Diabetes And Life

Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 diabetes.

How do I know if I have gestational diabetes?

Health care providers will test most women who have average risk for gestational diabetes when they are between 24-28 weeks pregnant.

If your risk is higher-than-average, your health care provider may test you earlier, possibly as soon as you know you are pregnant.

There are two approaches to testing for gestational diabetes:

• In the one-step approach, a woman will fast for 4 to 8 hours. Then a health care provider will measure her blood sugar and will do so again 2 hours after she drinks a sugar drink.  This type of test is called an oral glucose tolerance test.
• In the two-step approach, a health care provider measures a woman’s blood sugar 1 hour after drinking a sugar drink.  Women whose blood sugar is normal after 1 hour probably don’t have gestational diabetes.  Women whose blood sugar is high after 1 hour will then have an oral glucose tolerance test to see if they have gestational diabetes.

Will gestational diabetes affect the baby?

Most women who have gestational diabetes give birth to healthy babies, especially when they control their blood sugar, eat a healthy diet, exercise, and keep a healthy weight.

In some cases, though, gestational diabetes can affect the pregnancy and baby. Some potential risks include:

• The baby’s body is larger than normal—called macrosomia.  A large baby may need to be delivered by a surgical procedure called cesarean section, instead of naturally through the vagina.
• The baby’s blood sugar is too low—called hypoglycemia.  Starting to breastfeed right away can help get more glucose to the baby.  The baby may also need to get glucose through a tube into his or her blood.
• The baby’s skin turns yellowish and the whites of the eyes may change color—called jaundice.  This condition is easily treated and is not serious if treated.
• The baby may have trouble breathing and need oxygen or other help—called Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
• The baby may have low mineral levels in the blood.  This problem can causes muscle twitching or cramping, but can be treated by giving the baby extra minerals

source: wikipidia,http://www.nichd.nih.gov

People living with diabetes must learn to manage their disease with proper diet, regular exercise, meditation, and medication.  The success is measured by how well you can control your blood sugar and leave happy life.

If you have diabetes, you must know the factor affects your blood sugar level and make adjustments accordingly.  But some symptoms of trouble are always reasons to seek medical advice.

Here are the diabetes symptoms you should never ignore.

1. being very thirsty
2. urinating a lot
3. feeling very hungry
4. feeling very tired
5. losing weight without trying
6. having sores that are slow to heal
7. having dry, itchy skin
8. losing feeling in or having tingling in the hands or feet
9. having blurry vision
10. having more infections than usual

Above all points(First 3 points are most impotent) are common warning signs of uncontrolled blood sugar.

With any of these symptoms, you should test your blood sugar and call your doctor.  Depending on how high your blood sugar is, medication may fix the problem.Consult doctor if needed.

If you ignore the above symptoms-of-diabetes it can lead to serious, life-threatening conditions.

Type 1 diabetes patients can develop diabetic ketoacidosis

In type 2 diabetes patients, hyperosmolar coma can occur.

What are the signs of diabetes?

There are following signs for diabetes..

1. being very thirsty
2. urinating a lot
3. feeling very hungry
4. feeling very tired
5. losing weight without trying
6. having sores that are slow to heal
7. having dry, itchy skin
8. losing feeling in or having tingling in the hands or feet
9. having blurry vision
10. having more infections than usual

If you have any sign please see your doctors.

Thanks