how do you deal with diabetes?

Hi bainx21,Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism (the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy). The digestive juices break down most of the food we eat into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. After digestion, the glucose passes into our bloodstream where it is available for body cells to use for growth and energy. For the glucose to get into the cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach. When we eat, the pancreas is supposed to automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move the glucose from our blood into our cells. In people with diabetes, however, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the body cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose. Exercise is good for your diabetes. Walking, swimming, dancing, riding a bicycle, playing baseball, and bowling are all good ways to exercise. You can even get exercise when you clean house or work in your garden. Exercise is especially good for people with diabetes because exercise helps keep weight down, helps insulin work better to lower blood sugar, keeps your heart and lungs in good condition, and gives you more energy. Before you begin exercising, talk with your doctor. Your doctor may check your heart and your feet to be sure you have no special problems. If you have high blood pressure or eye problems, some exercises like weight lifting may not be safe. Your doctor or nurse will help you find safe exercises. Try to exercise regularly. Exercise at least three times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes each time. If you have not exercised in a while, begin slowly. Start with 5 to 10 minutes and then work up to more time. If you haven't eaten for over an hour or if your blood sugar is less than 100-120, eat or drink something like an apple or a glass of milk before you exercise. When you exercise, carry a snack with you in case of low blood sugar. Wear or carry an identification tag or card saying that you have diabetes.

I am a type 2 diabetic and I have learned to live with this disease. I do NOT let it control me! First you need to understand what this disease is what the symptoms are and what you can do to help him control this disease. I have 2 blogs that will show you everything that you need to know about this disease and one is recipes just for diabetics. It will help him learn what to eat and why. There are some recipes for pizza, pies, cakes fudge candy, even how to make potato chips he can eat. First read about this disease so you can understand what he is going through then try some of the recipes. http://living-with-type-2-diabetes.blogspot.com/2007/05/you-are-not-alone.html http://low-carb-diabetic-recipes.blogspot.com

Its true it will stay for as long as you live. I dio have one and so far I am able to manage it keeping it at bay. I was able to do it by diet and radically change my eating habits. So far I am okay but I am keeping watch on my health every now and then plus the medication I take everyday.

I deal with my diabetes type2 from what my endocrinologist told me to do. He mainly suggested I take chromium picolinate at least 200 mgs per day. I am not to exceed 250 mgs per day. I usually take the pill right before I go to bed so I can get a good fasting blood sugar reading. So far, so good. One time though I forgot to take my chromium and my reading was in the 140s. It should be , according to the American Diabetes Assn, between 90 and 130. So it was somewhat high. Well I took a 200 mg chromium. Didn't take anything else to see if it was truly the mineral helping me control my blood sugar. Well I tested my glucose level once more and voila the score was 112. It was right with normal parameters. In case you're unfamiliar with chromium its a mineral. Its also known as Glucose Tolerance Factor. Good sources are fortified cereals, chicken, clams. I recommend you check with your doctor before starting a new health regimen of any kind. It works for me. However everyone is an individual and your primary knows whats good for you

I deal with it by watching what I eat, taking my meds, walking, checking my sugar often. I was on a different medicine about 4 months ago and it was not working very well and I was not aware it was not working well until I would up in the hospital.