Diabetic

Diabetic In recent years new diagnosed cases of Diabetes have reached epidemic proportions worldwide, but particularly in the United States. The new cases in the US have increased by far more than 50% between the last two decades. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have diabetes, which is approximately three percent of the population in the United States. Of this 18.2 million, only13 million have officially been diagnosed. Each year, 1.3 million more cases of diabetes are diagnosed from the population that is greater than twenty years of age. .(Medline Plus, 2003) I now have been living with diabetes for 5 years now. I will say that it is a struggle everyday in managing this disease properly and some days I do feel like giving up. I was diagnosed with diabetes the summer after my freshmen year in high school. At first my symptoms did not start to hit me till towards the end of my freshmen year. My symptoms comprised of frequent urination, very weak, in ability to do simple things like playing basket ball and running, very irritable, and a constant thirst. It got to the point where my mother, who is a nurse practitioner, told me I had a urinary track infection that was the source of all this, but when I was admitted to the hospital in July 2004 everything changed. I stayed in the hospital for 3 days. Everyday a nurse came in and took my blood sugar, every day I had to take insulin via a needle. I was educated throughout my 3 day stay by several doctors. The doctors said that they had no idea where it came from. No one in my family had Type I diabetes. It came as a shock to everyone in my family, especially my grandparents. They were struck the most, also because I was spending the summer with them at the time. My family was there though to help me conquer my disease letting me know that I can still have a normal life. I would just have to watch what I eat from now on and have to give myself insulin on a daily basis for the rest of my life. Living with this disease I have learned allot. Not just about the disease but about other complications that may come with improper management of it, such as heart disease, kidney failure, and loosing of body parts due to the improper flow of blood to the parts of the body furthest from the heart, for example the hands feet. Also I have learned how to better watch my diet and the things I eat and the way I do certain things. This is my disease and I will conquer it and not let it conquer me. Sample 2 Topic: Diabetes General Purpose: To inform Specific purpose: I want my audience to know about diabetes. Introduction I. Attention-getting device: There are 23.6 million people in the United States, or 8% of the population, who have diabetes. II. Relevance to the audience: I’m sure that each of you knows someone who is diabetic. III. Ethos: Diabetes has affected my life because my father and his father are diabetic and it is in my genetics for me to become diabetic. IV. Thesis: ''' V. Preview of Main points: I want to inform everyone on the risk factors, symptoms and treatments of being a diabetic. Transition: ''' Body I. There are a few risk factors that apply to diabetes. A. You may become a diabetic. 1. If diabetes runs in your family. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 2. If you eat lots of high sugar foods and are over weight or if you have high blood pressure. Transition: If any of you have been related to one of these risk factors you may be at risk to have diabetes. II. Many of diabetes symptoms go unnoticed because they seem harmless. It has been proven that early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chances of becoming a diabetic. A. People with diabetes can be unusually thirsty therefore they often visit the bathroom. 1. Becoming thirsty occurs when your body is pulling extra water out of your blood and you're running to the bathroom more, you will become dehydrated and feel the need to drink more to replace the water that you are losing. 2. Urination becomes more frequent when there is too much glucose in the blood. If insulin is nonexistent or ineffective, the kidneys can't filter glucose back to the blood. They become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose. This keeps your bladder full and it keeps you running to the bathroom. They can have weight loss yet increased hunger. B. Unusual weight loss can occur without trying. 1. The pancreas stop producing insulin, making the body desperately look for an energy source because the cells aren’t getting glucose and causing the body to start breaking muscle and fat tissue fir energy. C. Often blurry vision and skin infections following wounds that will not heal. 1. This is often happens because the body is missing something it strongly needs and is mainly caused by high glucose levels in the body. D. Lastly they can get unexplainable fatigue and weakness. 1. The glucose that we eat goes through our bloodstream where the insulin is supposed to convert it into the cells. The cells make the energy we need to live. Without the insulin the glucose has no place to go causing the cells to starve making you fell tired and rundown. Transition: Having these symptoms you would need to take the next step and start your treatments. III. There are many treatments that you would need to follow. A. Good Nutrition 1. Try to eliminate some sweets such as; candy, chocolate, cakes, pies and so on. 2. Limit your total carbohydrate intake by eliminating how much; bread, pasta, or potatoes you eat. 3. Another strong factor is that you need to just stop eating when you no longer feel hungry. B. Healthy Exercise 1. It may sound like fitness is hard work but its not, try making exercise a priority in your day. 2. Take a walk, use the stairs, even doing work around the house, yard or garden. Ideally, you should have 30 minutes of activity every day. 3. Doing this helps manage your diabetes by burning your blood glucose for energy and helps your body better use insulin. And, activity has many other benefits. It can help keep your blood pressure and bad cholesterol down and your good cholesterol up. C. Medication Information 1. Insulin is an injection you take to help produce energy. Insulin takes glucose and put it into the cells causing you to have energy. 