Diabetes

Here’s What Happens When You Have a Diabetic Foot Assessment

January 27, 2022March 4, 2022 JayneLeave a comment

Did you know that if you suffer from diabetes, it’s important to have your feet regularly assessed by a foot specialist, like a podiatrist?

When someone has diabetes, it means that there is an increased amount of glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose is essential for providing us with energy, however, when there is too much of it, or the body is unable to produce the right amount of insulin to convert the glucose into energy, so you end up with higher amounts of glucose in the bloodstream.

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Diabetes

What You Need to Know About Diabetes Mellitus

September 13, 2018 Jayne1 Comment

It is estimated that around 10% of the population of the United States of America suffer from diabetes mellitus, generally just referred to as diabetes, but it should not be confused with diabetes insipidus. Diabetes can be a life-threatening or very debilitating condition but it is also completely manageable such that people living with diabetes can have long and healthy lives. The important thing with diabetes is picking it up quickly by watching out for the symptoms and reducing risk factors for developing it. It is also important for those who have diabetes to manage it correctly so that it doesn’t negatively affect their life. There are a number of different choices for the management of diabetes which definitively include pharmaceutical intervention but also a number of natural health choices like modifying one’s diet. Authority Reports has more about this topic of healthy eating and getting enough nutrients and the right nutrients to improve your health.

What Exactly Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that is characterized by being unable to absorb glucose from the blood to supply the body’s energy needs. There are generally two ways this can occur. The first is that there is a destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas which are responsible for making the hormone insulin. Insulin basically acts like a key that unlocks the gates in the body’s cells to let the glucose in. If the body doesn’t produce insulin then the glucose stays at very high levels in the blood that can actually cause harm. At the same time, the body uses other methods of producing energy which results in the formation of some toxic by-products.

The other way this can happen is that the “gates” on the cells no longer respond to insulin and the same thing happens.

What Are The Risk Factors For Developing Diabetes?

Diabetes is what medical professionals and scientists refer to as a multifactorial condition. This means that there are a number of factors that can contribute to the development of diabetes. Scientists have known for a very long time that there is a genetic link to diabetes which means if you have a family history then your risk is increased. If you have a history of pancreatic disease, then there is also a greater chance of developing diabetes. These factors are related to type 1 diabetes which is due to the destruction of the pancreas.

The more common risk factors, which are associated with type 2 diabetes, which is more insulin resistance, include:

Obesity
Sedentary lifestyle (very little exercise)
Being older than 45

There is also a temporary form of diabetes related to being pregnant known as gestational diabetes.

How Is Diabetes Diagnosed?

Diabetes is diagnosed by checking blood glucose levels over a period of time. There is a fancy way that doctors do this now which is by measuring the amount of glucose in your hemoglobin. This measurement shows the average blood sugar level for the past 3 months before the test is taken. A reading of between 5.7 and 6.4 is considered prediabetes and a reading of 6.5 or higher on two different tests is diagnostic of diabetes.

The consideration for being tested is generally based on a person’s symptoms. These include:

Frequent thirst and urination
Fatigue
Blurred vision
Slow healing of cuts and bruises
Ketones in the urine

How Is Diabetes Managed?

The management of diabetes is very simple but does require dedication. The first line of treatment is to control the diet quite strictly by avoiding sugar and highly processed carbohydrates. A good exercise plan also helps to control glucose levels without any pharmaceutical intervention.

If diabetes can’t be controlled in this way then the person is given an insulin injection or pills that control glucose uptake. Throughout the process, constant monitoring of blood sugar is needed. There is also research that is looking at a pancreas transplant as a potential treatment for diabetes.

Some individuals have been cured of type 2 diabetes by simply controlling the risk factors that lead them to develop the disease.

Conclusion

We know a lot more about diabetes today then we did just a few years ago. Today it is no longer a scary and untreatable disease. Many diabetic people go on to live very long and fulfilling lives. The important thing for everyone is to manage their risk factors, and if they develop diabetes, to stick to the management plan to avoid complications.

