I bet if you don’t have diabetes, you know someone who does. However, if you have just been diagnosed with diabetes, know that you are one of over 17 million Americans with 2,200 new individuals diagnosed daily. You are not alone!
Diabetes can be an exhausting, overwhelming condition to manage, but we are here to shed some light on the most common diabetes quandaries…
1. I’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, what does that mean?
A diabetes diagnosis means that your body’s hormone, insulin, which converts food into glucose (or energy), is not working properly. Normally, food is digested, turned into glucose and sent through the blood stream. At this point, the body releases insulin hormone from the pancreas to fuel the cells. If you lack insulin, or your insulin isn’t functioning properly, the newly arrived glucose cannot be stored and remains in the blood stream, elevating your glucose levels and, if left untreated, causing damage to your eyes, heart, nerves, and kidneys.