Basal Insulin – Insulin therapy that controls blood sugar between meals and during sleep. If your medical provider puts you on insulin, basal insulin which works for long periods of time, may be prescribed.
Beta Cells – Cells found in certain areas of the pancreas that secrete insulin in response to blood sugar levels.
Bolus – When fast acting insulin, either from your pancreas or as a prescription, is circulated in your system to rapidly control blood sugar.
BUN – Blood Urea Nitrogen, a waste product found in the blood stream that is eliminated by the kidneys. If the blood test for BUN is elevated it could indicate kidney damage.
Carbohydrates – The main nutrient for producing energy in the body. Simple carbohydrates are known as sugars (Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Mannose). More complicated sugars are Sucrose (common table sugar) and Lactose (found in milk). Complex carbohydrates are simple sugars that are chemically bound together and then broken down into simple sugars once ingested by a person as food. For instance the complex carbohydrate Amylose (found in bread) is nothing more than a series of glucose molecules strung together (picture a string of Christmas lights). Carbohydrates and insulin working together help the body obtain energy. If a word associated with food ends in OSE it is a sugar.
Creatinine – A byproduct of the breakdown of proteins. Creatinine is eliminated from the body through the kidneys. If the blood test for Creatinine is elevated it could indicate kidney damage.
Dawn Phenomenon – A rise in glucose levels during fasting periods that usually occur during sleep. The body breaks down some of its carbohydrate storage (see glycogen) in response to a prolonged fasting state (anything over four or five hours) which causes a sharp rise in blood glucose levels during the hours preceding waking.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) – A life-threatening condition that develops when cells in the body are unable to get the sugar (glucose) they need for energy because there is not enough insulin. This can occur after ingestion of high carbohydrate food sources. Because the cells cannot receive sugar for energy, the body begins to break down fat and muscle for energy. When this happens, ketones, or fatty acids, are produced and enter the bloodstream, causing the chemical imbalance called diabetic ketoacidosis. If a diabetic’s blood becomes too acidic it will cause the failure of enzymes in the body to regulate our body’s processes and death will eventually occur. Fortunately type 2 diabetics are much less prone to this than are type 1 diabetics as most type 2 diabetics make enough insulin in the pancreas to avoid this condition.
Dialysis – Hemodialysis is a process whereby blood is filtered to remove waste products by a machine. Dialysis is for patients with severe kidney damage. The process takes several hours and is usually performed three times a week. Peritoneal dialysis is when the blood is cleansed of waste products through the insertion of a fluid that sits in a surgically created space in the abdominal area for a specified length of time and then emptied out.
Fat (Lipid) – A nutrient that can be broken down into ketone bodies and used for energy when sugar and or insulin is unavailable to the body for use as an energy source. Using fats for energy sources becomes problematic when the byproduct of the fat breakdown causes the blood to become too acidic. See diabetic ketoacidosis. Lipids (fats) are necessary for plasma membrane production. Plasma membranes are to humans as cell walls are to plants.
Gangrene – A common infection for diabetics caused by bacteria. Mostly prominent in foot wounds of diabetics. These foot wounds usually become infected because the nerve damage caused by too much sugar in the bloodstream (hyperglycemia) causes loss of sensation in the feet and lower legs. Wounds occur and the diabetic patient fails to notice because of the lack of pain. The gangrene infection kills living tissue and amputation of toes, feet, and lower legs can occur if the infection progresses too far.
Gastroparesis – Nerve damage to the stomach and intestines due to hyperglycemia that produce nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention and discomfort. If blood sugars remain high for long periods of time this condition can become chronic.
Gestational Diabetes – A form of diabetes that only occurs in pregnancy. This condition often reverses after the child is born.
Glucagon – A chemical substance produced by the alpha cells in pancreas in response to low blood sugar levels. Glucagon raises blood sugar levels and is also available as a prescription, although it is much more common for type 1 diabetics to need a prescription than it is for type 2 diabetics.
Glucose – A simple sugar. The main source of energy for the body. When blood sugar is tested it is glucose levels that are being revealed. Glucose is commonly found in foods but usually connected to another sugar. Glucose is the end product of the breakdown of more complex sugars or carbohydrates by the body such as sucrose (commonly sold in grocery stores as sugar), and amylose (long strings of connected glucose molecules commonly found in bread and bread products).
Glycogen – The name of the molecule that the body uses to store carbohydrates. Glycogen is mainly stored in the liver and the muscle tissue, so its quantity depends on weight and muscle mass. The average person only stores enough glycogen to supply glucose (as an energy source) for roughly one day. Glycogen is made up of strings of glucose connected in a branching chain pattern.