Managing Type 2 Diabetes with LloydsPharmacy #LetsTalkDiabetes

July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 Jayne2 Comments

Some of you may know that I’m a Type 2 diabetic; I’ve written about it a few times before but it’s not something I talk about at great length, probably because it’s just become a part of my life now. My diabetes started when I was pregnant with Sausage and never went away once I gave birth, probably due to the fact that I struggle with my weight and I have a family history on one side.

Anyway, type 2 diabetes is one of those condition which doesn’t need to take over your whole life, but it does need a certain amount of management to make sure that your sugar levels are not affecting your health in other ways. Unmanaged diabetes can cause heart problems, stroke, infections and other issues, so ensuring that your levels are correct is important, so when LloydsPharmacy asked me if I’d like to go along to one of their branches for a Medicines Check Up, Cholesterol & Heart Check and Blood Pressure testing, I thought it would be a great opportunity.

Lloyds Pharmacy

When I got there, I was greeted by a lovely lady who took my blood pressure and checked my cholesterol and blood sugar levels – it’s a super simple process which needed just one finger prick to get the blood for the sensors and it’s over in less than a second. She also took my blood pressure in both arms to ensure she was getting an accurate reading.

Once the results were in, I was handed a chart which showed my results, and as it turned out, my blood sugar was a little high at that moment (probably because I was slightly stressed out), as was my blood pressure, but that’s normal for me as I get what they call “white coat syndrome”. My cholesterol levels were interesting; my LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) was borderline – not great but not a worry, either.

My HDL (the “good” cholesterol) was actually a little bit low, and it was explained that I could stand to increase this by eating good fats like coconut oil, avocados and other things, which in turn will reduce the amount of bad cholesterol, too! Based on all of my results, I was told that my chances of having a heart attack in the next ten years was 6%, which may not sound high, but it’s a number that I’d like to dramatically reduce.

After my results were in, I was handed over to the pharmacist who came in to do my medicines check-up, and this was where it got really interesting for me. I take several different medications to manage different conditions, but one of the medicines that I take for my underactive thyroid should be taken half an hour before any other food or medication, but in the 12-odd years I’ve been taking it, I’ve NEVER been told this! I also learned that, not only have I been taking my diabetes medications at the wrong times of day, I also should have been taking it with food each time. I’m a HUGE fan of the NHS, but sometimes the lack of time they’re able to spend with each patient means that things can get lost in communication, exactly like this. I was also given a Type 2 diabetes support pack to take away and read at home, containing lots more useful info for managing my diabetes. You can download the support pack here.

I can’t believe how much I learned in one short consultation and my medicine routine has changed completely now. I’ve spaced my pills totally differently so that hopefully they should have a better level of effectiveness when I take them and I’ve booked myself in for a repeat health check with LloydsPharmacy in 3 months to see if there has been any improvement with my levels. I’ll be eating more avocado, too! If you’re concerned about any health issues or management of any existing conditions, I can totally recommend a trip to LloydsPharmacy.

According to Diabetes UK, there are 1.1 million people in the UK with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and LloydsPharmacy is on the hunt to find them! They will be visiting a city near you to offer FREE type 2 diabetes screenings as well as lots of useful information, advice and support. Click here to find your local event.

Baby · Birth · C-Section · Diabetes · labour · Pregnancy

Hospital Beauty Essentials

February 15, 2014 Jayne1 Comment

The title of this post may seem like a total oxymoron; ‘beauty’ is really the last thing on my mind at the moment, but by pure chance I happen to have packed a few things in my bag which have, unknowingly, been an absolute godsend over the past two days.

I’m really the LAST person to take beauty advice from – my lack of regime is a laughable combination of apathy, forgetfulness and lack of time, but sometimes being in hospital, and so far out of your comfort zone, requires a bit of extra effort.

Burt’s Bees Lip Balm

I don’t know if its all hospitals, or just the one I’m in, but the ward is ridiculously warm. I’m a proper chilly-arse and I slept (albeit for only 2 hours last night) without a single cover over me. The upshot of this is that the atmosphere can be very drying and the first place which suffers is my lips. I adore Burt’s Bees, with its slightly menthol tang and honey-infused softness and I’ve been applying it liberally to stop cracked lips.

