The Life of an Insulin Dependent Diabetic
The chronic disease featured in this document is Adult Onset, Type 2 insulin dependent diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone essential for daily life. The intent is to give the reader information on the development and diagnosis of the disease, and a view into the life of an insulin dependent diabetic. The focus patient is a fifty-two-year-old male, who was diagnosed with diabetes twenty years ago. The patient will give the reader a fresh look into his life and the effects diabetes has had on him socially, financially and personally. Diabetes has become one of our countries most debilitating diseases and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the number of adults in the United States aged 18-79 with newly diagnosed cases of diabetes has more than tripled from 493,000 in 1980 to over 537 million world wide in 2021.
Diabetes Research
Type 2 insulin dependent diabetes is a lifelong (Chronic) disease in which there is a high level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. (PubMed, 2013) The pancreas in the human body produces the hormone insulin; the insulin is secreted after sugar enters the bloodstream. Insulin takes the sugar and breaks it down to a substance called glycogen. After sugar or glucose is turned into glycogen it is moved into the human cells and stored to be later used for energy. When a person has type 2 diabetes fat, liver, and muscle cells do not respond correctly to insulin. This is called insulin resistance. When sugar cannot enter cells, a high level of sugar builds up in the blood stream and this is called hyperglycemia. (PubMed, 2013) Type 2 diabetes usually develops over time. There are warning signs and tests to confirm that a person is pre-diabetic or diabetic. Early symptoms of diabetes may include fatigue, hunger, increased thirst, increased urination, bladder and kidney or skin infections that are slow to heal. Other symptoms of diabetes are blurred vision, erectile dysfunction and pain or numbness in hands or feet. The most common test to diagnose diabetes is the fasting blood glucose test. This is where a small amount of blood is taken from a person’s finger and applied to a calibrated glucose machine. The machine then measures the amount of sugar in the blood stream based on a certain criterion. The Norm for this exam is 60-120mg/dL and anything over 120mg/dL while fasting can be considered pre-diabetic and further testing should be considered. Another popular test is the hemoglobin A1C. Everyone hundred and twenty days the human body reproduces red blood cells, also called hemoglobin. The hemoglobin A1C measures the amount of sugar molecules attached to the red blood cell over a three month period. It is measured in percentages, therefore anything over 6.5% or higher suggests there is a possibility of diabetes.
Diabetes Treatment
Diet and exercise are important factors for diabetes prevention. Eating a healthy diet of balanced protein, fresh fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates will help keep blood sugars within normal limits. Exercise is also an important feature to incorporate for blood sugars control. Exercise is instrumental in lowering the blood sugar levels by utilizing the sugar in the cells for energy which causes the sugar in the blood cells to decrease. If diet and exercise do not keep the person’s blood sugar at normal or near normal levels, the person’s doctor may prescribe oral medication. There are times that people do not respond to oral medications, so insulin is prescribed. Insulin must be injected under the skin using a syringe, insulin pen, or pump. It cannot be taken by mouth because the acid in the stomach destroys insulin. (PubMed, 2013)
Diabetes Prognosis
Diabetes is a lifelong disease and there is no cure. After many years, diabetes can lead to serious complications like ocular problems. Diabetes can cause retinopathy, which is degeneration of the retina in the eyes; the pathology eventually leads to blindness. Diabetes also puts people at higher risk for heart problems, therefore elevated blood pressure and strokes are common in diabetics. The excess sugar crystals in the blood stream cause damage to the blood vessels which interfere with the cardiovascular system. Nerve damage is another issue that accompanies diabetes. Many diabetics complain of tingling hands and feet, which is a condition termed neuropathy. Medication is prescribed, but the medication is accompanied by many uncomfortable side effects.
Living as a Diabetic
Junior is a fifty-two-year-old man who was diagnosed with diabetes twenty years ago. Junior has a rich history of diabetes; his mom and dad are both insulin dependent diabetics. Junior is fifty-five pounds over his idea body weight with most of his excess weight in his abdominal area. He has lost 65 pounds over the last five years, and he fluctuates between 250 pounds and 220 pounds. He is an emotional eater and uses food to comfort him in good and bad times. He calls food his go to vice. Junior’s journey with diabetes began when he was only thirty-two years old. He reported vision problems but never paid any attention to it and because he was working two jobs, he attributed the blurry vision to being tired. The patient said one day at work he noticed he was very thirsty. No matter how many sodas and juice he drank he could not satisfy the feeling of thirst. He eventually became dizzy and went to the hospital. The patient reported that the hospital took many test and when the doctor came into his room he told him that his blood sugar was 975mg/dl. The doctor said to the patient that he did not understand how he walked into the hospital, “many people with blood sugars that high would be in a semi-comatose state.” Junior said from that day forward his journey with diabetes began. He was taught by the nurses how to administer his insulin. Junior reported that it was all new and very scary for him. He knew that his mom and dad were diabetics and the thought of having multiple strokes like his dad or painful feet like his mom was terrifying. Junior said in the beginning it was very hard to stop eating a lot of the foods that caused his blood sugar to spike, he had eaten this way his entire life. Junior learned a whole new way of eating and existing. He said he begins to walk every day for thirty minutes, and he quit his second job. Junior said with the small changes he immediately begin to feel better. At the time he was dating his now wife. The diagnosis was so traumatizing and embarrassing that he almost missed out on marrying the love of his life. He felt inadequate because at thirty-two years old he’s now injecting insulin two times a day. All of the chaos with his health forced him to break up with his girlfriend. Although he quit his second job and had more time to exercise, he couldn’t afford the lancets and supplies to check his blood sugar three times a day as it was ordered by the medical doctor. The financial distress forced him to take on a more active role in controlling his blood sugar, so he began to exercise for an hour a day and drastically changed his diet, eating more beans and brown rice, he also gave up sodas and juices. Junior took up a new hobby so when he felt stressed or angry he would go hiking in the hills close to his home.
Theories of Learning and Motivation
The patient admitted to having episodes of slipping back into bad eating behaviors and not exercising over the course of twenty years, but after the death of his dad five years ago with complications due to diabetes he decided to really take his health serious again and since that time has not looked back. It took Junior’s father to pass away for the patient to understand the seriousness of this very debilitating chronic disease. From the previous education and behaviors, the patient basically readopted a plan to help him eat better and exercise on a regular basis. His wife is also a part of the process.
In conclusion, Junior has had his diabetes controlled for the last five years. The patients’ finances are no longer an issue, and he married the love of his life. He is living a healthy life with a diagnosis of diabetes, but he is no longer insulin dependent. His blood sugar is controlled by oral hypoglycemic agents. This document reviewed diabetes, the cause, effects, and early symptoms in an in-depth recapitulation.
References
Diabetes Public Health Resourcehttp://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/incidence/fig1.htm
Type 2 Diabetes- PubMed Health
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHooo1356/?report=printable