Diabetes Awareness

Diabetes is the type of disease that no one knows about or only knows about one of the two types. Yes, there are two different ones. The unknown type is Type 1. The well-known type is Type 2. Here are the differences and similarities.

Type 1 Diabetes is when your pancreas stops producing insulin on its own and lets out ketones or extra sugar into your body. With the influx of sugar and no insulin to absorb it, your body starts to shut down. Every person and their bodies are different so how you react and what symptoms you show will vary.

The Symptoms:

• Drinking more than what's healthy
• Eating too much or not at all
• Frequent urination
• Getting too much or not enough sleep
• Weight loss
• No energy
• and so much more

But like I said, all of these vary with every body it affects. If you wait too long to see a doctor, you could go into something called DKA, Diabetic Ketoacidosis. This always leads to a coma and that coma can, and 95 percent of the time does, lead to death, which is the scariest thing to be told. But it's a main thing that you are told to make sure you or someone else won't hit that point.

With Type 1 Diabetes, you have to wear an insulin pump at all times or give yourself shots every time you eat and before you go to bed. You have to prick your finger as much as you have to to get a blood glucose reading. It's a whole different lifestyle. You have to adjust your life and your routines to the diabetes. Diabetes hits anyone at any age. Boy or girl, age 2 months - 99 years. It's the kind of disease that doesn't care who you are, how old you are, or what you do. Once you get it, you can't get rid of it.

Now, Type 2 Diabetes is a completely different. This type does not need insulin consistently running through their bodies. They just need one shot at least once a week/month. Type 2 comes up when you're overweight and you need to lose some. So you just go on a diet, take a small insulin shot, and barely have to check your blood glucose.

There is so much going on with Diabetes. There are days where doctors get close to a cure, and there are days where doctors get further away. There are days where diabetics don't want to do anything and where they want to feel "normal" again. By "normal" I mean no insulin, no pricking fingers for blood glucose, no shots, no staying up late at night because their blood glucose is too low, and so much more. I don't think anyone realizes how hard it is to be a diabetic. I know that no one knows about it unless you or someone you know gets it. But now I want to spread the word even more and get people educated on the health issue. I want people to know that this is just as important as any other sicknesses out there.

Yes, both are super important to know about and spreading awareness is top of the list for a lot of diabetics, including myself. I feel like Diabetes doesn't get enough attention as all the other sicknesses out there. So, please help the Diabetic community, spread awareness, and help find a cure. Please spread the word and get diabetes awareness out into the world. There are plenty websites and diabetics that can help you learn more and you can help them by spreading the word about this disease. It's very important to every diabetic in the world.

If you would like you can go to JDRF to read more and to donate.