Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is generally a result of poor diet, exercise, or other health factors. Although it can also occur in teens, it is not a symptom that a person is born with. Children that are overweight can have symptoms of pre-diabetes, which means their diet should be controlled, exercise should be introduced or increased, and their sugar should be monitored for any signs of problem.
Warning Signs of Type 2 Diabetes
Warning signs can be very low key, and are sometimes only noticed during routine exams (blood, urine) at your doctor’s office. For some, it’s strictly random; a friend might ask to have their blood sugar tested using the glucose meter of a known diabetic. To their surprise, the reading may show an elevated blood sugar. A one-time elevation is not necessarily something to worry about, especially if candy, fruit, or other food has recently been consumed.
If a high glucose reading occurred on a random test, tests should be done for a few weeks, at different times of day, preferably when no candy or high sugar items have been consumed. However, for a person who has never exhibited symptoms, the spontaneous onset of either frequent urination (as every 20 minutes) accompanied by intense thirst, is a reason to arrange to be seen by a doctor to test for Type 2 diabetes.
Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes
Treatment for Type 2 diabetes is complicated and different for each individual. Many doctors prescribe a series of pills, in increasing dosages, in an attempt to control blood glucose levels. In addition, a patient is instructed to increase exercise, and change nutritional and dietary habits. Most healthcare facilities have diabetic educators and nutritionists who offer different degrees of assistance, some of which may be useful to some, and not for others.
In addition to pills, your doctor may prescribe others—to maintain blood pressure, cholesterol, and other factors that have instantly increased your susceptibility of having a heart attack. Even cholesterol levels that are average for the normal community may need to be lower for a patient with Type 2 diabetes. A doctor will schedule a diabetic patient for blood glucose readings every six weeks. When reading the results, the lab can determine an average blood glucose reading for the previous three months, and deliver a score of 1-12. A perfect score to achieve is 7.
If pills do not lower blood sugars adequately, insulin therapy may be introduced. This is a much more serious level of monitoring and regulating blood sugar, as it requires keeping enough food in your body to ensure stability of insulin intake and production.
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