I am so excited... tomorrow i will attend the PADE-ADNEP CONVENTION at the Century Park Hotel, Manila. I'll be able to learn the latest updates on the diagnosis of Diabetes and its management. During our forum on Diabetes two weeks ago, together with my nurse-midwife colleagues (The St. Peter's Group as we call ourselves), many people don't even know what is their ideal weight and its relation to diabetes....simple as that. But when you impart or share with them your knowledge about diabetes, they are eager to learn more about it. My colleagues and I were so amazed at the audience who were so interactive that endless questions regarding diabetes is being brought out. Indeed, we need more diabetes educators to impart our knowledge to people with this disease, for them to know self-management and enjoy the quality of life.
To add more, I'll be meeting again my batch mates last summer 2010....we really had a good time and i cherish it a lot because we had soooo much fun....we laugh a lot (most of the time actually)....promise. And of course, my ever dearest group, the St. Peter Diabetes Care (Mam Jesmar Espiritu, Mam Mildred Glinoga And Sir Rodel Sumiran)
Well, this is all for now, I'll be updating again and I'm so excited to share with you what i will learn from the convention. See you again and have a sweet life ahead...

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, has several forms, but each is characterized by excessively high blood glucose or hyperglycaemia.  Hyperglycaemia is caused by either defects in insulin production or insensitivity to insulin, or both. Other causes are autoimmune or destruction of  beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans of the pancreas which affects insulin production and impaired action of insulin on target tissues.
There are two main types of diabetes, namely the Type 1 Diabetes (formerly known as Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) and are commonly diagnosed among children and young adults,  and the Type 2 Diabetes (formerly known as Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus). There are also other specific forms of diabetes namely:

• Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (common among pregnant women)
• MODY(Maturity Onset of Diabetes of the Young
• Genetic Defects in Insulin Action such as Leprechaunism and Rabson-
Mendehall Syndrome
• Diseases of the Exocrine Pancreas such as Pancreatitism Cystic Fibrosis
and Haemochromatosis
• Diabetes that develops as a feature of Endocrinopathies
• Diabetes caused by drugs or chemicals such as  Corticosteroidsm Thiazide
Diuretics and Beta Blockers
• Diabetes caused by Infections such as Rubella or Congenital German Measles
• Uncommon forms of Immune-Mediated Diabetes such as  Stiff Man Syndrome
• Other genetic syndromes which may confer a greater risk of Diabetes such
as Neonatal Diabetes and Mitochondrial Syndromes passed through the
 maternal line, Down's Syndrome, Turner's syndrome, Klinefelter's Syndrome,
and Friedrich Ataxia.

In Type 1 Diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. There is a severe to total insulin deficiency which results in a decrease in glucose uptake by the muscle cells, breakdown of muscle into amino acids – then taken up by the liver and converted into new glucose(gluconeogenesis), an increase in the breakdown of triglycerides, leading to an increase in the release of free fatty acids – also taken up by the liver and converted into a usable energy form, ketones, and a reduction in the uptake of glucose by the liver and an increase in the breakdown of glycogen (glycogenolysis).
Incidence of type 1 diabetes is now increasing. There are studies which shows  geographic variation prevalence of type 1 diabetes. According to International Federation of Diabetes, Finland reports the highest incidence (cases per 100 000 people per year) of type 1 diabetes (45.0) and Singapore one of the lowest (2.0). Type 1 diabetes occurs in all populations and across the socio-economic spectrum. However, there is some evidence of an association with groups of higher socio-economic level. This may reflect the inability of people from lower socio-economic classes to access appropriate medical care. In countries and communities where insulin is not available or inaccessible due to cost, many people with type 1 diabetes die before diagnosis.

Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, usually 90%-95%. Unlike in Type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes still have some insulin production. Indeed, they may have higher blood levels of insulin than their counterparts without diabetes – although  in response to higher-than-usual blood glucose concentrations. However, type 2 diabetes does not occur without beta-cell destruction. Excess body fat – particularly abdominal or visceral adiposity – is thought to contribute to the insulin insensitivity that is characteristic of this type of diabetes. It has been shown that people who carry excess weight around their abdomen are at higher risk of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes tends to develop slowly such that the symptoms of this condition, and therefore, the diagnosis, are often missed. Longstanding undetected hyperglycaemia – as often precedes the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes – may lead to the development of long-term diabetes complications. Complications are therefore often present at the time of diagnosis.

I have always wanted to have a blog post of my own. As a member of the health care team, i want to impart my knowledge on information pertaining to health especially more emphasis on Diabetes. I am not a good writer myself but this may be a good start. Actually, what motivated me to do this is that I want to share what I have learned from my org. (ADNEP - Association of Nurse Educators of the Philippines - thank you). Plus, my dad is a diabetic (sad to know about it) and he just knew he was about a year ago. He felt deppressed and I want to help him. By the way, he has Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. According to ADA (American Diabetes Association) there are two main forms of Diabetes namely the Type 1 Diabetes (formerly known as IDDM or the Insulin-Dependent diabetes Mellitus) and the Type 2 Diabetes (formerly known as NIDDM or the Non-Insulin Diabetes Mellitus. There are also other specific forms of Diabetes Mellitus which i will impart to you in my next posts, but for now, i will give more infos on Type 2 Diabetes. And the sweet truth about having diabetes? Sad to say that once you have it and do nothing about it, it will stay with you for the rest of your life! Wow, how sweet.....lol, but the bitter side of it is that you will not escape from its complications.....Yup! Life is sweet and beautiful, yes i agree with that, but living with diabetes is a different kind of life.

Well, this is all for now. In my next posts, i will give more infos that would benefit you in managing your diabetes, but for now I would suggest that you see your Diabetologist if you are experiencing sudden weight loss, excessive thirst and frequent urination. You may not know it, but you may be having diabetes. I also welcome anyone who have comments and even suggestions to my posts. I would appreciate it as well that my blog would be interactive . I hope that my coming posts would be helpful in managing diabetes... Have a sweet day.....