Diabetes

Diabetes: Recognize the Symptoms and Control Your Glucose

Diabetes is a serious disease that should not, or should I say cannot, be ignored. The American Diabetes Association identifies diabetes as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2010. What’s more concerning about that fact is that while 21.0 million Americans were diagnosed, 8.1 million others were not diagnosed. That means that 9.3% of all Americans are affected by diabetes.

This increase in the rate of diabetes in America not only has a real cost as far as your health goes, but the actual financial cost is even more. As of March 2013, The American Diabetes Association the cost of diabetes in the US was $245 billion with $176 billion directly related to medical costs and an additional $69 billion in reduced productivity. That’s a lot of money!!

Different Types of Diabetes

The scourge of diabetes has varying forms. Type I diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) is often diagnosed in children and young adults. As the American Diabetes Association states, only 5% of those with diabetes are affected by Type I. With this form of diabetes, the body does not produce insulin which is necessary to break down sugar for your body to use for energy. The more common form of diabetes is Type II which is caused by your body not using insulin properly. This insulin resistance causes the pancreas to increase production of insulin, but over time can’t make enough insulin to keep up with the body’s needs to keep your glucose levels normal. Another form of this malady is gestational diabetes and it affects women during their pregnancy. A 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a 9.2% prevalence of gestational diabetes. If diagnosed, an expecting mother should work with their doctor to closely monitor their glucose levels in order to avoid any negative effects on your baby.

Identifying the Symptoms

In order to get a handle on your diabetes and minimize the negative complications, it’s important to understand the symptoms. Even though there is more than one type of diabetes there are common symptoms to them all. Frequent urination, feeling of thirst/hunger, fatigue, and blurred vision can all be symptoms of diabetes. For those with Type I diabetes, weight loss can be common even if you are eating more frequent, while those with Type II diabetes commonly suffer from numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. Using a lancet, such as the Acti-Lance Special Lancet allows you to draw blood for testing. It uses a precisely electro-polished, silicone coated needle to lower pain and promote quick healing. For easy to use, sterile lancets the Bayer Fingerstix Lancet make going from your symptoms to managing your diabetes lickety-split.

Handling Type I

Once the diagnosis of diabetes has been confirmed, it’s now important to treat and manage your condition. Testing your glucose levels regularly is crucial in managing your diabetes. Test strips, such as the Abbott Precision Xtra Blood Glucose Test Strips , determine your blood glucose levels. For instance, the Bayer Contour Next Blood Glucose Test Strips uses multi-pulse technology to evaluate blood samples seven times. They are made to be used in conjunction with the Bayer Contour Next EZ Blood Glucose Meter . These meters are for single patient use and should not be shared. One way to minimize the discomfort in fingers or forearms is to use the Lifescan OneTouch Ultra Test Strips. Paired with the Lifescan Onetouch Ultra 2 Blood Glucose Monitoring System shows you how food affects your blood glucose levels and makes managing your diabetes easier. Control automatically draw blood up the test strip until there is enough blood for an accurate test and can be read by Control Blood Glucose Meters. The most common weapon in your doctor’s arsenal for treating Type I diabetes is insulin (insulin pump supplies). According to the American Diabetes Association there are over 20 different types of insulin available in the US and your doctor will help determine the correct insulin for you and your lifestyle. Insulin therapy may be started depending on your overall health and how high your glucose levels are. The two biggest problems that can arise from diabetes are hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). If an instance of hyperglycemia develops it may be because you have not given yourself enough insulin or have eaten more than you had planned. Stress can be another trigger for this type of diabetes.

Tackling Type II

The best way to stay ahead of your Type II diabetes is to work with your doctor or nurse and to have open communication in order to put you in control and respond to any changing needs. One simple precaution is to maintain a healthy oral care program. Your blood glucose levels can have a direct affect any your gums. Diabetes presents a higher risk for gum disease. Next, monitoring your glucose levels is extremely important. By monitoring your condition you can fend off complications and improve your lifestyle while living with diabetes. The Lifescan Inc. OneTouch Diabetes Logbook allows you to track results and easily observe trends to share with your doctor. When using a blood glucose meter, such as the Nipro Diagnostics TRUEbalance or TRUEtrack, it’s a good idea to test the accuracy of your meter. The Nipro Diagnostics TRUEcontrol Glucose Control Solution confirms that the test results are within the expected range printed on the test strip. Tight control of your glucose levels can slow or even prevent some of the complications of this disease, but it requires diligent work in order to keep your levels as close to normal as possible.

 

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