Managing type 1 diabetes is a real job, and mistakes are part of everyday life. Running out of insulin on a Saturday at 6:30 p.m., taking 22 units of Novorapid instead of Lantus at 9 p.m., forgetting a bolus, getting an upset stomach right after an injection… Here’s a little sampling of our four years with T1D—our sleepless nights fueled by apple juice and “therapeutic” Coke—and how we always manage to get through it.
Simple ways to explain type 1 diabetes to family and friends, at school, and at work.
CategoriesUnderstanding diabetesDiabetes
Understanding Type 1 Diabetes Simply. With every meal, glucose enters the bloodstream. A healthy pancreas releases the right amount of insulin, but a pancreas with type 1 diabetes no longer produces it. The result: without insulin, blood sugar spikes (hyperglycemia); too much insulin causes it to drop below 0.60 g/L (hypoglycemia). The goal is to stay between 0.70 and 1.80 g/L. It’s a real balancing act between long-acting and short-acting insulin, meals, emotions, and emergency carbohydrate intake.
