Posts Tagged ‘Diabetes Symptoms’

Symptoms and Treatment of Gestational Diabetes

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

Gestational diabetes is a condition wherein a pregnant woman experiences a rise in her blood sugar levels during pregnancy. The pregnant women who experience gestational diabetes are those who have had no diabetes before it. Many doctors believe that this form of diabetes is caused or triggered by the imbalanced hormones in a pregnant woman’s body caused by pregnancy.

In some cases, women who are prone to diabetes might develop diabetes during pregnancy because of this susceptibility. There are several factors to this and one is genetic, the diet and other environmental factors. The risk of giving birth while undergoing this condition is a bit high since there are complications from diabetes which can be compounded by pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes is what doctor’s call a condition where the individual has glucose intolerance during pregnancy. This disease or condition usually resolves itself after the woman has given birth and her hormones go back to normal.

Symptoms Of Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a pregnant women only type of diabetes. Since it occurs in pregnant women only, chances are the symptoms can be contributed to the pregnancy instead of the diabetes. This is the reason why most doctors order a test for the pregnant mother when she is around her fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. There are three ways to test a pregnant woman if she has gestational diabetes. It is sometime done with a blood test, an oral glucose tolerance test or a screening glucose challenge test.

There are some symptoms of gestational diabetes which can be attributed to it. These symptoms are being thirsty a lot, fatigue or tiredness, nausea, increased urination, blurred vision and recurrent yeast infections. These symptoms are sometime mistaken as symptoms of pregnancy which is why it is important to have tests done before it is too late.

Treating Gestational Diabetes

Most cases of gestational diabetes can be controlled or treated with strict diet and exercise. The condition usually clears up within a few months of the mother giving birth to the child. In some cases, doctors will recommend the pregnant woman to have insulin injections to help maintain and balance her gestational diabetes.

Unlike the other types of diabetes, this one is basically caused by the pregnancy so it can usually be treated by the end of the pregnancy. Since the woman’s hormones usually go back to normal a few weeks after she gives birth, you can hope that the diabetes goes away with it, too.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

Monday, September 8th, 2008

If you have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, there is a good chance that you have already dealt with this chronic disease for years. The reason that this type of diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes is because in many cases, the illness is diagnosed in the childhood years. However, it is possible to develop this type of diabetes at any point during your life. This is not a situation that arises due to obesity or poor diet choices. In fact, there is little that you can do to prevent the onset of this kind of diabetes.

It is often associated with family heredity, and is also thought to be brought on through a variety of viruses. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system turns on the insulin producing cells within the pancreas. This organ produces insulin, which acts as a sort of key to open the way for sugar to be absorbed into the cells of your body. Sugar in the form of glucose is necessary for your body’s energy supply. When insulin is not present to help sugar get absorbed into the cells of your body, this sugar can build up in your bloodstream. The result can be a whole host of physical issues that you might experience with diabetes.

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes

There are many symptoms of type 1 diabetes, but none of them may seem particularly serious on the surface. However, diabetes that is left unchecked and untreated can cause severe and even life-threatening problems. This is why it is important to recognize the symptoms of type 1 diabetes, so that if you suspect you might have this disease, you can seek your doctor’s advice and assistance as soon as possible. Symptoms of diabetes might include an increased thirst and need to urinate.

Extreme hunger is also a sign of diabetes, particularly when it is accompanied by a sudden weight loss. Fatigue and irritability can also be symptoms of diabetes, because they may be a sign that your body is being depleted of much needed energy. Finally, some people with type 1 diabetes might experience blurred vision, since the tissue of your eyes can also be affected by this disease. If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, it would be wise to make an appointment with your doctor to determine if type 1 diabetes really is the reason behind your symptoms.

Tests and Treatment

Your doctor can run tests to determine if you do indeed have type 1 diabetes. If it is found that you are suffering from this disease, there are a number of options that you can utilize to effectively control your illness. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes at this point in time. However, there have been great strides made in the area of disease management, and many who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can now live long and healthy lives. The first step is in getting a prompt diagnosis so that you can begin to manage your illness as soon as possible.

General Symptoms of Diabetes

Friday, September 5th, 2008

Diabetes is a disease in which the production of insulin in our body is affected. This results in some bodily functions not responding well to the lack or deficiency of this hormone. There are three basic types of diabetes which are Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Of all the forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes is the easiest to treat. It goes away when the mother gives birth.

What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes?

There are various symptoms of diabetes some of which are easy to recognize while others are a bit difficult to spot. The most obvious symptoms of diabetes are elevated blood sugar levels. This can only be seen during blood tests which have to be administered by licensed doctors and nurses.

Other symptoms of diabetes which can lead you to have a blood test done because you suspect you might have diabetes are being extremely thirsty most of the time, excessive hunger, feeling of fatigue or excessive tiredness, sudden weight loss and frequent urination. Be vigilant regarding these symptoms because these are not as noticeable as the others. You could credit extreme thirst to the heat of the day or strenuous exercise. While rapid weight loss may be treated as a blessing for obese people and not treated as a warning. Any

Those symptoms of diabetes listed above are the symptoms that may also occur in other diseases or disorder so it is best to consult a doctor to be sure. Other symptoms of diabetes which may seem minor to you are numbness in the peripherals of the limbs, dry itchy skin, blurred vision, recurrent or difficult to treat yeast or skin infections in women and wounds that heal slowly. These symptoms of diabetes can lead to complications such as blindness and gangrene if left unattended.

What To Do If You Have Some Symptoms Of Diabetes

Many people experience these symptoms of diabetes but ignore them or take them for granted. Anything out of the ordinary that you might experience in your bodily functions should be treated as something that you should consult with your doctor. Of course, there are sicknesses that are very common like colds and allergies but it is better to be safe than sorry. Getting a general check up yearly is advisable for individuals who have a family history of diabetes. This is to be able to prevent and control any inclination you might have towards diabetes and to ensure that you remain healthy and strong.