Diabetes 101

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    If you are newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I've created this post to go over the most important terms in diabetes that will help give you a fundamental understanding of words that doctors or other diabetes will be using.  Simply, this post can be used as a reference to know what people are talking about when they are referring to terms you aren't aware of.

  • A1C or hemoglobin A1C or HbA1C
    • Your A1C simply measures your past blood sugars over the last 3 months.  It is used to determine your average blood sugar over this time and gives a very blunt look into how well you have been managing your diabetes.  
    • If you want a more in-depth explanation of A1C, click here.
  • Short-acting insulin
    • Short acting insulin is insulin that takes a short amount of time to absorb.  This is the insulin you take when eating carbohydrates or to bring your blood sugar down from a high.
  • Long-acting insulin
    • Long-acting insulin is insulin that takes a long amount of time to absorb.  It is usually taken once a day, every day around the same time (as it normally takes 24 hours to absorb).  This is only used in patients without an insulin pump.
  • CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor)
    • Ever get tired of pricking your finger every time you need a blood sugar reading?  This is where the CGM comes into play!  A CGM is a device that attaches on your body (normally on the abdomen, arms, or legs) and gives an updated blood sugar reading every 5 minutes.  
  • Insulin Pump
    • This is an insulin delivery method that I covered in another post.  Essentially, it replaces that need for injections every time you need insulin.  Instead, a site is inserted on the body and connects to tubing from the pump.  The pump has all the information needed to give the correct amount of insulin.  
    • The site is changed every 2 - 3 days.  So instead of getting a shot every time you eat or have a high blood sugar, you only get one "injection" over a 2 - 3 day span.
    • The insulin pump also replaces the need for long-acting insulin as you are connected 24/7 to the pump (besides swimming, showering, or running for exercise in my experience).  The pump gives a small amount of insulin every 5 or 10 minutes.
  • Bolus and Basal
    • Both of these terms are revolving around the insulin pump.  A bolus refers to insulin you get for eating carbs or for correcting a high blood sugar.  This replaces the need for short-acting insulin injections from a syringe or insulin pen (both talked about in the insulin delivery method post).
    • A basal replaces the need for long-acting insulin.  Since you are connected to the pump for a majority of the day, it can give small doses of short-acting insulin that mimic the effect of long-acting insulin.

If you have any other questions involving terms that you don't understand or want a further explanation on any terms listed above, feel free to leave a comment below or use the "Contact" link at the top to send me an email!

If you are interested in purchasing merch such as t-shirts, a mug, and a hat from DiabeticDecipher, use the link provided to view useful, everyday products branded with a logo made by DiabeticDecipher!  

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