Diabetes can appear at any age and is a shock to almost everyone. The fear of changing your lifestyle is justified. The patient suddenly has to adjust their eating habits to the new condition, change their physical activity, become familiar with the drug or insulin regimen, and above all, enter the self-control mode. Fortunately, thanks to advances in medicine and technology, the latter steps can now be convenient and hassle-free.
According to estimates, as many as 5% of people suffer from diabetes. population. This percentage has been steadily increasing over the years. The disease can appear at any age. What symptoms should worry you? First of all, polyuria, which is the result of elevated sugar levels in the urine. We talk about it when the amount of urine excreted in a day exceeds three liters. This, in turn, leads to another symptom, which is increased thirst. Finally, there is an increased appetite. Insufficient amount of insulin in the body, or the insensitivity of tissues to this hormone, mean that despite the fact that the level of glucose is high, cells cannot use it effectively, which the brain perceives as a signal encouraging to continue eating.
All these symptoms are a clear signal that it’s time to see a diabetologist.
Diabetes – and what’s next
After all the necessary examinations and diagnosis have been made, your doctor will give you all the guidelines for treating diabetes and its complications. First of all, it will tell you to what extent you should maintain glycemia, i.e. the level of sugar in the body, and how to monitor it. Then, the specialist will select the appropriate medications (not all cases require insulin intake) and recommend lifestyle changes.
Remember to visit the diabetes clinic regularly.
Monitor your sugar levels
Self-monitoring is one of the most important parts of diabetes management. The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the patient’s regular blood sugar checks. The measurement scheme is adapted to the type of diabetes and the type of medication taken. Some patients, however, need to check their sugar levels several times a day (usually in the morning on an empty stomach, before and after meals and at bedtime). Until recently, this was the equivalent of pricking a finger to get a drop of blood applied to a test strip inserted into the meter. This is especially troublesome if the measurement has to be taken in a public place (e.g. before a meal in a restaurant). If the baby is ill, the measurement may be painful or crying. You also need to measure the sugar level several times each night, which may be associated with waking the child from sleep. Fortunately, modern technology comes to the rescue. There are solutions available on the market that allow you to monitor glycemia on an ongoing basis any number of times a day without the need to prick the fingertip. The FreeStyle Libre system is such a device. The patient applies a sensor with the size of a 5 PLN coin on the arm. The sensor is comfortable, discreet, waterproof and can be worn for two weeks. To read the blood sugar level, it is enough to bring the reader close to the sensor, which works even through clothes. The measurement is immediate and informs us not only about the current blood sugar level, but also about the blood glucose level over the last 8 hours, and the trend arrow shows whether the blood glucose is increasing, decreasing or stable. The possibility of taking measurements in this way means that the patient can do it without drawing attention to himself everywhere. The sensor is not troublesome and allows you to perform all activities as usual – even swim.
Diet is essential
Proper diet plays a huge role in the life of diabetics. It is especially important in type 2 diabetes. First of all, you should try to lose excess weight. Typically, diabetics respond well to five smaller meals throughout the day. You should eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and foods that contain fiber. More important than the caloric value of a given product is its glycemic index. Diabetics should focus on low GI products because they release glucose slowly into the blood without causing rapid increases and decreases in its concentration.
Movement helps
Diabetes should not give up sports; it is even recommended. Movement helps to take care of the heart and the entire circulatory system, which are especially prone to diabetic complications. Remember that you should check your blood sugar level both before and after exercise.
FreeStyle Libre, www.freestylelibre.pl, a fingertip test with a glucometer is necessary during periods of rapid changes in blood glucose, when the glucose concentration in the interstitial fluid may not accurately reflect blood glucose levels or when the system reports hypoglycemia or impending hypoglycaemia or when the symptoms do not match the system reading. The reader is able to scan data from the sensor from a distance of up to 4 cm. The sensor is waterproof in water up to 1 meter deep for a maximum of 30 minutes.