Once diabetes is diagnosed, education about the condition is essential in order to minimise the chance of immediate and long term complications. It is a conditions which lends itself to the patient becoming an expert in the management of his/her own disease. However, a newly diagnosed diabetic patient is likely to have many concerns and many questions. There will generally be experts available locally to give information specifically relevant to each patient and it is important that these local support systems are accessed regularly.

However, extra background reading can sometimes help in consolidating the support already given and may help the patient to judge what aspects of their own condition need to be discussed with the diabetic experts taking care of them.

There is much information that a diabetic can read at leisure. However diabetes is a complex disease to manage and any reading from the internet and other sources should supplement but not replace the advice you are given by the doctors and other staff responsible for your care.

The Mayo Clinic provides comprehensive information:

DIABETES

COUNTRY : USA

“DEFINITION
By Mayo Clinic staff
The term “diabetes mellitus” refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. Glucose is vital to your health because it’s an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It’s your brain’s main source of fuel.

If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood, although the reasons may differ. Too much glucose can lead to serious health problems.

Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes — when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes — and gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy.”

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Unfortunately feet can suffer from complications resulting from both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This is due to changes in the blood vessels and nerves supplying the feet. As a consequence, the tissues may suffer from lack of adequate oxygen from the blood and nerve damage can lead to disturbing sensations such as burning or pins and needles. Sometimes it progresses to the extent it is difficult to feel the sensation of pain, and so damage can occur un-noticed. Infection may follow and even minor injuries can turn into a serious problem.

Diabetics, from the time they are diagnosed, have to treat their feet with extreme care. It is time well spent and can help prevent complications.

The PDF below is a guideline for health care professions involved in the care of patients with diabetes.

“Feet Can Last A Lifetime” was produced by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). The NDEP is a partnership among the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and over 200 organizations. ………

FEET CAN LAST A LIFETIME – A HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS GUIDE TO PREVENTING DIABETES FOOT PROBLEMS (download as PDF)

COUNTRY: USA

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COUNTRY: USA

This guide is the work of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a federally sponsored partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition many partner organisations were involved in its production.

HELPING THE STUDENT WITH DIABETES SUCCEED – A GUIDE FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL (PDF)

More than 17 million Americans have diabetes. In your work with children and youth in the school setting, it is likely that you already have, or will have, a student with diabetes in your care. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in school-aged children, affecting about 151,000 young people in the United States, or about 1 in every 400 to 500 young people under 20 years of age. Each year, more than 13,000 youths are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In addition, health care providers are finding more and more children and teens with type 2 diabetes, even though the disease is usually diagnosed in adults over age 40.”………

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COUNTRY: UK

As the population ages and as younger people become heavier, more are being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and so this seems like a good place to start. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll gradually explore this subject in the first posts of this blog. The icon at the top of each page indicates the type of post it is: for example how deeply it goes into medical terminology. Under the Icon is the country of the source of the information.

Type 2 Diabetes used to be largely confined to the older and elderly adult and is often associated with being overweight. Unfortunately, because of the increase in childhood obesity, it is now being diagnosed increasingly among the younger generation.

This is an excellent animation by “Diabetes UK” which illustrates the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

DIABETES AND THE BODY

“Our short animation explains how the body works:
1. unaffected by diabetes
2. with Type 1 diabetes
3. with Type 2 diabetes.”

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