Insulin Pump Management

Source: Boston University

If you have diabetes, the world can seem like a scary place. There are all of these diabetes ins and outs, and it can be hard to keep up. And then there is the question of how many shots of insulin you need. This is a daunting question that can make even the best Type 1 Diabetics nervous. It is a confusing question, but there is one fact that is certain — you need your blood sugar under control.

Read this blog to learn more about diabetes if you are new to this disease and find answers to all your questions below.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that causes high blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body break down sugars and starches from the foods you eat into a form of energy you can use. When you have diabetes, your body can not make or use insulin correctly.

Diabetes can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke. But it is important to know that there are different types of diabetes, and many people with diabetes do not get serious complications.

You can control diabetes by eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and taking medication as prescribed by your doctor.

Source: Shutterstock

What Are The Types Of Diabetes?

There are four types of diabetes:

• Pre-diabetes
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gestational diabetes

Source: iStock

1. Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a significant risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.

The American Diabetes Association defines pre-diabetes as a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is often called “impaired glucose tolerance” or “impaired fasting glucose” (IFG). When diabetes occurs, the body becomes resistant to insulin and cannot properly use it to lower blood sugar levels. This leads to high blood sugar levels and the classic symptoms of diabetes: increased thirst and urination, fatigue, weight loss, and blurred vision.

Source: BioSpectrum Asia

2. Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks their own pancreatic beta cells. This causes a shortage of insulin, which leads to high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia).

Some people with type 1 diabetes need daily injections of insulin to stay alive. Others may be able to manage their disease with what is called “lifestyle management.” This means they monitor their blood glucose levels at home and make adjustments to their diet and exercise schedule as needed.

Source: BioSpectrum Asia

3. Type 2 Diabetes

This type affects 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes in the United States, and up to 17 million Americans have it — not just overweight adults but also children who are obese or have a family history of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 is often called “adult-onset” diabetes because it usually develops after age 25. However, some people develop type 2 as teenagers or even younger children if they are overweight at an early age and carry too much weight their entire lives. It is more common among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans than among whites or Asian Americans.

Source: Shutterstock

4. Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and affects women who have never had diabetes before and who were not diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes prior to becoming pregnant. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after delivery; however, some women will continue to have high blood glucose levels after delivery making them at risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life if they do not make changes in their lifestyle habits now.

Which Type Of Diabetes Is Worst?

You might be wondering, “Which type of diabetes is worst?” There is no easy answer to that question. In general, type 1 diabetes can be more serious than type 2 because it requires daily insulin injections and a strict diet to manage. The good news is that with proper treatment and care, both types can be managed successfully.

Type 2 diabetes is often linked to obesity and poor eating habits. However, anyone can develop type 2 diabetes regardless of weight or age.

Insulin lowers your blood sugar levels by helping glucose enter your cells so they can use it for energy. If your body does not produce enough insulin or if the cells ignore the insulin that is present in your body, then glucose builds up in your bloodstream instead of entering cells where it belongs. This can cause serious health problems such as kidney failure, heart disease, and blindness if left untreated.

Source: Mijn Gezondheidsgids

What Is The Most Common Treatment For Diabetes?

The most common treatment for diabetes is to take insulin. Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas makes and stores, but when you have diabetes, your body does not make enough or can not use the insulin it makes.

Insulin helps glucose (sugar) get into your cells to give them energy. Without enough insulin, too much sugar stays in your blood instead of going into the cells. This can lead to serious problems with your eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves if not treated properly.

There are two main types of insulin: rapid-acting and long-acting.

• Rapid-acting insulin starts to work within 15 minutes after injection, peaks at 30 minutes, and is out of your system by two hours.
• Long-acting insulin takes longer to start working (one hour), keeps working between four and 12 hours, and is out of your system by 24 hours.

Are Insulin Shots Effective For People With Diabetes?

Source: Diabetes Self-Management

Insulin shots are effective because they can be used to lower blood sugar levels faster than any other form of medication. However, they also have some side effects that you may want to avoid.

Insulin shots can be used when oral medications are ineffective or cause too many side effects. They are also helpful if your doctor wants to control your blood glucose levels more precisely than other medications allow.

Insulin shots are effective for treating diabetes in several ways:

• They can lower blood glucose levels faster than other medications. This is an important advantage because low blood glucose levels can be dangerous if left untreated for too long.
• They can help a person reach their target blood glucose level as prescribed by their doctor more quickly and easily than oral medications do. This is especially true when doses of insulin must be adjusted frequently throughout the day based on each person’s needs and circumstances.
• They allow people with type 1 diabetes to achieve normal blood glucose levels without having to eat carbohydrates all day long every day in order to maintain these levels while avoiding high blood sugar spikes.

