How To Manage Type 1 Diabetes Complications Now

Type 1 Diabetes, when not taken care of, could lead to serious complications that could be life-threatening, and that’s why I thought it necessary to share this information with you.

Knowing what could happen if you constantly forget to check your blood sugar would give you the gentle reminder to keep monitoring it.

There are two main kinds of Type 1 Diabetes complications. They are the ones that develop within a short time, and those that take a long time to develop.

Short term complications of Type 1 Diabetes

1.Hypoglycemia; This condition happens when your blood sugar is at abnormally low levels and causes a coma or even death (although it’s so rare).

Even though it is uncommon for hypoglycemia to result in death, you never know when you’d be the next victim. That’s why you need to watch out.

Here are some symptoms to look out for to know if your sugar level is too low:

Rapid heartbeat

Sweating

Slurred speech

Headache

Confusion

Paleness of the skin

Irritablility

2. Ketoacidosis: This is simply the build-up of acidic ketones to dangerously high levels in your blood.

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs mostly in people with type 1 diabetes because their body cannot produce insulin on its own.

Ketones are produced when the body burns fat as fuel instead of using glucose from the blood.

This build-up is dangerous for the body and must be treated right away.

Below are some of the ways to know if you have diabetic ketoacidosis.

Sypmtoms of ketoacidosis

The fruity smell in your breath

Frequent urination

Abdominal pain

Weightloss

Extreme thirstiness

Cold skin

Confusion

Weakness

Now that we’ve seen the short term and immediate complications of Type 1 Diabetes, let’s look at some of the long term health challenges.

Long term complications

These kinds of complications take about 10 years to develop. They occur as a result of the blood vessels being destroyed by high glucose levels.

When the blood vessels are destroyed, the blood supply to the body organs is reduced, and this causes the organs to malfunction.

Here are some of the organs that get affected and how it happens.

Eyes: With the tiny blood vessels destroyed, no oxygen supply happens in the eyes, and this would cause vision loss or blindness.

Kidney: The absence of insulin makes the kidney overwork itself to remove excess glucose in the blood, causing it to break down eventually.

With time, you’ll have to either get a kidney transplant or be on dialysis before you could live for a while.

Heart problems: High blood sugar has been known to make the arteries harden, or form plaques in the blood vessels, causing a heart attack.

Nerve damage: Inadequate blood supply due to damaged blood vessels could make the nerves stop working properly. The most common nerve that gets destroyed is the one that leads to the feet.

This is why those with diabetes are more prone to foot problems; because they don’t feel anything in their feet, and therefore becomes unaware of cuts or blisters.

Foot problems: With the nerves damaged, it becomes difficult to feel or notice any injury on the foot.

And since infection is so easy in people with diabetes, the wound becomes easily infected, and when not treated, could spread to the whole foot and lead to an amputation.

Minimizing Type 1 Diabetes complications

Unfortunately, you cannot completely avoid your chances of developing diabetes complications. However, with these tips, you can lower the odds.

Check your blood sugar frequently

Exercise

Eat healthy foods

Protect your feet

Maintain oral hygiene

Keep up with regular eye, gum, and feet check-up, at least once a year

Screen your whole body system about twice a year

What have you been doing to manage your type 1 diabetes? Please share in the comment below.

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