Understanding Type 2 Diabetes

When the diagnosis is diabetes, people feel so many things ... worried ... shocked ... disappointed ... Whatever you feel about having type 2 diabetes, it can help to know exactly what diabetes is and what's happening inside your body.

And that you're in control.

Let's take a quick look.

It all starts when you eat or drink carbohydrates ... basically any starches or sugars.

Your body breaks those down into a type of sugar called glucose.

Glucose is your body's main source of energy.

It travels through your blood to reach and power cells throughout your body.

The thing is, glucose can't get into cells all by itself.

It takes insulin ... a hormone made by the pancreas ... to unlock the cells so glucose can enter.

When everything is working right, insulin unlocks the cells ... glucose moves out of your blood and into the cells ... and the amount of glucose in your blood ... your blood sugar ... stays in a healthy range.

But sometimes, this system gets out of whack.

It's like some of the cells change their locks so the insulin can't unlock them.

This is called insulin resistance.

Less glucose gets into your cells, so your blood sugar creeps above the normal level.

Over time, blood sugar may rise high enough to be type 2 diabetes.

In diabetes, the body isn't making enough insulin or using it well.

Blood sugar stays too high, and that damages organs and nerves throughout the body ... which can lead to serious problems like heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke.

Now that explains a lot about what's happening inside your body.

But what about the symptoms of having high blood sugar?

Actually some people don't have symptoms.

Or you may have symptoms such as feeling very thirsty or very hungry.

You may also urinate more often than usual, have blurry vision, or lose weight without trying.

That's a lot of information to take in ... But what would you do if you knew that the changes you choose to make really can make a difference both in what's going on ... and in how you can feel?

Many people find that the things they do to manage their diabetes really help them feel better and more in control.

So think about why you want to change, and then talk to your doctor about what you want to change.

Together you can set some goals to take charge of your diabetes.