About Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
Previously known as juvenile diabetes. When you have type 1 diabetes, your pancreas stops making insulin. Without insulin, your cells cannot get glucose for energy. Taking insulin will be necessary to allow glucose to enter your cells and keep your blood glucose within a healthy range.
Type 2 Diabetes
Most common form of diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, your body still makes insulin*, however, one or both of the following problems may exist: (1) Cells are insulin resistant (they don't respond well to insulin). (2) The pancreas does not make enough insulin. *Insulin is necessary to move glucose out of the blood stream into the cells to be used for energy.
Pre-Diabetes
Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have "pre-diabetes" - blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during pre-diabetes. If you take action to manage your blood glucose when you have pre-diabetes, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing.
Gestational Diabetes
Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood glucose levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy, leading to high blood glucose levels. Good blood glucose control for the duration of pregnancy and up to delivery is essential for best outcomes. Treatment should start as early as possible. Our diabetes educators, in conjunction with the Sweet Success Diabetes and Pregnancy Program, are here to help you manage your diabetes in a caring and supportive environment.
