Diabetes-Honeymoon Phase

Diabetes Honeymoon Phase is Not Present in Certain People

Honeymoon phase in marriage and in office (the training period is normally called so) is known, but what has honeymoon phase got to do with a disease?

The period following type 1 diabetes diagnosis in a person where the pancreas functions to produce enough insulin and maintains blood sugar levels is generally termed as the honeymoon phase in diabetes. While it seems that diabetes might vanish and normalcy might return, unfortunately both these situations don’t happen.

Pancreas is an organ that produces insulin and Type 1 diabetes is caused due to an immune attack against the pancreas. In other words, the body starts killing its own insulin-producing cells (islet cells) and insulin injections prescribed pressurize the pancreas to produce insulin again. This period where the injections demand insulin production from the remaining beta cells in the pancreas too ends and the pancreas stops producing any more insulin thereafter putting an end to the diabetes honeymoon phase.

During the phase:

• Blood sugar levels seem easier to control as the pancreas has beta cells left that can produce insulin
• Sometimes, the glucose levels might seem normal making the individual assume that diabetes is about to go away
• Insulin doses might need variation depending upon glucose levels and you need to be in touch with your healthcare provider

There is also no hard-written rule that the honeymoon phase in diabetes should end in a few weeks’ time and it can even prolong over a couple of months or years too. There might be no honeymoon phase in some people too. But once it ends, the individual is never bound to experience another honeymoon phase and he/she must depend on external insulin lifelong via pumps, injections or pens. Such regularity in insulin intake helps prevent complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, vascular disease and limb loss.

What About Type 2 Diabetes?
Generally, type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent among the two types and affects people much more intensely causing various side effects as mentioned at www.firsteatright.com. While individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes might experience reduced symptoms during the period after diagnosis, it is not on par with the benefits enjoyed by individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
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Before starting the individual on medications, physicians normally advise patients to start eating healthier food, avoid sugary foods and even fruits such as sapodilla, mango and banana, do regular physical activity and overall, adopt a healthier lifestyle. Such modifications can help lower blood glucose levels, but these rise again once the healthy lifestyle practices stop.