Glycosuria – When glucose levels are too high for the body to adequately process them as energy the sugar is excreted through the urine. Glycosuria is the presence of glucose in the urine. Some diabetic medicines such as Invokana and Farxiga work by keeping the kidneys from reabsorbing this sugar back into the bloodstream. Therefore glycosuria is normal when taking these medicines.
Glycosylated hemoglobin – More commonly referred to as hemoglobin A1C. Glycosylated hemoglobin occurs when glucose molecules attach to red blood cells, which contain hemoglobin. The higher one’s blood sugar the more glycosylated hemoglobin exists. Red blood cells live for anywhere between 80 to 120 days and once a red blood cell is glycosylated it will remain that way until it dies.
Hemoglobin A1C test – This test measures the amount of glycosylated hemoglobin in the bloodstream. Since red blood cells live up to 120 days this test helps the medical provider determine the average daily glucose of a patient. See the link that calculates hemoglobin A1C levels into average daily blood sugars.
Hyperglycemia – The presence of too much glucose in the bloodstream.
Hyperinsulinemia – The presence of too much insulin the bloodstream.
Hypoglycemia – When blood glucose levels are low.
Insulin – A protein secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas that function as a key that opens a door (so to speak) in cells so that glucose may enter and be broken down to create energy that the cell needs to function and survive.
Insulin resistance – A condition in which insulin does not open cell channels up so that glucose can enter the cell and be converted to energy. Highly prevalent in type 2 diabetics and usually related to overweight and obese patients. The most common reason for insulin resistance is when fats (lipids) crowd the receptors on the outside of cells that insulin attaches to and thereby prevents the opening of the channels which glucose uses to enter a cell. Weight loss can reverse this condition in many type 2 diabetics.
Ketones (ketone bodies) – A byproduct of breaking down fats (lipids) for use as energy. Can cause the bloodstream to become acidic and lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. These are excreted through the urine.
Ketonuria – When ketones are eliminated by the body through the urine. In diabetic ketoacidosis the urine usually contains both glucose and ketones.
Lipohypertrophy – A place on the body where excess tissue growth occurs from repeated use as an injection site (for diabetics this injection is usually insulin). This excess tissue growth keeps the injection from reaching the bloodstream, in the time that it should (20 minutes on average). This condition can be prevented by alternating injection sites as often as possible.
Microalbuminuria – A lab test usually run once a year for diabetic patients to help determine kidney damage.
Nephropathy – Kidney damage caused by regular instances of hyperglycemia. Too much damage to the kidneys and dialysis will need to be implemented.
Neuropathy – Damage to nerve pathways and nerve cells through repeated exposure to high blood sugar levels. Unlike other cells in the body nerve cells do not require insulin to absorb glucose and are therefore damaged more easily than other systems such as the urinary system or the cardiopulmonary system.
Pancreas – An organ found in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen that controls blood sugar levels through the release of glucagon and insulin.
Polydipsia – Excessive thirst. This can occur when the body’s glucose levels are too high. The body is attempting to flush excess sugar out of the body through the urine.
Polyphagia – Excessive hunger. This can occur when insulin fails to allow glucose into the cells. Since the body believes it does not have enough energy sources (glucose molecules) it causes hunger in a person so that more glucose enters the bloodstream. Since blood glucose levels are already high eating more just increases sugar levels.
Polyuria – Excessive urination. This can occur as an effort to get rid of excess glucose or ketone bodies in the bloodstream. Can be coupled with polydipsia.
Protein -A nutrient molecule used by the body for structural building. High concentrations exist in plasma membranes and muscle tissue. Proteins can be broken down by the body during times of perceived or actual starvation and glucose molecules can be created by the components of these proteins. Muscle tissue composed of proteins is highly adept at using fat (lipid) stores for energy.
Retinopathy – Damage caused to the retina in the back of the eye. The retina is part of a system in the eye that allows us to see. Hyperglycemia can cause damage to the retina causing it to bleed and eventually detach from its position. Surgical reattachment is the only cure.
Ulcer – A lesion or sore that develops on the outside of the body. Diabetics with neuropathy often develop large diabetic ulcers when they fail to notice the sores due to a lack of feeling. These ulcers can take months to heal if allowed to progress too far. Many of these ulcers are caused by pressure points, in particular that of the heel of the foot, the bony part of the ankle, the end of the tailbone (sacrum) and the elbow. If infection sets in where the ulcer is located it can lead to amputation.