Type 1 diabetes, which is also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic health problem in which the pancreas produce less or absolutely no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is required to let glucose enter the cells so that they can produce energy. There are various factors behind type 1 diabetes such as genetics and there are also some viruses, that can cause type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is mostly seen in people during childhood or teenage, but it can also develop in adults. There are a lot of people worldwide that are suffering from type 1 diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes, patients have to take insulin externally and usually people take the help of insulin injections or insulin pump. In this condition, you have to take insulin each time before having food. Along with that, you also have to take care that your sugar level does not go too low and you do not develop hypoglycemia. Every type 1 diabetes patient experiences all these difficulties and conditions. Insulin injections and insulin pumps become a major part of life. By controlling and managing some things, one can live life with type 1 diabetes. With World Diabetes Day 2021, read this article further to know about the inspiring story of Anurati, who has been fighting type 1 diabetes since the age of 15.
Anurati's battle with type-1 diabetes
Anurati got type-1 diabetes at the age of just 15. Back then, she was studying in 10th class and it came as a huge shock to her. Anurati tells that her maternal grandmother had diabetes type 2, so she was aware about the genetic factor. However, the difficulties increased when the doctor kept her in the hospital for 3 days due to being underweight and gave a diet plan and explained her how to inject insulin herself. She was facing anxiety issues and it was getting even more difficult to get out from the state of depression.
Anurati tells that she had to take 6 insulin injections daily, post that. She used to take two injections before eating. This chronic condition not only affected her health at that time, but it was also acting like a barrier in her schooling and normal, daily life. She shares that once while writing a school test, her glucose level had become so low that she had to go through the symptoms of hypoglycemia and her brain stopped working. Similarly, in college after school, the health problem made her face many challenges.
Also read: Type 1 Diabetes Signs And Symptoms In Children That Parents Should Never Ignore
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How insulin pump became a part of Anurati's life?
After being on insulin injections for a few days, Anurati started using the insulin pump. This was helping her in making life a little easier and motivate to eat whatever she wanted. Basically, an insulin pump is a device that automatically injects insulin when required by our body. In this pump, a plastic tube is connected to the device. This attached tube is used with an anti-abdominal needle, also called a cannula. You have to fill insulin in it as per your daily diet or according to the foods you eat throughout the day. This shows that insulin keeps going in a fixed quantity in the patient's body.
Anurati wears cannula on three parts of her body, mainly, thighs, arms and abdomen, and like a belt, the pump is placed on her waist. She tells that initially, it felt like a burden to her. However, now she is completely comfortable with it. She has the confidence to wear it in all her attires, be it a sari or a bikini. Anurati said, "I love my body and I do not keep those people in my life who have problem with this pump installed on my body. I make people aware through my blog and instagram posts about how insulin pump works and how a type 1 diabetes patient can use it.
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Diet tips for type-1 diabetes
Anurati explains that a type 1 diabetic patient who is on insulin does not have the same schedule every day. It is impossible to predict how their blood sugar will be in the very next moment. Anurati says that every type 1 diabetes patient should take care of some things to prevent the blood sugar levels from increasing suddenly. Here are some tips:
- Get up on time and check your fasting sugar level and it should be between 90-120
- Then, take insulin before breakfast so that blood sugar level does not increase suddenly after having food
- If there is a mild high sugar after breakfast, then take a little more insulin. The dosage of each insulin is determined according to the carbs and calories of the meal
- Take insulin even before lunch and eat protein-rich foods in your diet as it can help in controlling blood sugar level
- Consume a low carbohydrate diet for dinner. Avoid having rich carb foods at night as it can cause sugar spike
What exercises can you do for type-1 diabetes?
Anurati said that it is important to exercise before having dinner, if you are suffering from Type-1 diabetes. She explains that in type 1 diabetes, exercise helps in managing blood sugar levels. Take off the insulin pump and exercise in the evening daily. You should try to exercise for atleast 30-40 minutes before having dinner. The exercises or forms of workout that she herself indulges in are:
- Surya namaskar
- Cardio
- Walk
- Yoga
- Full body movement exercises
Anurati is living her life to the fullest and enjoying each and every moment with proud, even with an insulin pump. Moreover, Anurati said, "People who develop diabetes at an early age should not lose motivation. If a patient is in adolescence, then you should not make them feel sick. Make then active in participating in physical and cultural activities to participate so that both their body and mind can be happy." Today, Anurati is the co-founder of an organization named InsuliWin, that works for other people like herself. Besides managing her studies, she inspires and motivates diabetic patients through her blog Living life with insulin.
Image credit: Instagram