Diabetes Forum - Gestational Diabities

Please see my three responses about diabetes (not diabities) on the following thread: http://ehealthfor um.Com/health/topic65793.Html

that is a 10 minute review of what diabetes is about.

Hyperinsuliemia means you have an excess in insulin, which causes hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). The solution is to eat fast-acting carbohydrates, such as glucose tabs (dextrose) or simply eat a meal or simple snack if you're feeling low (hypoglycemic).

A glucose challenge test will simply push your beta cells to the extreme. Sometimes, I believe they push a little too hardly and unrealisticly, because of the amount of carbohydrates consumed. (it's equal to consuming about 6 cans of pop in a few short minutes, or about 75 grams of sugar, though there are different kinds of gtt tests, so perhaps you'll have more or less).

Injecting insulin is not painful, and actually painless -- the glucose tests themselves hurt a bit more, so always test on the side of the tip of your fingers. Using the pad of your finger is a sure fire way for unnecessary pain...

Insulin will allow your beta cells to rest, and allows the baby to avoid having to produce even more insulin in order to lower his/her own glucose level. Insulin is a hormone that allows cells to make use of glucose, specifically by converting glucose into fat. If the baby does all the work of lowering glucose to a < 120mg/dl level, then the baby will put on fat at a higher rate.

If you've ever heard of heavy babies being born (like 10-13 pounds), almost 100% of those cases were due to the mother having high blood glucose (diabetes). Sometimes this diabetes goes away, and other times it presents itself like juvenile diabetes, resulting in having to take insulin for the rest of their life, just like a person with "juvenile" (type 1) diabetes.

If you know what kind of diabetes runs in your family, it can help. Type 2 diabetes is stereotyped as people who don't exercise, eat too much, and have insulin resistance. Type 1 diabetes typically occurs in childhood (but not always--it can happen at anytime, as it is an autoimmune problem that cannot be avoided).

If your family has a history of type 1 diabetes, you have a higher risk of developing it yourself (about a 1 in 20 chance if a parent has it).

If your family has a history of type 2 diabetes, it's usually due to older age and poor diet. There are six forms of type 2 diabetes, and some versions of type 2 are actually best treated as type 1 (with insulin). Therefore, don't feel bad or put it on yourself if you develop any form of diabetes...It's not your fault, despite the misinformation that some people have had from hearing from well meaning but confused friends.