What's My Friend Going Through?
Diabetes. Sure, you've heard of it. But how much do you really know about what it's like to live with it?
Teens with diabetes often say they feel isolated and alone. After all, it's hard enough being a teenager with all the body changes and hormone surges — dealing day-to-day with a health problem like diabetes can only make things harder. Having to test your blood sugar several times a day, keep tabs on what you eat, and give yourself insulin shots or other medicine is enough to make anyone feel self-conscious and different.
As a result, some people may want to pretend that their diabetes doesn't exist. That's not a good plan, because it usually leads to poorly controlled diabetes. And that can be dangerous to your friend's health.
As a friend, your understanding and acceptance are very important. The more you know about diabetes, the less self-conscious and alone your friend is likely to feel. And that's good for anyone's health!
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose. When you eat, glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream. Then, the pancreas makes a hormone called insulin that helps the glucose in the blood get into the body's cells, where it's used as fuel.
When people get diabetes, the glucose in their blood doesn't get into the cells as well as it should, so it stays in the blood instead. This makes blood sugar levels get too high and can lead to symptoms like getting very thirsty or peeing a lot.
Proper treatment of diabetes helps to control these symptoms. It also can help prevent long-term effects — like kidney, eye, nerve, or heart problems — that can happen in people who have high blood sugar levels for many years.
The two main types of diabetes that can occur during childhood or adulthood are:
- Type 1 diabetes, which is when the pancreas can't make insulin. People with type 1 diabetes have to monitor their blood sugar levels and take insulin every day (usually several times a day) using a needle or an insulin pump.
- Type 2 diabetes, which is when the pancreas makes insulin but it is either too little or the body can't respond to it properly (this is called insulin resistance). Most people who develop type 2 diabetes are overweight, since extra body fat causes a person to have insulin resistance. This is the most common type of diabetes in adults, but it's becoming more common in kids and teens, especially when they're overweight. Some people with type 2 diabetes have to inject insulin and/or take other medicine as a pill (insulin can't be given as a pill).
There's no cure for diabetes. But the good news is that the right treatment and care can keep diabetes under control so it doesn't interfere with school, social life, sports, or plans for the future. That's where you, good friend, come in!