Diana W. Guthrie

Pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus.

As we learn more about the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus, we find that there is more yet to be learned. This may sound like a trite statement, but in reality it is true. The following article reviews the basic pathophysiology of both type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus as we understand it today. It continues on to reveal the “things that go wrong” when there is too much or too little glucose available to the body organs and especially to the brain. The article points out the signs and symptoms to be aware of when the person is in the acute state of diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic coma (or state), and severe hypoglycemia. It concludes with important considerations when the individual is in one of these acute states and contributes key points related to the control of diabetes when the person is in the state of compromise.

Exploring the Concept of Health Among Adolescents With Diabetes Using Photography

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the concept of health among adolescents with diabetes. Photography was used to facilitate communication. Participants were given Polaroid cameras with instructions to take pictures illustrating health. They were then asked to explain in writing how their pictures demonstrated the concept. The participants produced 46 pictures and 53 descriptive expressions, which were analyzed for content. Health was described as energy, positive feelings, absence of illness, strength, activity, fitness, mental ability, and relationships. There were also descriptions of what one does to be healthy, which included eating nutritious food, exercising, engaging in diabetes-related care, sleeping, studying, relaxing, maintaining hygiene, and obtaining shelter.

Emerging Adults With Type 1 Diabetes During the First Year Post-High School: Perceptions of Parental Behaviors

Among 182 emerging adults with type 1 diabetes (93% White and 57% female), changes during the year post-high school were examined in perceptions of diabetes-specific conflict with parents, parent–youth shared responsibility, parental tangible aid, and parental autonomy support, as well as the moderating effects of living situation, gender, years with diabetes, and glycemic control. A linear mixed effects model, controlling for baseline values, tested the changes in and relationships among these variables over time. Changes over time in parent–youth conflict were moderated by living independently of parents; autonomy support and shared responsibility were moderated by years with diabetes; and tangible aid was moderated by glycemic control. Future longitudinal research needs to examine whether changes in parental behaviors lead to positive or negative diabetes outcomes among these emerging adults with diabetes.

Diabetes patient education: nurse specialist approach.

The diabetes nurse specialist must possess many skills and be able to work in many settings with a variety of patients and with other profes sionals. This paper discusses the skills and knowledge required to deliver high-quality care to persons with diabetes mellitus and the kind of training that will best achieve this level of care. It is concluded that specialized professional training in diabetes management is necessary.

Psychosocial Side of Diabetes and its Complications

guilt, depression, bitterness, or anger. It is common for people to think that things don’t happen by chance. Why did this occur? Why at this time? Why did it happen to me? The diagnosis may consciously or unconsciously be looked upon as a source of punishment for an actual or imagined deed. The affected people may search their lives, asking &dquo;What did I do wrong?&dquo; or &dquo;Why didn’t my parents take better care of me?&dquo; Perhaps they blame themselves for not taking better care of themselves, or justify, if they have developed a complication of the disease, that it would have occurred anyway even with meticulous care. Maybe the doctor did not warn them, or their

Diabetes Urine Testing: An Historical Perspective

Except when testing for ketones, most people with diabetes monitor their glucose levels by testing blood samples rather than urine samples. For many years, however, urine glucose testing was the standard testing procedure. The history of urine testing as presented in this paper gives one an appreciation of the evolution of glucose monitoring, and demonstrates the importance of urine testing in the past and the part it plays in the present management of diabetes mellitus.

The Older Woman with Diabetes Mellitus

The human body wears out fast enough without the addition of a disease like diabetes that mimics a rapid, internal aging process. The older woman with diabetes faces multiple challenges, both physical and psychological. To control this life-threatening illness, she often is asked to participate in multiple self-care activities at a time when she needs or desires to slow down or do less-especially if a loved one has died. Or perhaps the care is given by nursing home personnel or family members. The health care professional working with her can be instrumental in helping her, or others involved in her care, to attain an improved quality of life. A good life in later years is possible for the diabetic woman, especially if small problems in self-care are addressed daily and thereby more complicated problems are prevented.

Sharing diabetes information through abstracts, presentations, and papers.

descriptively stated in two subsections describing the methodology and major outcome(s). Methodology often includes the population studied and the procedure used. The major outcome is given in a oneor two-sentence summary. The concluding statements are the most important section of the abstract. Here you present your conclusions and explain the significance of the research by telling how, for example, the work contributes to the future care

Forecast, Vol. 38 (2), 1985, pp 43-35, 73. Urine tests: still useful after all these years

Nursing’85, Vol. 15 (3), 1985, pp 50-58 Heeding the early warning signs of peripheral vascular disease By: Patricia L. Baum Earn CEU’s as you study the contents of this article. Some of the most devastating complications of diabetes mellitus start with peripheral vascular disease. The earlier it is caught the less chance of losing both life and limb, is the message of this article. Two key charts help the learner to differentiate between arterial and venous peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the leg and how to examine the person with PVD. The mnemonic of &dquo;Remember the six P’s: Pain, Pallor, Pulselessness, Paresthesia, Poikilothermia (coldness), and Paralysis&dquo; and other associated helps, makes this article particularly useful. The reinforcement through the testing process, at the end of the article, aid the reader in completing the learning process and retaining information and potentially a skill that will be useful in actual practice.

The Infant of the Diabetic Mother

If a mother is hyperglycemic, the fetuss pancreas hypertrophies in response and produces excessive amounts of insulin.