Personal Essay: Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1-diabetes deprives cells of the sugar that is need for energy in the cells. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin or not enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is involved in controlling how the body converts sugar into energy in our cells. Type 1-diabetes is not as common as type 2-diabetes. According to the University of Maryland type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 - 10% of all diabetes cases. Most cases of type 1-diabetes typically develop in childhood or adolescence and can happen in both boys and girls. However type 1-diabetes can occur at any age but is more prevalent in the younger population. (Diabetes - type 1, 2013) Type 1-diabetes is more common in whites than in other ethnic groups. According to the

Ever since her husband died from a stroke, Theresa has exhibited lethargic behavior, such as staying indoors for long periods of time and lacking interest in any social activities. Her behavior has been presumed to be signs of depression. Due to her cultural background, Theresa finds family support important, which can be the reason why her husband’s death has affected her so deeply. Tyron, Theresa’s son, worries that his mother closes herself off from the world so much that she may stop making appointments with her doctor for general check-ups, which is crucial for her well-being due to her age (78 years-old) and the prevalence of diabetes within the Jenkins family. A barrier that Theresa could face by doing this is the lack of preventive care and dependence on folk remedies rather than contacting a physician. This could worsen any present or emerging conditions by seeking medical attention too late. In regards to Theresa’s risk for diabetes, her son, Michael, was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, which has a stronger link to genetics than Type 1 Diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2017). Her husband was also diagnosed with diabetes. For those of the African American culture, there is a higher incidence in diabetes mellitus. According to the American Diabetes Association (2017), “African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have

Do you know someone who is or was gravely affected by a disease? I do. My brother, Billy, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) when I was 10 years old. When we first realized that he was not feeling okay, we were at school when one of my friends’ mom noticed and told my mom. Before this incident, I was irresponsible and did not pay much attention to anyone other than myself.

Low blood sugar also known as hypoglycemia quickly manifests in individuals who use insulin. Common symptoms come about when the blood sugar levels fall below 70 mg/dL. Symptoms include headache, hunger, nervousness, rapid heartbeat, shaking, sweating, and weakness. (Eckman 2011).

When one hears the term diabetic or diabetes, most people not associated with the medical field think of only one type or that diabetes is an all inclusive "sugar problem". The reality of diabetes mellitus is both complicated and simple at the same time. There are two types of the disease that will usually cause either low blood sugar or high blood sugar: type 1 (juvenile-onset), and type 2 (adult-onset). The root issue with both is actually an insulin production problem. Type 1 is called insulin-dependent diabetes and it’s on set is usually in childhood. Type 2 is called non-insulin dependent diabetes, and it’s onset is typically later in life.

In January of 2015, I was diagnosed with Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus or Type 2 Diabetes. I was horrified with the diagnosis. As a child I watched my grandmother and many other members of my family suffer with the disease and die. There were many strokes, heart attacks, and finally an amputation.

Type two diabetes is when a person’s body does not make enough insulin to digest the amount of glucose they consume. Roughly 27 million people in America have diabetes. Somewhere close to 86 million people have borderline diabetes that may turn to diabetes.(WebMD) In this laboratory, blood glucose levels for type two diabetic patients, and non-diabetic patients were tested every 30 minutes. The spectrophotometer was used to observe the absorbance levels of blood glucose. Type two diabetes can be genetic, or it can be caused by weight gain/obesity.

This informative article I am writing is about type 1 diabetes. I chose this disease as I know a lot about juvenile diabetes as I was diagnosed with it when I just turned four years old. While diabetes is very serious and can kill you if it is not managed, it is a disease that you can live with for a long time if you take care of yourself. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that can attack both children and adults. Autoimmune means your body attacks itself.

Living with a chronic condition not only effects the individual, but it effects the entire family. An adolescent living with a chronic health condition not only depends on their family for support, but also on support from their friends, classmates, and healthcare team (Rostami, Parsa-Yekta, Najafi Ghezeljeh, & Vanaki, 2014). Supporting an individual with a chronic disease leaves an emotional impact and can be financially straining as well. Families living with a sick child must find strategies to cope. Whether the coping strategies utilized are positive or negative, they leave a lasting effect on the entire family, as well as the child living with the condition (Woodson, Thakkar, Burbage, Kichler, & Nabors, 2015). Involvement of the parents in this situation is vital to the child’s future success in managing their illness (Landers, Friedrich, Jawad, & Miller, 2016). This paper will explore one family’s story of living with, and coping with, a child who has recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

Diabetes is a lifelong disease that can affect both children and adults. This disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It claims about 178,000 lives each year. Type one diabetes, also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, usually occurs in people less than thirty years of age, but it also may appear at any age. Diabetes is a very serious disease with many life threatening consequences, but if it is taken care of properly, diabetics can live a normal life.

