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November is Diabetes Awareness Month
Living with Diabetes
It is important to know about type 1 diabetes symptoms because the onset of the disease can happen very quickly. Diabetes is a term that describes a family of metabolic disorders affecting your body’s ability to absorb sugar out of your blood and convert it into energy. In a healthy person, this process is controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas.
When someone has diabetes, the body stops producing insulin or loses the ability to use it. This causes sugar to accumulate in the blood, leading to several common symptoms. Over time if you do not manage your diabetes, it can cause serious or even life-threatening complications.
There are several types of diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system malfunctions and starts attacking healthy cells in the pancreas. This eventually causes the pancreas to make less insulin or stop making it altogether. When this happens, the person’s blood sugar levels will go up, and they will start experiencing symptoms.
Type 1 diabetes used to be known as “juvenile diabetes” because it often develops in childhood. While it’s still most commonly diagnosed early in life, we now know that type 1 diabetes can come on at any age. While both adults and children usually experience the same classic symptoms of type 1 diabetes, there are also some differences.
Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes in Children
- Unusual bedwetting or “accidents” for children who are toilet trained
- Frequent diaper changes in babies
- Increased thirst or dehydration
- Increased hunger in some children, loss of appetite in others
- Nausea or vomiting
- Unusual fatigue or sudden weakness
- Abdominal pain
- Diaper rash that won’t go away
- Moodiness and irritability
- Complaining about blurriness or vision problems
- Breath that has a fruity smell
Unlike type 2 diabetes, which can develop slowly over many years, symptoms of type 1 diabetes tend to be dramatic and come on suddenly. Sometimes a person can go from being very healthy to having many symptoms in a matter of months or even weeks.
If you or your child are having symptoms of type 1 diabetes, you should contact your doctor right away. Because type 1 diabetes can progress quickly, it’s important to get it diagnosed as soon as possible, so that you can begin treatment. The good news is type 1 diabetes can be managed with treatment, keeping your blood sugar levels under control and preventing serious complications.
The bottom line is, if you or someone in your family is having type 1 diabetes symptoms, it’s important to take it seriously and get help right away. Type 1 diabetes is a serious disease with potentially life-threatening complications, but there are tools to help manage it. By catching symptoms early and starting treatment, you can prevent more severe problems down the road.
To access the full article on living with diabetes, click here.
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