Do you need to be worried? As a type 1 diabetic, I say no. At the risk of boring you, let me explain the problem with diabetes. It is a chronic, life threatening disease...this is true. If controlled it is little more than an inconvenience. As briefly as I can, in layman's terms, this is diabetes.
For reasons unknown to doctors the body's immune system turn on the beta cells, produced by the pancreas, and destroy them. Beta cells produce an enzyme called insulin. In a healthy body the blood/sugar level is kept to between 4 and 9 automatically. A diabetic aims for a level of 5 to 10. To achieve this is ideal and little trouble, if any, will occur. If the b/s level rises above 10 and higher over a long period of time all the internal organs can be damaged and terrible things will happen.
Firstly, nerve cells will be destroyed, and do not regenerate, That means when an infection occurs no messages are sent to the brain...”Hey brain, send the army, we are under attack”. This is why many diabetics have to have their feet chopped off. Why the feet? Because they are furthest from the heart.
Another insidious occurrence is that a diabetics can suddenly become blind. This is because excess sugar in the blood absorbs water and swell. This swelling bursts the tiny blood capillaries in the eye. They are not repairable and blindness is the result. For the sake of brevity I will not give other examples, but believe me, diabetes is a terrible disease, oh and yes, it is true, another present it gives you is a lack of erection ability!!!!!
In the case of low s/l, say around, in my case 2.5 to 1.5 immediate action must be undertaken before a coma sets in, due to lack of sugar to the brain. This is done with a spoon full of sugar or some sweet substance and a piece of bread or something. Normality results in around 15 minutes or so, but it is extremely dangerous, as a coma can result in brain damage. Control of diabetes is easy, unless you are really unlucky, with regular injections of insulin.
In layman's terms this is what happens.........Every cell in a body, and there are billions, requires a little dollop of sugar every day to operate. However cells have a little doors in them, locked to keep out nasties. The only key that will open the door is a speck of insulin. Therefore with every dollop of sugar is a speck of insulin and....voila the cell is re-energized for the days work. This is why a type1 diabetic is termed as insulin dependent. A type 2 diabetic, may or may not require insulin as their body is still producing beta cells, but not enough. Type2 is controlled with medicine.
As far as Jaime Cripps is concerned......fear not. He will be under the constant surveillance of quality medical staff and his disease should be no problem. Sorry I could not make it shorter. My opinion is that his health should cause us no concern. PS I did make paragraphs but it came out as one big block..
For reasons unknown to doctors the body's immune system turn on the beta cells, produced by the pancreas, and destroy them. Beta cells produce an enzyme called insulin. In a healthy body the blood/sugar level is kept to between 4 and 9 automatically. A diabetic aims for a level of 5 to 10. To achieve this is ideal and little trouble, if any, will occur. If the b/s level rises above 10 and higher over a long period of time all the internal organs can be damaged and terrible things will happen.
Firstly, nerve cells will be destroyed, and do not regenerate, That means when an infection occurs no messages are sent to the brain...”Hey brain, send the army, we are under attack”. This is why many diabetics have to have their feet chopped off. Why the feet? Because they are furthest from the heart.
Another insidious occurrence is that a diabetics can suddenly become blind. This is because excess sugar in the blood absorbs water and swell. This swelling bursts the tiny blood capillaries in the eye. They are not repairable and blindness is the result. For the sake of brevity I will not give other examples, but believe me, diabetes is a terrible disease, oh and yes, it is true, another present it gives you is a lack of erection ability!!!!!
In the case of low s/l, say around, in my case 2.5 to 1.5 immediate action must be undertaken before a coma sets in, due to lack of sugar to the brain. This is done with a spoon full of sugar or some sweet substance and a piece of bread or something. Normality results in around 15 minutes or so, but it is extremely dangerous, as a coma can result in brain damage. Control of diabetes is easy, unless you are really unlucky, with regular injections of insulin.
In layman's terms this is what happens.........Every cell in a body, and there are billions, requires a little dollop of sugar every day to operate. However cells have a little doors in them, locked to keep out nasties. The only key that will open the door is a speck of insulin. Therefore with every dollop of sugar is a speck of insulin and....voila the cell is re-energized for the days work. This is why a type1 diabetic is termed as insulin dependent. A type 2 diabetic, may or may not require insulin as their body is still producing beta cells, but not enough. Type2 is controlled with medicine.
As far as Jaime Cripps is concerned......fear not. He will be under the constant surveillance of quality medical staff and his disease should be no problem. Sorry I could not make it shorter. My opinion is that his health should cause us no concern. PS I did make paragraphs but it came out as one big block..
