Body cells require glucose for effective functioning; insulin helps with the movement of sugar from the blood into the cells for the generation of energy. However, the failure of body cells to respond to insulin leading to the accumulation of sugar in the bloodstream causes type 2 diabetes. The failure of insulin to transport sugar from the blood to the cells forces the body to get power from other energy sources within the body (Martin-Timon, et al., 2015). This condition lacks a cure currently but can be managed through proper dieting, regular exercising, diabetes medication, and insulin therapy. Type 2 diabetes has the following symptoms; enormous thirst, compromised vision, weight loss, constant urination, or slow-healing sores (Martin-Timon,et al., 2015). As the disease advances and levels of blood sugar soars high, the affected person is likely to succumb to yeast infections, darkening of the skin also referred to as Acanthosis Nigricans, and also an extreme feeling of numbness, or pain. This warrants a visit to the doctor to seek treatment, as type 2 diabetes is life-threatening if not managed early enough.
The inability of the body to effectively use insulin compels the Pancreas to produce more insulin, leading to the damage of pancreatic cells and presence of high levels of sugar in the body. In the case that pancreas is still producing insulin, the doctor recommends a lifestyle change to manage blood sugar at optimum levels, these lifestyle changes include dieting, exercises, and weight control. In the case that this fails to function effectively, this indicates that a patient should use other medications like metformin which reduces blood sugar levels and boosts the body’s response to insulin (Wang, et al., 2017). Metformin is the primary treatment for type 2 diabetes, but often patients show intolerance to this treatment forcing the doctor to consider other medications. Patients with stage 4 and 5 of kidney disease and above the age of 60 years are at risk of being adversely affected by metformin use, doctors should consider other options of medication for such a group of patients (Irons & Minze, 2014). The experience of gastrointestinal challenges and negative impact on renal functioning is a contraindication to implement other types 2 diabetes agents like sulfonylurea, meglitinide, or glucosidase inhibitor in the case metformin comes with a lot side effects.
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Nursing staff significantly contribute to the wellbeing of patients with type 2 diabetes; nurses should always consider providing a detailed description of risk factors associated with the condition like diet, weight, and lack of exercise, provision of support to the patient towards the achievement of self-care mechanisms and monitor mental health issues as patients with diabetes as susceptible to mental health challenges (Bohanny, et al., 2013). Successful establishment of patient self-care program through the guidance of a nurse promotes management of the condition (Bohanny, et al., 2013). Apart from recommending nutrition programs and exercise routines to manage weight, nurses should emphasize self-care to ensure that monitoring of blood sugar levels by the patient is effective enough.
Drugs used in the care of type 2 diabetes patients, comes with significant amount of side effects; metformin for instance compromises renal functionality, especially in patients with kidney diseases, it also causes stomach upsets including diarrhea and ulcers and weight loss (Irons & Minze, 2014). Sulfonylureas reduce blood sugar levels leading to side effects such as dizziness, sweating, weight gain, and on the extreme side skin reaction and stomach upsets (Sterrett, Bragg, & Weart, 2016). Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors mainly taken with the first bite of each meal slow down the digestion process leading to side effects like experiencing gas, stomach pains, and diarrhea (Sterrett, Bragg, & Weart, 2016). Patients should report the side effects to the doctor, this will enable the doctor to try other types of medications to establish a suitable medication for the patient with fewer side effects.
In addition to diabetes medication and insulin therapy, nurses should advise patients to implement the following solutions to control risk factors like weight gain, inappropriate diet, and inactivity. Nurses should highly recommend exercise routines this causes contractions of muscles triggering the movement of glucose of outside the blood into the cells, a good nutrition program is essential to avoid injecting a lot of sugar which might worsen the condition. Proper dieting and exercise lead to a good sleep which positively impacts blood sugar levels leading to proper management of type 2 diabetes (Bohanny, et al., 2013). Proper education of the patient regarding these modifiable risk factors is the first step to managing the condition before the introduction of medications. The nurse must ensure that a patient can implement a self-care program since this contributes immensely to the effectiveness of type 2 diabetes management.
References
Bohanny, W., Tsay, S.-L., Wang, T.-J., Vivienne, S.-F., Liu, C.-Y., & Yeh, S.-H. (2013). Health literacy, self‐efficacy, and self‐care behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 25 (9), 495-502.
Irons, B. K., & Minze, M. G. (2014). Drug treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients for whom metformin is contraindicated. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, 7 , 15-24.
Martin-Timon, I., Sevillano-Collantes, C., Segura-Galindo, A., & Canizo-Gomez, F. (2015). Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: Have all risk factors the same strength? World Journal of Diabetes, 5 (4), 444-470.
Sterrett, J. J., Bragg, S., & Weart, C. W. (2016). Type 2 Diabetes Medication Review. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 351 (4), 342-355.
Wang, Y. W., He, S. J., Feng, X., Cheng, J., Luo, Y. T., Tian, L., & Huang, Q. (2017). Metformin: a review of its potential indications. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 11 , 2421-2429.