Which Type Of Diabetes Requires 4 Shots Of Insulin A Day?

The answer is type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in children and adults. However, this percentage may be higher because many cases of type 1 diabetes are misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes at an earlier stage of the disease.

However, there are other considerations to keep in mind. If you have type 2 diabetes and take insulin, it is likely that your insulin dosage will be adjusted based on your blood sugar levels and other factors.

In addition, if you have type 2 diabetes and take pills (not shots), the pills will control your blood sugar. But they do not control it as well as insulin does.

Is There Any Other Easier Diabetes Treatment Than Insulin Shots?

Insulin shots are the most common form of treatment for diabetes, but they aren’t the only option. If you are trying to manage your diabetes without shots, you have several options that are just as effective and significantly less painful.

Source: EndocrineWeb

1. Insulin Pumps

In some cases, an insulin pump can be used in place of daily injections. This device is attached to a small catheter that’s inserted into your skin and connected to a small reservoir of insulin. The pump delivers small doses of insulin continuously through the catheter over a 24-hour period. The amount of insulin delivered by the pump varies according to your blood sugar levels and how many carbohydrates you eat during the day.

If you use an insulin pump, you’ll need to check your blood sugar levels frequently throughout the day and adjust your basal rate (the rate at which it releases insulin) accordingly. You may also need to check your blood sugar levels before meals so that you can adjust bolus rates (the additional amount needed after meals) appropriately. You’ll still need to test for ketones as well.

Source: Diabetes UK

2. Insulin Pens

Insulin pens are a popular option for people with diabetes who use insulin. These small devices contain pre-measured amounts of insulin and a needle, which is inserted into the skin to deliver the medication. The pens have built-in safety features that prevent them from firing when they’re not properly attached to the skin, so there’s no risk of accidental needle sticks. They also allow users to dial in specific doses and administer them quickly.

Source: Laboratory Equipment

3. Oral Diabetes Medication

Another option for treating diabetes is oral medications that stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin. These drugs work by increasing the amount of glucose entering your cells, which helps lower your blood sugar levels.

Source: Healthline

4. Injectable Glucagon

If you have diabetes and decide not to take insulin injections, glucagon can be used instead. It is an alternative treatment that works by raising blood sugar levels after a meal. This hormone is produced in the pancreas and released when the blood sugar gets too low. It helps control blood sugar levels by stimulating the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream. This can help prevent a hypoglycemic reaction if you have Type 1 diabetes or if your insulin dose isn’t enough to keep your sugar levels stable throughout the day.

Source: Healthline

5. Sugar-Free Liquids

There are many different types of liquids that can be taken as part of a diabetes treatment plan. You can choose from juices, sodas, teas, and even milk substitutes that contain no sugar whatsoever. These beverages have been shown to be just as effective at controlling blood glucose levels as insulin shots, though not quite as effective as oral medications like metformin or glipizide.

Source: Etech Global Services

6. Making Lifestyle Changes

You can also help control your diabetes by making some lifestyle changes. These include:

• Exercise regularly. Exercise can help to lower your blood sugar levels and prevent complications from developing.
• Eat a healthy diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, and fish. Avoid foods high in fat (such as fast food) and sugary drinks such as soda; these foods raise blood sugar levels quickly in people with diabetes and may cause weight gain over time as well.
• Give up smoking and alcohol.

Source: Diabetes UK

7. Intensive Insulin Therapy

If you are trying to manage your diabetes with diet and exercise alone — or if you are taking oral medications but still struggling with blood sugar levels — you may need more intensive treatment with injectable medications and/or insulin therapy. Intensive therapy generally includes multiple daily injections of insulin along with meal planning and exercise recommendations from your doctor. The goal of intensive therapy is to keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible, which will lower long-term complications like heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney failure.

Conclusion & Takeaway

In type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not produce enough insulin that your body needs. The patient, who had type-1 diabetes, has to inject four insulin shots a day to maintain a metabolic balance that would otherwise be thrown off by the influx of sugar after eating.

Source: Jake Dwyer, Michigan Medicine

People with diabetes have trouble extracting energy from the food they eat and are unable to control the amount of glucose in their blood. Your friends may assume you’re living a charmed life: after all, you have access to unlimited pizza and ice cream, right? Not quite. You see, every time you ingest 100 calories of carbohydrates—two slices of white bread or a cup of rice—your body turns them into 130 calories’ worth of glucose. In other words, there are about an extra 30 calories for you to store as fat.

If you are dealing with diabetes and requiring injections of insulin, our team can help. Endocrinologists at Houston Endocrine Center are diabetes experts and can prescribe the best treatment for you according to your requirements. If you do not want to get insulin shots daily, you can get our insulin pump management services which are easier and more effective than manual shots of insulin.