Millions of Americans are getting diabetes everyday, usually through lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise. While Type 1 diabetes is considered a genetic disorder and is not preventable, Type 2 diabetes is preventable and shouldn’t strike anyone who is careful.
If you’re worried that you may have diabetes, perhaps because you are overweight or obese, or maybe because you have some common symptoms of diabetes, like constant thirst and the need to urinate all the time, you may want to check with your doctor. Catching this condition early and treating it correctly will save you a lot of heartache later in life.
Diabetes
About Diabetes
Diabetes is caused by an inadequate amount of insulin in the blood. The result is that higher than normal levels of glucose start to appear and then build up in. That means that each time you eat, your body is releasing insulin into your blood from your pancreas. If your body can’t handle this insulin, it will turn into glucose, overloading your system and causing problems.
We need insulin because it allows our stomachs to turn the foods we eat into glucose, the basic sugar form of energy that our bodies need to build and repair cells. When that glucose gets into our bloodstreams, insulin is needed to help it get into the cells. Once safely inside our cells, glucose will give us the energy we need.
When you don’t have enough insulin, however, your body will have problems. How can you get that glucose into your cells? How can you get the energy you need?
It’s no wonder that many people with diabetes often feel tired or thirsty; their bodies aren’t getting the energy they need from the foods they eat. What’s more, extra glucose is usually stored in our liver to be used at a later time when the body needs it. This instinctual and critical starvation response will be seriously disrupted if your body can’t make the insulin it needs.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
There are two main kinds of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1
This form of Diabetes shows up early, usually having its onset in young people under 30. The main cause is that there’s not enough insulin in the pancreas. These are the people you see in restaurants taking their insulin shots, which will help them break down that extra glucose.
Type 2
This form of Diabetes shows up late, usually having its onset in older people. The best treatment for Type 2 Diabetes is proper diet and exercise. After all, most people who are affected by this usually are overweight or obese, and the numbers are staggering. In 1985 only 30 million people had Type 2 diabetes, but by 2010 the number had jumped to nearly 285 million. Foods and sedentary lifestyles are the main culprits.
Symptoms of Diabetes
There are some symptoms that are common to both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes:
Constantly thirsty;
You feel the need to urinate frequently;
Fatigue;
Vision changes;
Constantly hungry;
Unexplained weight loss;
Cuts that are slow to heal or become infected;
Itchy skin that won’t go away.
Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes:
If you’re starting to develop Type 1 Diabetes, you’ll usually experience extreme thirst, fatigue, and weight loss.
Polynuria: This is the medical name for urinating too often or frequently, as much as 2-3 liters over a 24-hour period.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes:
There are fewer symptoms when it comes to Type 2 Diabetes, and many older or overweight people won’t even know they have it until other serious conditions or complications result. Still, the common symptoms listed earlier, such as constant thirst, hunger, or urination all apply.
That’s why regular checkups with your doctor are so important, and if you’re already overweight, think about some easy exercises or dieting options to reduce your risk, and symptoms.
Many people find that their Type 2 Diabetes will disappear completely when they begin to lose weight. But be careful, many successful people lose the weight only to let it come back. Type 2 Diabetes can come back as a result.
Diabetes and Urine
If you’ve got either Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes, you may find that you’re experiencing some problems with your bladder or urine. Many people will experience a UTI infection at least once in their lives, but if you’ve got diabetes, you might find that these problems are coming on sooner and occurring more often.
It’s simple really; diabetes damages the nerves that are needed to maintain our healthy urinary tracts and function.
Problems with Diabetes and Urine
Frequent urination because of high blood sugar levels;
The muscles of the sphincter work poorly;
You can’t empty your bladder when you urinate;
Bladder or urinary tract infections.
These problems will only get worse if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, are extremely overweight or obese, are at an advanced age, smoke, or lead an inactive lifestyle. What’s more, when your bladder is not functioning properly because of diabetes, you get the double whammy of having your insulin intake actually making your bladder problems worse.
Treatments for Diabetes and Urine Problems
If you’ve got an overactive bladder you may be prescribed medications, urged to undergo bladder training methods, get electrical stimulation, or even undergo surgery.
If your sphincter is affected, you may be having problems controlling your urine, often experiencing leakage. Botox has been known to help, but has not been approved officially for this use.
If you’re retaining too much urine in your bladder and it never quite feels like you’re done when you finish up in the bathroom, you may be setting yourself up later in life for such conditions as kidney or bladder infections. There are many medications that will help you. And if you have serious problems, catheters and stents can be installed after any surgeries.
Too much glucose in our blood is not good, and the body tries to get rid of it by one of the best ways it has, urine. You’ll often feel the need to pee frequently when you have diabetes, and this may also make you feel thirsty. A viscous cycle then develops, and you might feel like you need to pack a bag and move into your bathroom. Still, this is good as your body is trying to get rid of that glucose buildup.