page10selfmanagement

Self Management steps:

Knowledge. This is where you get to know what your diabetes is and what its not.
As you know diabetes is a metabolic and endocrine disorder. the pancreas for some reason has stopped making or has limited the amounts of insulin that you produce. It can be aquired or inherited or born with. You can get diabetes thru many factors. So no one is ever immune to it. Just because you dont have it now, does not mean you will never get it! Women who have bigger babies ( over 8 pounds) those babies may grow up, or develope it as they get older. These babies should be checked yearly, as they get above 15 years of age,for it with an GTT. If your family has even one distant blood relative, you should be checked yearly for it.
Knowing what type of diabetes you have is important. In short there are four basic types of diabetes. Type 1, no insulin present
Type 2 insulin present or not functioning
Type 1 1/2 New clasification. This classification has been devloped due to intermittent or other related reasons for diabetees development. Often involved with surgical or stress or injury or illness related.
Brittle: This type is extreme. The person goes from extreme lows, where the insulin is present and causes severe hypoglycemia, to extreme highs, where the insulin is not present or stopped working. These people can go from the 20 and teens in glucose readings to above 500 in a matter of minutes. This occurs no matter how well they control their diet.
Beta cells from the pancreas is what creates the insulin. Knowing what your medication is important. You can check the next page for specifics for your medication along with links to the available home pages of those medications.

Medications:
meedications come in basic formulae. You have pills and insulin. Insulin come in a variety of formulas. Human DNA type are the most common. But some companies still produce lentes from beef and pigs.
( my personal favorite are the ones from pigs!)
Pills come in a variety of formulas to do certain things. Designed for type 2s only. Dependant on how much and what type of insulin problem you have a pill can do a number of things.

Sulfonylureas promote the production of insulin. Or stimulate insulin secretion.
these are Amaryl,Micronaise, Diabeta,Glucotrol,Orinase,Diabanese.

Biguinides, alo known as metformins, work by decreasing the production of Glycogen from the liver. It also has a benefit of lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The disadvantage of metformins are upset stomach and the risk of lactic acidosis. Glucophage is the primary metformin.

Alpha Glucosidase Inhibitors are actually the medication that blocks carbohydrates digestion in the intestinal tract and absorbtion of glucose into the bloodstream.

Thiazolidineiones, Roziglitazones, and pioglitazones act primarily on on the resistance of the cells to insulin. This works on what is called insulin resistance. These medications take approximately 2-6 weeks to work and show results. Avandia and Actos.

Meglitintide. also known as Rapaglinide. It is like a sulfonylurea. It stimulates insulin secretion. Prandin.

Diet.

Diet is important, simply because diabetes is a metabolic disorder. Also its a chronic condition which means you will never rid of it. So everyday you have to be careful with what you eat and how much
As a rule remember NO MORE THAN 4 CARBOHYDRATE CHOICES PER MEAL.
carbohydrates are limited because they are the tings that turn to glucose. No matter what your medication you have to limit these. But do not be fooled by sugar free.
Sugar free is often times higher in carbohydrates than regular sweetened items. And since all carbohydrates are metabolized the same EAT EVERYTHING! just in the quantities that are listed in your exchange book.

A diabetic has to eat the same amount at approximately the same time everyday. This allows the body to achieve a normal timeclock. A normal day of food intake should be broken down like this sample menu on the next page.