What to Do when you think that you just have a touch of diabetes
Despite what you might read in the newspaper or be told by friends or relatives, there really is no such thing as a “touch” of diabetes. What people may be talking about is type2 diabetes, which often responds well to healthy eating and regular exercise and may not have yet shown any signs of damaging body parts. Or they may be describing gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or pre-diabetes. The reality is that diabetes is a serious, life-long disease. Describing someone as having a touch of diabetes is like saying a woman is “a little bit pregnant”—it just isn’t true because both are “yes or no” conditions. Once diagnosed, diabetes doesn’t go away, although there may betimes in your life when it’s easier to manage. If this happens, you may be tempted to think your diabetes is cured, but don’t forget that there will also be frustrating periods when nothing you do seems to help keep blood glucose levels where you want them. Aging, weight gain, an injury that makes it harder to get regular exercise, or a gradual slowdown of insulin production all take diabetes harder to manage. When these things happen, you’ll need to adjust your diabetes therapy to match your body’s new needs.