My husband has been resently dianosed with diabetes, so I have been doing some research to educate my self. I would like to share with you what I have learned untill now.

When you have diabetes, you have it for life. But you can learn how to manage it and put your health back into balance.

Balanced blood sugar means that your blood sugar level is neither too high nor too low.

The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes.

What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes = Your body doesn't produce insulin.

Type 2 diabetes = Your body doesn't properly use the insulin that your pancreas makes.

Your body gets the energy it needs from a type of sugar called glucose.

Your body gets this sugar from 2 sources:

1- The food you eat

2- Your liver, which makes sugar when you haven't eaten (This is why is very important to don't skip your breasfast. Your sugar level begin to decrease one hour later after you wake up).

You don't have to eat a lot of food just don't past the first hour without anything in your stomac.

Insullin is an hormone made by the pancreas, carries the sugar from your blood into your cells where the sugar is use for energy. The right amout of insulin helps your blood sugar level balanced.

Resons why sugar build up in the blood:

1- Your body doen't make enough insulin, or it can't use this insulin porpertly.

2- Your liver makes more sugar than your body needs.

In diabetes, when your blood sugar gets too high, your body tries to bring it back into balance. It does this by sending important messages to the pancreas. In response, your pancreas makes more insulin. It also signals your liver to make less sugar. But in people with type 2 diabetes, when fewer messages reach the pancreas, it makes it harder for the body to balance blood sugar.

Too many of these important messages may be blocked in type 2 diabetes. They are blocked by a substance called DPP-4. With DPP-4 blocking these important messages the pancreas isn't able to bring the sugar into balance.

What is a balanced blood sugar level?

-- For people without diabetes: Between 70 and 120 mg/dL.

Before meals up to 130 mg/dL.

After meals: less than 180 mg/dL.

What happens if your blood sugar stays too high?

When too much sugar stay in your blood for a long time, it can damage blood vessels and nerves.

This damages can cause:

* Kidney disease = can lead to kidney failure and the need of dialysis.

* Blindness = because blood vessel damage in the eyes.

* Nerve damage = if is in the feet can lead to the need for amputation.

* Heart desease = can lead to death.

Note: Heart desese is the number cause of death in people with diabetes.

The good news is that you can take control of your diabetes. Your doctor may tell you that you need to make some lifestyle changes. You might not would like it but believe me you'll get used to it.

For my husband, the harder thing to do was to stop eating junk food like:

-Donuts

-Cheetos

-Candy Bars

-Cookies

My first advice to every body is to get rid of your regular sugar and buy sugar substitute. My husband use Splenda because he likes the flavor, and me and my kids use Sweet and Low because is cheaper.

There are even differents product made with sugar substitute. We buy chocolateship cookies made with Splenda. You can find it at the junk (candy) aile.

Become more active. Find something you love to do and try to modify it so you can do it every day. What I mean by this is, for example, my husband love to play baseball. He hadn't found a baseball team to associate. So he bought a baseball machine. He takes it everyday to the back yard and the machine shoot ball at him and he bat at them. My children love to catch the ball with their gloves after he bats it. Good exersice and family affair.

Symtoms:

* Frequent urination

* Flu-like headaches and fatigue

* Weight loss or gain

* Slow-healing sores

* Frequently infections

* Blurry vision

* Tingling hands or feet

* Burning pain in arms, hands, legs or feet

* Increased hunger

* Inrritability

My husband had frequent urination because drant more than 46 oz. every night plus all the fluits during the day. He lost around 50 pounds of weight in 4 month. The healty weight lost for him was 6 pound a month and he was loosing twice that much. He also had Blurry Vision and burning pain in arms and feet, but we thought it was because he work in a warehouse.

Some extras:

- Food = raises your blood sugar. There is a lot of sugar in Carbs. Like rice and potatoes.

- Exercise = uses sugar as energy, it lowers blood sugar.

- Medications = taken for other conditions may raise blood sugar. Talk to your doctor.

- Hormone Levels = women may notice changes in blood sugar during the third week of their menstrual cycles.

- Illness = your body produces hormones that raise your blood sugar levels when you're sick.

What to eat?

* Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

* Eat whole grains.

* Eat fish 2 to 3 times a week.

* Eat lean meats, and take the skin off chicken and turkey.

* Drink water and diet sodas, instead of sweetend drinks.

* Cook with liquits oils to avoid saturated and trans fat.

* Limit your intake of fat and sweets, such as chips, cookies, cakes and ice cream. And use sugar substitutes.

Remember: Exercise takes sugar out of your blood and use it for energy.

For Diabetes Organizations and Resources go to my other page:

http://hubpages.com/hub/diabetesorganizations