What is Type 1 Diabetes?

What is Type 1 Diabetes? - Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) condition that keeps your body from turning food into energy. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body stops making insulin. Without insulin, your cells can’t get fuel to burn for energy. This is why you may feel weak or tired. Managing your diabetes and taking insulin will help you feel better and stay healthy.

Monitor Your Blood Sugar

• You need to check your blood sugar each day. This tells you whether your blood sugar is within your target range.
• Your healthcare team will tell you how often and when to test each day.
• When your blood sugar is within your target range, your insulin, meal plan, and activity plan are working to keep you healthy.
• If your blood sugar is too high or too low, your healthcare team may adjust your insulin or make changes in your meal plan.

Take Your Insulin

Your body needs insulin to turn blood sugar into energy. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin. So, you need to take it several times each day.

• Insulin is most often taken by injection (shot). Sometimes, it is taken using a penlike device or a special pump.
• Your healthcare team will show you how to take insulin.
• Your doctor will prescribe the type and dose of insulin you need each day.

Follow Your Meal Plan

Following your meal plan will help you manage your blood sugar.

• Your healthcare team will help you create a meal plan that works for you.
• You don’t have to give up all the foods you like. But you do need to follow some guidelines, which your healthcare provider will set for you.
• You need to eat your meals and snacks at about the same times each day. Never skip meals!

Be Physically Active

Physical activity helps to lower your blood sugar.

• Your healthcare team will work with you to plan an activity program that’s best for you.
• Your activity program will be based on your age, general health, and what type of activity you like to do.

Take Care of Yourself

When you have diabetes, you may be more likely to develop other health problems. These include foot, eye, heart, and kidney problems.

• Your healthcare team will tell you how to care for yourself to help prevent these problems.
• You also need to have frequent checkups, including eye and foot exams and blood tests.

Understanding Type 1 Diabetes

To get energy, the body breaks food down into fuel. When you have diabetes, your body has trouble using this fuel for energy. Read on to learn how the body normally gets energy, and what happens when you have diabetes.

How the Body Normally Gets Energy

After you eat, digestion breaks down part of the food into a fuel called glucose (a type of sugar). Glucose leaves the digestive system and enters the bloodstream. This starts to raise the body’s blood glucose level (also called blood sugar level).

Glucose Travels to the Cells

Glucose travels to the cells to be burned as fuel. When it arrives, it needs help to get into the cells.

Insulin Unlocks the Cells

For glucose to enter the cells, insulin is needed. Insulin is made by the pancreas. It travels in the blood and acts like a key, unlocking the cells so that glucose can enter. Then the cells have glucose to burn for energy, and the blood sugar level stays steady.

When You Have Type 1 Diabetes

When you have type 1 diabetes, your pancreas stops making insulin. Without insulin, your cells can’t get glucose to burn for energy. This is why you may feel weak or tired. Managing your diabetes and taking insulin will help you feel better and stay healthy.

Glucose Builds Up

Without insulin, glucose can’t enter the cells. It builds up in your bloodstream instead. This leads to higher and higher blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar levels can cause serious health problems.

Ketones Form

When your cells can’t get glucose to burn for energy, they burn fat instead. This leaves behind acids called ketones in your blood and urine. A buildup of ketones can cause a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis.

Insulin Can Be Replaced

The insulin you’re missing can be replaced. The man-made insulin you deliver into your body unlocks your cells so that glucose can enter. Then your body can burn glucose for energy. This also helps keep your blood sugar within a healthy range.

Long-term Complications

Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels. This can lead to health problems (complications). Keeping your blood sugar in your target range can help prevent or delay complications. Some long-term complications of diabetes are:

• Eye problems
• Kidney disease
• Nerve damage
• Sexual dysfunction
• Tooth and gum problems
• Heart and blood vessel disease

Managing Type 1 Diabetes in Your Child: Getting Started

Finding out that your child has diabetes can be frightening. All the things you need to know may seem overwhelming. But you don’t have to learn it all right away. You and your child can learn together.

Diabetes is a condition that happens when the pancreas can no longer make insulin (a hormone). The body needs insulin to turn the glucose (sugar) from food into energy. If the body doesn’t have insulin, the level of sugar in the blood can get too high. Over time, high amounts of sugar in the blood can harm the body. Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease, so there is no cure. But there is treatment to help control it so your child can lead a full, healthy life.

Building a Team

In managing diabetes, you and your child will get the support of a healthcare team. They will help you and your child learn to control your child’s blood sugar. Special healthcare providers in your child’s diabetes care team may include:

• An endocrinologist (doctor who treats people with diabetes)
• A diabetes educator
• A dietitian
• A health psychologist or social worker

Controlling Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes can be controlled by monitoring blood sugar level, replacing insulin, eating a proper diet, and being active. These help your child’s body keep healthy blood sugar levels.

• Monitoring: Your healthcare team will work with you to set a blood sugar target range for your child. You will also learn how to check blood sugar level. This helps you monitor whether your child’s blood sugar is in a healthy range.
• Insulin: Your doctor will give you a prescription for insulin for your child. You will be taught how and when to give the insulin to your child.
• Eating: A dietitian will help you develop a meal plan. You will learn which foods are best for your child, how much your child should eat, and how often your child should eat.
• Activity: Daily exercise can help lower your child’s blood sugar level. Ask your doctor about how to keep your child active. A diabetes educator or exercise specialist can help you decide on the best activity or exercises for your child.

Learning to Cope

Living with diabetes is a lifelong challenge. The more you learn, the more you’ll be able to help your child build skills. But dealing with the details of managing diabetes is only one piece of the puzzle. You’ll also be coping with your child’s emotions—and your own.

• Dealing with grief: It isn’t your fault that your child has diabetes. It’s not your child’s fault, either. But even if you know this, you and your child may feel angry or guilty, as well as scared or sad. Or you both may be tempted to deny what’s happening. These feelings are normal. They’re part of grieving for the losses that come with a chronic health condition. These feelings may come and go. But if you face them, they won’t take over your life.
• Staying positive: Diabetes is a serious condition, but people with diabetes can have long, healthy, active lives. Having diabetes need not stop your child from playing sports, doing well in school, or having a family someday. If you believe that your child can live well with diabetes, you’ll help your child learn to believe it, too.

Resources

These organizations provide information, educational programs, and other services. They are there to help you.

• American Association of Diabetes Educators : www.aadenet.org
• American Diabetes Association : 800-342-2383 - www.diabetes.org
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International : 800-533-2873 - www.jdrf.org
• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse : 800-860-8747 - www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov
• American Dietetic Association : www.eatright.org