An age related condition that has affected one of my family members is Diabetes. My grandmother, has been suffering from Type-2 Diabetes since she was 48 years old. She was first diagnosed in 1991 when she went for a thorough check up to our family doctor, after having symptoms like dizziness, blurred visions, change in appetite for a few weeks. My grandmother, as told by my father, used to be a very active, cheerful and food loving person, but after been affected by Diabetes, she started getting fatigued, remained stressed and had to make a lot of effort to control her diet but some time later, she got used to the ways in which she could keep it well maintained. According to my grandmother, Diabetes is a condition where you have to be your own doctor and treat yourself very well.

Type One Diabetes, Juvenile Diabetes, or Diabetes Mellitus; an autoimmune disease affecting millions (about 3 million in the United States) causes the body’s own immune system to target and attack beta islet cells in the pancreas which are responsible for the production of insulin, an enzyme that lowers the concentration of glucose in the blood. A century ago, diabetes was a quick death sentence; we only found how to produce artificial insulin in the 1920’s, so before that, if a patient got diabetes, they had maybe a week or two at best before the state of hyperglycemia would shut down bodily functions. When a person does not produce or receive insulin, blood glucose concentration rises, which results in a large number of inconvenient effects immediately, but it also gradually causes internal damage, typically heavily damaging extremities, nerve endings, eyes, and kidneys first, as well as producing an enzyme called ketones, which causes extreme unhealthy weight loss. On the opposite end of the spectrum, sometimes diabetics, who have to manually give themselves insulin, can accidentally give themselves too much, resulting in hypoglycemic episodes, where the body does not have enough glucose and energy to function; in some cases, this can cause the shutdown of body systems and even a quick death. Dying in one’s sleep is a constant threat to type one diabetics, as glucose levels naturally drop while fasting. Additionally, this disease is a life-sentence that typically strikes

The term paediatrics refers to a medical specialty that sees to manage conditions relating to children from birth to 18 years (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2014). Type 1 diabetes according to Isley and Molitch (2013) is a condition where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to allow the penetration of glucose into muscle cells. This condition results in an increase in blood glucose in the bloodstream and symptoms which include hyperglycaemia (blood glucose more than 11 mmols, weight loss, fatigue, constant micturition, increased hunger and thirst. The patient in this scenario, a cordial 11 year old girl together with the mother, frequented a paediatric clinic. The obviously concerned mother reported of her child’s occasional increase in blood sugar levels ranging from 14-25mmol although her daughter was strictly on a diabetic diet and a short acting insulin regime generated by her multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes care team. The mother was keen to develop

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014 a total of 29.1 million people have diabetes, only 21.0 million people have been diagnosed, 8.1 million people are undiagnosed (National Diabetes Statistics Report). Along with pharmacology, following a nutritious diet can improve overall health and daily function. Demonstrating portion control, especially foods high in triglycerides and sugar, can prevent complications in managing the disorder. Exercise plays a large role in diabetes management because of its effects on lowering blood glucose by increasing the uptake if glucose by body muscles, improving insulin utilization, and reducing cardiovascular risks factors.

When I was younger, I was a healthy weight and an athlete. I was a ballerina, a soccer player, a basketball player, and someone who could run laps around the track for hours. I started to gain weight at seven years old, when my dad left our family. I was so brokenhearted and I started to turn to food for comfort. I fell into a mild depression and any motivation I had to go out and participate in any sports was gone. Even at a young age, I noticed the differences between my friends’ and my eating habits. It seemed that they would take three bites of a sandwich and be full, while I had just finished my lunch and felt like I was starving. I turned down seconds, desserts, and snacks just to not have them look at me funny. We would sit around at lunch and compare our weight, I would lie and say I weighed about thirty pounds less