What Happens
You may find that soon after you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes your blood sugar levels return to normal. You are in what is called the "honeymoon period." The remaining insulin-producing cells in your pancreas are working harder to supply enough insulin for your body. You may take little or no insulin; however, this does not mean that the disease is gone. After the remaining insulin-producing cells are destroyed, the honeymoon period ends, and you will need to take insulin for the rest of your life.
Treatment for your diabetes includes following a diet that spreads carbohydrate throughout the day, getting regular physical activity, monitoring your blood sugar levels (using a home blood sugar meter), and taking insulin. By working closely with your doctor and following your prescribed treatment, you will feel better and have more control of your life. If your child has type 1 diabetes, treatment involves the same tasks but allows for normal growth and development.
Before diagnosis, your insulin level may have been low enough to cause severe high blood sugar, with symptoms such as confusion or even coma. This condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis and often requires treatment in a hospital. During your hospital stay, you are given insulin injections and fluids in a vein (intravenous or IV), and your condition is monitored closely. You are still at risk for this emergency in the future if you don't take enough insulin to keep your sugar levels and metabolism normal.
If you have persistent high blood sugar levels over a long period of time, diabetes can damage your:
- Eyes (diabetic retinopathy).
- Kidneys (diabetic nephropathy).
- Nerves (diabetic neuropathy).
- Heart (leading to heart attacks).
- Blood vessels (leading to strokes and poor circulation in your legs).
If you keep your blood sugar level within a normal to near-normal range, you may prevent, or at least delay, these complications. Children seem protected from developing these complications during childhood; however, when they become adolescents, their risk begins to increase. Keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible at the beginning of the disease will help prevent these complications.3
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