2. The medication used for diabetes are medicines used to control sugars such as Metaphorm, Lipitar is used to manage your cholesterol and Amlodepine Besylate helps manage your blood pressure. There are many types of medications used to do each of these jobs, so I only listed a few. Transition: ''' Conclusion I. Knowing this information about diabetes hopefully makes you more aware of what the people you know who have diabetes have to live with. II. Reinforce thesis: There is much more you can learn about diabetes for more information you might want to ask a doctor. III. Closure: If a diabetic takes care of themselves by exercising, eating right and taking their medication, then their life can be just as happy as anyone else’s. Sample 3 Compared to the general population, African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes: 3.2 million or 13.3% of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes. African American are 1.8 times more likely to have diabetes as non Hispanic whites Twenty-five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes. One in four African American women over 55 years of age has diabetes. Blindness: African Americans are almost 50% as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy as non-Hispanic whites Major Components Diabetic retinopathy presents it self in various ways. Some people have new abnormal blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina and in others blood vessels may leak fluid and become swollen. The light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye is called the retina. Diabetic retinopathy causes vision loss mainly in both eyes. It is a progressive disease whose symptoms are subtle. According to Don't Lose Sight of Diabetic Eye Disease (NIH Publication No. 04-3252) and Diabetic Retinopathy: What You Should Know (NIH Publication No. 03-2171), there are four stages of Diabetic Retinopathy: Diabetic retinopathy has four stages: Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy. At this earliest stage, microaneurysms occur. They are small areas of balloon-like swelling in the retina's tiny blood vessels. Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy. As the disease progresses, some blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked. Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy. Many more blood vessels are blocked, depriving several areas of the retina with their blood supply. These areas of the retina send signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment. Proliferative Retinopathy. At this advanced stage, the signals sent by the retina for nourishment trigger the growth of new blood vessels. This condition is called proliferative retinopathy. These new blood vessels are abnormal and fragile. They grow along the retina and along the surface of the clear, vitreous gel that fills the inside of the eye. By themselves, these blood vessels do not cause symptoms or vision loss. However, they have thin, fragile walls. If they leak blood, severe vision loss and even blindness can result. The following illustration is a lateral view of an eye: TOP Causes and Risk Factors How does diabetic retinopathy cause vision loss' Blood vessels damaged from diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss in two ways: 1. Fragile, abnormal blood vessels can develop and leak blood into the center of the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy and is the fourth and most advanced stage of the disease. 2. Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is called macular edema. It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses. About half of the people with proliferative retinopathy also have macular edema. Normal vision Same scene viewed by a person with diabetic retinopathy Who is at risk for diabetic retinopathy' All people with diabetes--both type 1 and type 2--are at risk. That's why everyone with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely he or she will get diabetic retinopathy. Between 40 to 45 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have some stage of diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetic retinopathy, your doctor can recommend treatment to help prevent its progression. During pregnancy, diabetic retinopathy may be a problem for women with diabetes. To protect vision, every pregnant woman with diabetes should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Your doctor may recommend additional exams during your pregnancy. What can I do to protect my vision' If you have diabetes get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year and remember: · Proliferative retinopathy can develop without symptoms. At this advanced stage, you are at high risk for vision loss. · Macular edema can develop without symptoms at any of the four stages of diabetic retinopathy. · You can develop both proliferative retinopathy and macular edema and still see fine. However, you are at high risk for vision loss. · Your eye care professional can tell if you have macular edema or any stage of diabetic retinopathy. Whether or not you have symptoms, early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss. If you have diabetic retinopathy, you may need an eye exam more often. People with proliferative retinopathy can reduce their risk of blindness by 95 percent with timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) showed that better control of blood sugar levels slows the onset and progression of retinopathy. The people with diabetes who kept their blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible also had much less kidney and nerve disease. Better control also reduces the need for sight-saving laser surgery. This level of blood sugar control may not be best for everyone, including some elderly patients, children under age 13, or people with heart disease. Be sure to ask your doctor if such a control program is right for you. Other studies have shown that controlling elevated blood pressure and cholesterol can reduce the risk of vision loss. Controlling these will help your overall health as well as help protect your vision. TOP Symptoms and Detection Does diabetic retinopathy have any symptoms' Often there are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease, nor is there any pain. Don't wait for symptoms. Be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Blurred vision may occur when the macula—the part of the retina that provides sharp central vision—swells from leaking fluid. This condition is called macular edema. If new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina, they can bleed into the eye and block vision.