Managing Your Concerns Related to Type 1 Diabetes

When you picture someone with diabetes who must rely on insulin injections in order to survive, you’re likely imagining someone with type 1 diabetes.

People who have type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin, a hormone that’s normally created in the pancreas. You need insulin to convert the sugar that enters your bloodstream after you’ve eaten into energy that your body can use.

For unknown reasons, when you have type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks the cells within your pancreas which produces insulin, which permanently stops those cells from being able to produce this crucial hormone. There’s no cure for type 1 diabetes, so once you’ve lost the ability to produce insulin, you need to get insulin from an external source in order to survive.

Who has it?

About 1.25 million people in the U.S. have type 1 diabetes, including 193,000 people under age 20 – mostly children and teens. Type 1 diabetes is more commonly diagnosed among children and young adults than older people, although it’s possible to be diagnosed at any age.

Having a family member with type 1 diabetes increases your risk of the disease; your chances rise from 1 in 300 to 1 in 20. There’s no way to lower your risk of the condition, although it’s important to realize that having a relative with the disease does not mean that you will be diagnosed.

The signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes may appear suddenly. You may have to pee much more often, and you may feel considerably thirstier than usual, with a dry mouth. Your appetite may increase, but at the same time, you may inexplicably lose weight. You may feel tired or have blurry vision or dry skin.

Some people learn that they have type 1 diabetes after experiencing a life-threatening episode known as diabetic ketoacidosis, in which the body responds to its inability to use sugar for energy by breaking down fat for energy, which produces acids called ketones. The buildup of these acids in the bloodstream is dangerous, so it’s crucial to seek medical care quickly. Signs that you may have diabetic ketoacidosis include becoming less alert, having fruity-smelling breath and breathing rapidly.

Treatments

Everyone with type 1 diabetes needs to take insulin at set intervals throughout the day. It isn’t available in pill or liquid form; you can either give yourself insulin injections or use an insulin pump, a wearable gadget which administers insulin through a tiny tube running from the device to the layer of fat beneath your skin.

Some people may need to take oral medication, in addition to insulin. Your doctor will determine whether or not you need additional drugs to help control your diabetes.

It’s also important for people with type 1 diabetes to measure their blood-sugar levels throughout the day, monitor their intake of carbohydrates, eat healthy foods and exercise regularly.

Reactions to type 1 diabetes

Getting diagnosed with type 1 diabetes requires getting used to a new lifestyle. You need to learn about insulin injections or pumps, monitor your blood-sugar levels, fill prescriptions regularly, track what you’re eating and possibly change the way that you eat. You need to know what to do if your blood-sugar levels are too low, so that you don’t become dizzy, shaky or lose consciousness, and what to do if they’re too high, so that you don’t experience diabetic ketoacidosis.

There’s no such thing as taking a day off from having type 1 diabetes and forgetting about your insulin and your blood-sugar readings for a while. The constant presence of the disease and its treatment regimen may become overwhelming over time, whether you’re newly diagnosed or you’ve had the condition for years. It’s no wonder that people with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk of depression, anxiety and stress.

If your child has type 1 diabetes, managing his or her care can be stressful, too, whether your toddler refuses to eat after receiving his insulin injection or your teen veers from her normal eating habits to fit in with her peers. It can be nerve-wracking to let go of responsibility when your child goes to sleepaway camp or college, but if you teach him the techniques, and the importance, of managing his health, you should feel more confident when he takes ownership of his condition.

Coping with type 1 diabetes

Because diabetes affects your life every day, it’s normal to have strong feelings about your condition. But type 1 diabetes shouldn’t define you or become the overwhelming factor in your life. Taking charge of your mental and physical health should help you live a more well-rounded life while managing your condition. Consider these ideas:

• Don’t let diabetes limit you. When researchers asked adults with type 1 diabetes the lessons that they’d learned from living with the condition for years or decades, they overwhelmingly said that they didn’t attach their identities or senses of self to the disease. You can lead a normal, healthy life by managing your condition, without limiting yourself from certain activities or experiences out of fear.
• Embrace technology. Whether or not you choose to rely upon diabetes-management technology is a personal choice, but many people with type 1 diabetes feel that devices like insulin pumps or continuous glucose monitors give them greater control of their health, with less stress, fewer finger-pricks and more detailed information. Many people also enjoy using apps to manage their diabetes, graph their blood-sugar levels or track their food intake.
• Take care of yourself. Be consistent with your insulin usage, and monitor your blood-sugar levels consistently, so that you stay in optimal shape. Also, consider how lifestyle factors impact your condition: When you have diabetes, it’s even more important to eat right, exercise consistently and sleep enough hours to ensure that you’re as healthy and well-rested as possible. Being aware of the stressors in your life and working to lower some stress levels may help improve your day-to-day existence. You may also feel better by talking regularly about your health and your diabetes-related concerns to your loved ones, your doctor or a therapist.