Boots No. 7 Cream Cleanser

I actually have pretty complicated skin which dries out in places if I use anything too harsh, but can be prone to spots if I use nothing at all and No. 7 Cream Cleanser seems to be a happy medium. Its moisturising enough to be soothing on this dry ward and still leaves me feeling clean and revitalised.

Hair Bands and Bobby Pins

My poor husband despairs of my love affair with the humble bobby pin, as I do tend to leave a liberal scattering in my wake where ever I go, which means painful stepping incidents and even an expensive Dyson-damaging occurrence. However, bringing clips and hair bands to hospital is an absolute must if you have medium or long hair as, even if you wear it down 99% of the time, there are bound to be times when you want all of your hair off of your face and neck. Pack spares just in case; even if you don’t use them they’re handy to have.

Moisturiser

A general purpose moisturiser that you can use on your hands and body is super handy to have, as you’ll probably be washing your hands a lot more and using that super-drying alcohol gel on them about 20 times a day. Be prepared and you won’t end up with cracks and dryness.

Toothpaste

This may sound like a no-brainer, but lots of people forget their toothpaste. Also, if you’re on nil-by-mouth, often your tongue will feel like the inside of a parrots cage and being able to brush your teeth with something minty and zingy can make you feel 100% more human.

Baby Wipes

Obviously, most wards have a dedicated bath or shower for patients, but if you’re hooked up to a drip or other machine for more than 24 hours, you might simply not have the opportunity for a proper wash. Never underestimate the power of the ‘Festival Shower’ – a thorough going over of all your bits and pits with a cool baby wipe can really help you to feel better and I often find that a simple thing like being clean and smelling fresher can speed up recovery and give you a mental boost when you’re poorly

Diabetes · Health · Pregnancy

And Onto Insulin I Go…

September 26, 2013September 26, 2013 Jayne8 Comments

Since I fell pregnant, I’ve known that my diabetes would be a complication. I had gestational diabetes whilst pregnant with Sausage, and it usually corrects itself after giving birth, but with a weight issue and family history of diabetes, mine never left me and I’ve been managing it with tablets ever since.

Once I started monitoring my blood sugars in this pregnancy, it became clear that the Metformin wasn’t doing enough and although with a pretty strict diet I managed to control my daytime sugar levels, every morning I’d wake up and the levels will have crept right up, despite having fasted over night. I’ve been testing my sugars 5 times a day and tracking them in a special diary so I knew, at a glance, that my morning levels were not at all ideal and that eventually I could end up on insulin.

I have to admit (and yes, I know, I’m a big baby…) that the prospect of using insulin scared me a bit. The thought of injecting myself was really daunting as I have a bit of a needle phobia and I built the whole thing up in my head to a point where I was genuinely really panicky about it.

Yesterday, though, I had a moment of clarity.

I thought about Jane, who writes Northern Mum, and her daughter who, at the age of 7 is already dealing with Type I diabetes. I thought about this post in particular and how Molly takes it all in her stride, a child of 22 years younger than me.

I thought about the many millions of women in the developing world who aren’t so lucky and don’t even know they have gestational diabetes until the worst happened.

Most of all, I thought about how lucky I am to be able to walk into a hospital, free of charge, and be told “Here you go, Mrs. Crammond. Here are the drugs you need to sustain yours and your baby’s life over the next 5 months. Do let us know when you need some more”.

After collecting my prescription from the hospital pharmacy, I went back to see my specialist diabetic midwife, who showed me how to set up my injection pen, what dosage I should be using and how to dispose of it all safely, after using it. My hands were shaking a ridiculous amount and I had to psych myself up to take the plunge and do it.

But, do you know what? For all of my worrying, I literally didn’t even feel the needle going in, it’s that thin. I’m on a low dose of what they call ‘background’ insulin for the time being to see if that will help to keep my fasting sugars down over night, but I’ll be liasing regularly with my midwife to monitor how the insulin is affecting me.

So, I no longer feel worried about the prospect of injecting or any of the other fears that I’d allowed to build up. I just feel lucky.

Very, very lucky.

(I want to give special thanks to Molly for being my inspiration and showing me how to man the heck up and stop being a great big baby. There’s a great video here where she shows you exactly how to a diabetic injects their insulin)