Improving the lives of diabetics
STENO Diabetes Center
People with diabetes would love to live their life to the fullest. Among them is Camilla who has type 1 diabetes since she was 4 years old (The disease usually occurs in children and young adults.). This deprives her to live such life.
She’s one of the many volunteers of the Steno Diabetes Center who relate their own story on conquering diabetes to forum and seminar participants as well as people with diabetes.
Because of her condition, Camilla needs insulin every day, specifically every five minutes, because without it she will die. The daily dose of insulin makes her control the levels of glucose (sugar) in her blood. She needs specialized education.
The disease develops suddenly and has these symptoms: abnormal thirst and a dry mouth; frequent urination; lack of energy, extreme tiredness; constant hunger; sudden weight loss; slow-healing wounds; recurrent infections; and blurred vision, according to the IDF (International Diabetes Federation) Diabetes Atlas. It occurs in 10 percent of all cases.
The 37-year-old Camilla admitted that when she was younger she was restricted to indulge in sports.
When she went to Prague, her insulin was stolen because she was a bit drunk. She had to get insulin or she will die. She can’t find a hospital in Prague but her friends were able to get her there.
After a decade, she kept on measuring blood sugar but still forgot to take her medicine. She drank 5 bottles of beer and has been vomiting for three days. She would have been in coma if she was not rushed to the hospital.
It is sad that she moved away from home because something went wrong with her eye and she had eye checkup at SDC. She saw the surgeon but can’t operate right away.
Camilla said: “I don’t see much every day when I wake up. After six eye surgeries, I changed the way I live.”
Lifestyle change
Camilla is now doing exercises and riding her mountain bike. She regularly measures her blood sugar, has a lot of medical checkups and now eats the right food. She said she loves to work with children.
“Diabetes has been part of my life,” she admitted.
Thanks to the Steno Diabetes Center, people with type 1 diabetes like Camilla can have a high-quality treatment as well as be educated and advised so that they can manage their diabetes and lead a normal healthy life. This is made possible through a combination of daily insulin therapy, close monitoring, a healthy diet and regular physical exercise.
2 other types of diabetes
There are two other types of diabetes listed in the IDF Diabetes Atlas.
One is type 2 diabetes, which occurs in 90 percent of diabetic cases. In this type, the body is able to produce insulin but either this is not enough or the body is not able to respond to its effects, leading to a buildup of glucose or sugar in the blood. Among its risk factors listed in the Atlas are obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, advancing age, family history of diabetes, ethnicity and high blood glucose during pregnancy affecting the unborn child.
Daily doses of insulin is not required for majority of those with this type of diabetes. For many of them, a healthy diet and increased physical activity or oral medication are enough to manage their condition. They may be prescribed insulin only if they are unable to regulate their blood glucose levels.
The other type is gestational diabetes, acquired during pregnancy by women who develop resistance to insulin and followed closely by high blood glucose.
To minimize the risks to the baby, those with gestational diabetes or diabetes in pregnancy need to monitor and control their blood glucose levels.
Specialized hospital
Steno Diabetes Center chief physician Henrik Ullits Andersen, MD, PhD, said SDC is aimed at improving clinical care of patients and understanding diabetes.
Known as Steno Memorial Hospital during its establishment in 1932 and now called SDC, it is a specialized hospital that carries out diabetes treatment, prevention, research and education. It has been bruited about since its inception as a leading player in the fight against diabetes through clinical care and development as well as wide research activities.
Owned by Novo Nordisk A/S, SDC is a nonprofit organization working in partnership with the Danish healthcare system. It treats around 6,200 people with diabetes. Treatment goes hand in hand with diabetes research for over 80 years.
SDC focuses on early disease and prevention to find solutions that will make a difference for people with diabetes and those who are at risk.
Andersen said SDC was organized in four areas: research, patient care, health promotion and education. Working closely together on daily basis are clinicians, researchers and educators.
In 1991 the Steno Education Center was established in response to the need for coaching, learning and education. Gradually developed was a team approach involving nurses, dietitians, foot specialists and physicians.
The center was set up to organize international courses on diabetes treatment for diabetes teams. It focused not only on the importance of education and learning but on updates on the recent developments in diagnosis and treatment.
Blood sugar levels
Diabetes nurse Birthe Jorgensen taught the media practitioners how to measure blood sugar, or glucose, levels in three easy steps: 1) prick your finger with a small, sharp needle; 2) put a drop of blood on a test strip; and 3) place the strip in a meter that displays your blood sugar level. Alcohol swab should be used on the thumb before and after pricking.
More quickly changes are shown by the blood sugar levels in the fingertips than those in alternative sites like the upper arm, forearm, base of the thumb and thigh.
Diabetics should know their blood sugar levels because this allows them to change their diabetes management strategy if their levels are not near their target blood sugar. This also helps them reduce their risk of having long-term complications from diabetes.
According to Birthe, it is not just consultation that is important, people with diabetes should visit their physician three to four times a year. Some of them have guilt feelings, admitting that they are bad diabetics. These feelings of guiltshould be overcome. She said diabetics should have hope because it is never too late to start again.
Birthe stressed: “There should be self-monitoring and normal meal pattern for diabetics. Exercises should be done in many ways and medication should also be taken. It is important to control diabetes. Balance is key to life.”
