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November is American Diabetes Month, an important moment to raise awareness and better understand diabetes. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control in our counties, about 10% of adults in our area have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Clearfield County is slightly higher, at 11.6%, while the surrounding counties are between 7.7% in Cameron County, 8.2% in Elk County, 9.3% in Jefferson County and 10% in Clarion County.
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood sugar resulting from problems with the production of insulin, a hormone found in the body, its functioning or both. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. It causes blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease and other health problems if left unchecked.
The good news is that we have the power to regulate our glucose or sugar levels. One way to help is to know how much glucose there is in our blood at certain times of the day.
People with diabetes should target certain targets or their doctor might have the target they would like the patient to use.
"BG can increase with the amount of food ingested, lack of sleep, pain and stress, illness and mental stress," said Jean Sheley, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator at the Better Center. for the diabetes and nutrition of Penn Highlands DuBois. "Blood glucose can drop in the 30 minutes after taking medications, such as insulin, and your blood sugar goes up depending on what you've eaten," Carole Berger, RN, Diabetes Educator at Wellness for diabetes and nutrition of PH DuBois, "he said.
"Anyone diagnosed with diabetes, whether they follow a diet and exercise, pills or insulin, should regularly monitor their glucose levels," said Kelly Schreiber-Straub, dietitian , dietitian / nutritionist and certified diabetes educator and head of clinical nutrition. at Penn Highlands Elk, said.
To do this, you can use a continuous blood glucose meter or blood glucose meter.
"The blood glucose meter is also called a blood glucose monitor," said Sheley. "It's a device that tests the amount of glucose in the blood." A blood sample is obtained with the help of a lancet device. One person flicked a finger towards the end, leaning slightly, and getting a small sample of blood. This sample is applied to a test strip inserted into the monitor. "In five seconds you will have a blood sugar result," Sheley said. The number is then saved in a notebook.
Nowadays, many people use a continuous blood glucose meter as opposed to another who controls blood sugar with the help of sticks. "You've probably seen TV commercials with the sensor on the back of the arm that analyze the result with a reader," Joyce Kulick, Registered Dietitian, Registered Dietitian / Registered Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator at the Center for Better Practice. to be for diabetes and nutrition at Penn Highlands DuBois said.
Although different continuous devices collect information in different ways using tiny sensors, the idea is the same. A sensor is placed under the skin of the belly or can be glued to the back of the arm. A transmitter on the sensor then sends the information to a monitor similar to a wireless pager that is clipped onto a belt. The monitoring system monitors blood glucose day and night. It collects the readings automatically every 5-15 minutes.
Both methods are used to help detect patterns and patterns that give diabetics and their physicians a more complete picture of their diabetes.
Since 2014, as part of the 340B program, the Penn Highlands DuBois Wellness and Diabetes Wellness Center has been providing blood glucose meters and monitoring supplies to patients referred for diabetes education by healthcare providers. Penn Highlands doctors through the system.
Patients can come back every three months to receive supplies. An annual diabetes education follow-up appointment is required to continue receiving supplies. To get the most out of our 340B funds, Penn Highlands will move from the AgaMatrix Blood Glucose Monitoring System to the Glucocard Expression System.
On Tuesday, November 20th from 2 to 6 pm, everyone is invited to attend a Diabetes Day at the Central Resource Center, DuBois, on the second floor of Room 204. This event will provide patients who are currently receiving AgaMatrix supplies. , an opportunity to acquire the new counter and supplies Glucocard Expression. Current patients who are unable to attend can go to the Diabetes and Nutrition Treatment Center or are interested in the monitoring system and can call 375-3890.
And as always, if you have questions about how to better manage your diabetes or prevent it, talk to your health care provider or ask them to refer you to Penn Highlands DuBois Diabetes Educators covering Clearfield. , DuBois, Punxsutawney, Brookville and Phillipsburg at 375-3890 and Diabetes Educators at Penn Highlands Elk at 788-8517 or 788-8833.
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