Preggers? Get Tested

Did you know that gestational diabetes affects around 4 percent of all pregnant women which is around 135,000 women in the U.S. each year.

What is gestational diabetes? According to an online medical dictionary, “gestational diabetes is a condition that occurs during pregnancy. Like other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes involves a defect in the way the body processes and uses sugars (glucose) in the diet (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Gestational+diabetes).”

These women must then treat their symptoms of diabetes much like the rest of us with blood sugar monitoring, diet, and medications.

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My understanding of how women are affected by gestational diabetes is that the placenta where the baby grows creates a hormone that is to help give nutrients to the baby. This hormone can also block the natural insulin created by the mother. This is also called a insulin resistance.

With high glucose levels, or hyperglycemia, the sugar is not able to leave the blood stream and be passed through the body. During this time period, your pancreas is working twice as hard to create insulin to compensate for the high blood sugars.

Even though, the insulin does not pass through the placenta but the glucose does. This can lead to macrosomia, or a “fat” baby because your baby is having to create more insulin for the extra sugar that is being passed through your body. But your baby is producing more energy for development that it is creating stored fat.  Having a large baby can create issues for the baby and for the mother during child birth. 

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In some cases, after birth, the baby can be affected with hyperinsulinemia which is were the baby's blood sugar can drop to a dangerously low level since he/she is not supplied with the usual high amounts of sugar. If not caught early enough in the pregnancy, gestational diabetes can lead to a miscarriage.

There are claims that after gestational diabetes resolves after delivery, that the mothers will develop Type 2 diabetes later. All women should be tested every 1 to 3 years for diabetes after being diagnose with gestational diabetes.

What Causes It??

I don't believe that many people even know the symptoms or cause of Type 1 Diabetes. So this week's blog will hopefully answer some common questions.

When you look up the term Diabetes mellitus (type 1 diabetes) which is referred to as diabetes the most common definition is:

“is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced.”

This definition is referring to all forms of diabetes. But to sum it up, diabetes is a type of autoimmune disease or you could say that type 1 diabetes is where the cells of the pancreas produce little to no insulin.

Insulin is the hormone that allows glucose (sugar) to enter the body cells. This is what creates a high blood sugar since the glucose can't enter the body cells, it remains in the bloodstream. If the glucose remains in the bloodstream, it will not be used as energy, but will create the symptom of hunger.

Diagram provided by the internet

Some common symptoms include:

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Hunger
• Dramatic weight loss
• Weakness
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Irritability
• And some nausea and vomiting

This form of diabetes is commonly diagnosed before the age of 40 and statistics say that age 14 is when the disease is most commonly appears.

When I was diagnosed, (I was five years old) apparently, I was ill before I was admitted to the hospital. After my honeymoon stage of diabetes (the time period in which your pancreas is still working but only on random attempts to produce insulin before it eventually dies) which lasted 9 months, around the time of my seven year anniversary of my disease did scientist discover that the Coxsakieivirus could have been the bug that sent my world into a spin.

According to the MedicineNet.com definition of Coxsackievirus explains that:

“Coxsackievirus: A family of enteroviruses first found in the town Coxsackie south of Albany, New York. The Coxsackieviruses are separable into two groups: A and B. Type A viruses cause herpangina (sores in the throat) and hand, foot and mouth disease. Type B viruses cause epidemic pleurodynia Both types A and B viruses can cause meningitis, myocarditis, and pericarditis, and acute onset juvenile diabetes.”

My mom informed me that she had my blood send to be tested for this virus, however, they could not isolate the virus since I was diagnosed seven years prior.

I hope that this has been helpful to those who do not understand the disease and those who are questioning whether or not they are affected by diabetes. Til next time, stay sweet!

A Mother's Crusade

Diagnosed in 1992, a majority of my life and day is spent at school. The Davidson County school district was wonderful to me and the care of my diabetes. However, not all schools were good to their students who have diabetes.

Friends where having to go to the office to treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugars) or limiting trips to the bathroom or water fountain for hyperglycemia (high blood sugars).

Sharon Pearce, CRNA, MSN

My mother, Sharon Pearce and Me.

My mother, Sharon Pearce, took action immediately after hearing horror stories from fellow diabetics. After her research and contacting everyone in the senate to members of the school board did she come to her conclusion. Students who have diabetes are not always safe in their school.

Her crusade for the rights of diabetics followed.

The Care for School Children with Diabetes Act was first introduced into the North Carolina General Assembly by former N.C. Senator Patrick Ballantine and Representative Gene Rogers back in June of 2002.

After lobbying, writing letters, sending photos, attending committee hearings and visiting legislators eventually paid off.  

Governor Mike Easley signed Senate Bill 911, the Care for School Children with Diabetes Act, into law on September 5, 2002. 

With this bill it ensures that the children of North Carolina with diabetes can safely care for their diabetes at school.

The N.C. Board of Education adopted such guidelines such as:

• An individualized diabetes care plan
  
  
• School personnel be trained in the care of diabetes and hypoglycemia (other than the school nurse)
  
  
• Children have immediate access to diabetes supplies
  
  
• Children be allowed to monitor their blood sugar anywhere, at anytime during any school activities
  
  
• Children be allowed to eat a snack anywhere, including the classroom to treat hypoglycemia
  
  
• Children be allowed access to the restroom and access to fluids as necessary.

This bill is now being adopted into other states' legislation system to protect the children who suffer from diabetes.    

If your state does not have this plan, adopt it, and take action.  

An Artificial Pancreas?

In the past decade, there has been a vast improvement in diabetes healthcare from new types of insulin to new gadgets to help monitor glucose levels.

Such equipment as an insulin pump alone has improved diabetics' lifestyle.

One of the first insulin pumps

 The One Touch Ping Insulin Pump

My current insulin pump

Did you know that insulin was first discovered back in 1921?Now there is a plan called the Artificial Pancreas Project which was approved by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) back in October of 2005.

The idea behind the Artificial Pancreas Project is creating a 'real time' sensor. This sensor would work as a meter that is attached to the body (no more finger pricks!) that would test glucose levels periodically. With the constant glucose readings, a special algorithm would relay the proper insulin dose to a pump like device.

A diagram of how the Artificial Pancreas works.

Although, it is not a cure, it is a way for diabetics to better manage their disease and reduce the burden of the disease.  This concept will also be used for pregnant women with Type 1 Diabetes.  This will allow the expecting mother to care for her disease as well as her unborn child and reduce the risk of a dangerous pregnancy.  

From the BBC news article, Artificial pancreas could save lives during pregnancy quoted Dr. Helen Murphy, from Cambridge University, "These high blood glucose levels [in pregnant women] increase the risk of congenital malformation, stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm delivery, macrosomia [oversized babies] and neonatal admission.  So to discover an artificial pancreas can help maintain near-normal glucose level in these women is very promising."

According to the research, “the Artificial Pancreas kept glucose levels normal for 60 percent of the time compared with the 40 percent of the continuous pump. “