Transforming Lives Through Health

 Diabetes is a condition in which your body has trouble controlling the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in your blood. With diabetes, your body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin your body produces effectively. 

 The most common ones are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In this type, your pancreas does not make enough insulin and you have to take insulin injections for the rest of your life. 

With diabetes, the small blood vessels in the body are injured. When the blood vessels in the kidneys are injured, your kidneys cannot clean your blood properly. Your body will retain more water and salt than it should, which can result in weight gain and ankle swelling. You may have protein in your urine. Also, waste materials will build up in your blood.

Diabetes also may cause damage to nerves in your body. This can cause difficulty in emptying your bladder. The pressure resulting from your full bladder can back up and injure the kidneys. Also, if urine remains in your bladder for a long time, you can develop an infection from the rapid growth of bacteria in the urine that has a high sugar level