Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition, there is no sense in pretending otherwise. It can shorten your life and be responsible for the creation of chronic health problems… that is if it’s not controlled, if your blood sugar levels are not lowered. Knowing where you stand with your Type 2 diabetes is really the most important first step to outliving this condition and preventing long-term complications.
The first thing you have done to help yourself has been to visit your doctor and be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. So now, the next step is to take action and focus on learning more about this condition and how to control its effects. Unfortunately, your doctor may not have the time to explain the rationale for each aspect of your treatment, and many doctors do not fully understand the core causes of Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a time-intensive disease for both doctors and their patients. But good diabetes care really rests on a foundation of the diabetic having knowledge about their condition. It is vital you know what care you should receive since not all doctors are aware of the guidelines that were laid down by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 2005.
The Annals of Internal Medicine, 2002 published the results of a survey that showed just 30% of people with Type 2 diabetes had a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test in the previous year.
Your HbA1c… what is it? It’s the gold standard of all diabetes blood sugar testing. The ADA recommends at least two of these tests each year, and more if you are having problems controlling your blood sugar. The HbA1c test is objective… the results will be accurate even if your blood sugar level is high or low on the day you have the test. This test provides a precise reading of your average blood sugar levels over the previous eight to twelve weeks. This test shows you how successful you have been in your overall efforts to control your blood sugars.
Many doctors set readings for their patients that are 1% higher than normal… readings above 8 or 9% are now considered serious. HbA1c levels of 12% or more, would indicate that blood sugar levels have been out of control for several months. The average reading for a Type 2 diabetic in the United States is 10… this is too high.
What should your HbA1c result be? The current recommendations from the ADA and the World Health Organization (WHO) are for a target of 7% for the majority of Type 2 diabetics. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) is recommending 6.5%.
There are no clinical studies showing that an HbA1c level of 6.5% or 6% produces a significant improvement over 7%.
Comparing HbA1c and Blood Sugar Levels:
HbA1c of 6%, Plasma Glucose (new meters and most labs)… 135mg/dL (7.5mmol/L), Whole Blood (old meters) 121mg/dL
HbA1c of 7%, Plasma Glucose (new meters and most labs)… 170mg/dL (9.4mmol/L), Whole Blood (old meters) 152mg/dL
Long-term research studies show that lowering your HbA1c level reduces your chances of all types of diabetic complications.
Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels to Prevent Diabetic Nerve Damage
Diabetic neuropathy is a family of nerve disorders caused by poorly controlled blood sugar levels for extended periods of time. Up to sixty percent of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are affected by neuropathy or nerve damage. The likelihood of nerve damage occurring increases with the length of time you have diabetes.
As well as constantly high blood sugar levels, neuropathy is made worse by:
- the diabetic’s age… nerve damage is more common in people over 40
- the diabetic’s height… neuropathy is more common in taller people, as they have longer nerve fibers to damage
- alcohol… even small amounts of alcohol can make nerve damage worse
Various disorders of your nervous system are broken down into:
1. Loss of sensation… sensory nerves which detect cold, pain, and heat are damaged
2. Loss of motor nerves… motor nerves carrying impulses to your muscles to control movement are damaged
3. Loss of autonomic nerves, or automatic nerves… we can’t control these ones. They take care of your heart rate, the movement of food through your digestive system, and more. Automatic functions are dependent on the autonomic nerves and damage depends on the location of the nerve. Problems with autonomic nerves could lead to:
- sexual dysfunction: occurs in 50 percent of males with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and 30 percent of females with diabetes. Males are unable to sustain an erection and females have problems with lubricating the vagina for intercourse
- bladder issues: come about by you being unable to recognize bladder fullness. Urine is not eliminated and this leads to urinary tract infections
- and sweating problems: especially in your feet. Then your body tries to compensate for the lack of sweating in your feet by causing excessive sweating of your face and body
- abnormalities of your pupil: your pupils set the amount of light allowed to enter. Due to the neuropathy, the pupil is small and will not open up in a dark room
Because of the large number of nerves in your body, you can run into all sorts of problems. But none of them ever need to bother you. The key point to remember is prevention or early detection is much better than trying to fix diabetic neuropathy or diabetic nerve damage.