What Other Complications Does Type 2 Diabetes Bring to You?

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that impacts sugar absorption at a cellular level. It maintains high sugar in the bloodstream due to the irregular functioning of the pancreas and insulin. Type 2 diabetes used to be mostly among older people, but due to other lifestyle factors, "us" younger adults can have an earlier onset.

Coming to terms with diabetes complications

Now dealing with irregular blood sugar levels, other organs can be impacted by type 2 diabetes. Some of the impacts can be short-term, but other complications may be long-term. This is so scary, right? I found out diabetes can also trigger memory-related issues like dementia or lead to chronic kidney disease.

Heart-related complications

Higher blood sugar can trigger hypertension, which is the blood pressure I dealt with early on. You can also develop heart complications, like stroke and constricted blood vessels of the heart and brain. This is worrisome to me.

Nerve damage concerns

Damaged nerve endings result in lower or even loss of sensation in hands and feet. It can also damage nerves in the eyes, causing impaired vision, cataracts, or glaucoma. It also lowers the body's healing ability, making it longer than usual to heal any injury. These are some long-term complications that people with type 2 diabetes experience.

Short-term issues that come with diabetes

Some complications, like low blood sugar levels, do not last long but need immediate medical attention. Hypoglycemia can lead to feeling faint, thirsty, or increased urination.

Such conditions need instant remedies like juices to raise blood sugar immediately or your regular diabetes medicine to regulate it in case of hyperglycemia. Your doctor will advise you on the best course of action in these situations.

Not all hope is lost!

Don't stress out! Take a deep breath! Okay, enough of this scary information.

It sounds frightening, but just like other problems, type 2 diabetes can be well-managed, so we have a way to avoid these complications. Finding what management plan works for you is vital, and everyone is different.

Find your unique diabetes management routine

Common ways of managing diabetes include nutrition, physical activity, and medication.

Nutrition

A healthy balanced diet never hurts anybody! We can do this. Mindful eating is one way of taking control of sticking to proper nutrition. I've tried to cut down on eating foods with high carbohydrate content. I'm not saying this works for everyone, but it sure works for me.

Movement

A little physical activity, maybe? Yes, why not! The word on the street is that one of the causes of type 2 diabetes is inactivity. So, let's try moving more.

Leave your car behind and walk to that grocery store on the next street. Or, maybe go to that lovely park and take a walk, taking in your surroundings. You might make new friends there too!

Keeping diabetes in check

Our type 2 diabetes isn't going anywhere, but we can surely try to keep it under control by doing other things. Since it's not going anywhere, let's make amends with it and change our daily routines to make them more conducive to managing type 2 diabetes. We've got this!