Come and see us to:
- Learn about type 2 diabetes, what risk factors may apply to you and how it develops
- Talk about your food choices and whether adjustments may be beneficial to your health
- Understand the benefits of regular physical activity, and how to set yourself some goals
- Access equipment for blood glucose monitoring and to understand your test results
- Learn about what complications can occur through the progression of Type 2 diabetes and how to prevent them
- Help you understand what you can learn from your pathology test results
Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adults and can develop over a few years. In this condition, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body’s requirements and/or the insulin does not work properly in allowing glucose to be used as energy. Over time, the insulin producing cells (beta cells) start to wear out, causing the pancreas to try and produce more and more insulin in order to control the glucose level in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition which leads to further loss of the beta cells over time.
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
- Having a family history of type 2 diabetes
- Being above the healthy weight range
- Having an inactive lifestyle
- Having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background
- Being from a Melanesian, Polynesian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern or Indian background
- Having gestational diabetes during pregnancy
- Being a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome
Whilst there is currently no cure for Type 2 diabetes, this condition can be managed through a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Although it will never go away, it is possible to put type 2 diabetes into remission if your blood glucose level remains under the diabetes level and remains there for 3 months or more, without you needing medication.
You may require diabetes-related tablets and/or insulin therapy at some stage to ensure your diabetes remains stable. In some cases, injected medications (that are not insulin) are used to assist with diabetes management which can also result in weight loss. If left untreated or uncontrolled, Type 2 diabetes can progress, leading to serious complications effecting blood vessels and organs.
It may be appropriate for a person with Type 2 diabetes to check their blood glucose level. This will provide information about whether the strategies used to manage Type 2 diabetes are being effective and/or whether the medication is making a difference. We can guide you on the current technologies available such as blood glucose meters and continuous glucose monitoring systems to see if these are right for you. Together with a balanced diet and regular exercise, you can live a normal, healthy life with diabetes.
At Melbourne Diabetes Education & Support we understand that managing Type 2 diabetes can be overwhelming and complex. Our aim is to empower you to live a healthy and fulfilled life with diabetes.
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