that can injure the feet

some activities increase the risk of foot injury and are not recommended, including walking barefoot, using a heating pad or hot water bottle on the feet, and stepping into the bathtub before testing the temperature.

Use care when trimming the nails

Trim the toe nails along the shape of the toe and file the nails to remove any sharp edges. Never cut the cuticles. Do not open blisters, try to free ingrown toenails, or otherwise break the skin on the feet. See a healthcare provider or podiatrist for even minor procedures.

Wash and check the feet daily

Use lukewarm water and mild soap to clean the feet. Gently pat your feet dry and apply a moisturizing cream or lotion. Check the entire surface of both feet for skin breaks, blisters, swelling, or redness, including between and underneath the toes where damage may be hidden. Use a mirror if it is difficult to see all parts of the feet or ask a family member or caregiver to help.

Choose socks and shoes carefully

Select cotton socks that fit loosely, and change the socks every day. Select shoes that are snug but not tight, and break new shoes in slowly to prevent any blisters. Ask about customized shoes if the feet are misshapen or have ulcers; specialized shoes can reduce the chances of developing foot ulcers in the future. Shoe inserts may also help cushion the step and decrease pressure on the soles of the feet.

Ask for foot exams

Screening for foot complications should be a routine part of most medical visits, but is sometimes overlooked. Don't hesitate to ask the healthcare provider for a foot check at least once a year, and more frequently if there are foot changes.

Diagnostic Ranges for Diabetes Level in Blood

1. A normal glucose reading should be lower than 70---110 mg/dL upon waking in the morning (Atleast 8-10 Hour Fasting)

2. A Random glucose reading should be lower or equals to 140 mg/dL (Two hours after Meal)

Scale:

(70-110) (<=140) (>140 & <170) (170---200 Plan for Exercise) (200 and Above, Immediately See the Doctor)

Symptoms and Complications of Diabetes

The most common early diabetes symptoms are:

-Skin irritation and diseases

-Skin infections

-Poor skin healing

-Athlete’s foot

-Sexual problem

-Blurry vision-Malaise

-Drowsiness

-Numbness of the hands

-Weight loss or weight gain

Other more extreme diabetes symptoms are:

-Excessive urination

-Excessive thirstiness

-Dehydration

-Weight loss even with an increased appetite

-Tiredness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting

-Excessive hunger-More bladder, skin and vaginal infections

-Serious blurry vision-Headache-Muscle aches, weakness and cramps-Acne

Other diabetic symptoms:

-Gums are bleeding

-Unusual noise or buzzing in the ear

-Feet numbness or tingling

-Skin itching

-Diarrhea

-Confusion-Depression

The most Critical Complications associated to diabetes symptoms:

-Kidney diseases

-Diabetic retinopathy

-Sciatica

-Heart diseases and

-Stroke
-Brain Damage
-Severe eyes disorder

Introduction to Diabetes

Diabetes: An Introduction

The word diabetes was first given by the Greek physician Arateus in the 2nd century describe patients with great thirst and excessive variation. In the 17the century, it was observed that urine of diabetic patients was sweet, so the word mellitus, meaning “honey” was added to it. The sweet urine of diabetics is due to increased blood sugar level which leads to spillage of glucose into the urine. The sweet urine of diabetic individuals attracts various flies, bees, ants, etc. Hence, Diabetes mellitus is a clinical disorder in which blood sugar levels are abnormally high known as Hyperglycemia. It occurs due to absence or insufficient production of Insulin. It is a chronic condition, as it lasts lifetime, but can be well controlled. Diabetes mellitus is known as “Sugar” “Diabetes” “Killer disease” “Mother of all diseases” etc….. It is also known as Rich people disease, because people who are over nourished usually get afflicted by it.

For more readings on diabetes please log on to http://www.diabetesmellitus-information.com

Symptoms of Diabetes

1. The first and foremost symptom is excessive urination. Depending on the seriousness of the condition, the color and the density of the urine may change. In general conditions, the urine is dilute and is pale in color.

2. Urination may be profuse even though the person does not consume many fluids throughout the day.

3. The excessive urination is coupled with excessive thirst. The person feels the urge to consume several pints of fluids per day above the normal values.

4. Diabetic patients also find a significant increase in their appetite. Patients may crave to eat a lot, especially things that are harmful to the condition of diabetes, i.e. hyperglycemic substances.

5. There is general bodily weakness. Patients get tired easily. In severe cases, fatigue and dizziness may also occur, which may cause the patient to collapse.

6. Though the appetite shows a marked improvement, there is no perceptible weight gain. Skin problems may occur such as itching. The itching is felt more around the genitals. Other problems are tingling sensation in the skin and an itchy feeling in the hands and the feet.

7. One very serious concern is the low healing of wounds, which is a prime symptom accompanied with diabetes mellitus. This may cause the wounds to become infected and to cause complications.

8. Pains occur in several parts of the body, especially in the lower back and the limbs. These pains do not go away using painkillers.

9. A peripheral problem of diabetes mellitus is the loss of vision. The person may become myopic, or show a diminished sense of vision. There may be a need of continual change of spectacles.

10. Impotence in men is a very popular condition that is caused due to diabetes mellitus.