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By NANCY M. JOHNSEN
Do you have a minute?
November is National Diabetes Month and the column "Do you have a minute?" Continues her look at the disorder and ways to live with it.
Type 2 diabetes affects the largest number of individuals. Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 90% to 95% of the 30.3 million Americans with diabetes.
Previously, type 2 diabetes was called adult diabetes, but it can occur at any age – 8 to 45% of diagnosed type 2 diabetics are children and adolescents. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the largest percentage of type 2 diabetes is in people over 65 years of age.
Type 2 diabetes has an insidious onset. The usual signs of excessive thirst, excessive urination, and hunger may not be present. In their place, one may observe general fatigue, dry mouth or slow healing of the wound.
The disease may remain undiagnosed for a long time, making regular routine checkups and critical blood tests, even if you are feeling well.
Type 2 diabetes is chronic and progressive. The beta cells of the pancreas secrete less and less insulin. Associate it with increased resistance of body cells, usually muscle cells, to use insulin produced by the body. This results in a high blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes can be diagnosed with two fasting blood sugars on days different than, or greater than, 126 mg or hemoglobin A1c of 6.5 or higher. If the person has some of the classic symptoms, an occasional blood glucose level above 200 mg may confirm the diagnosis.
Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are the main contributing factors to type 2 diabetes in adults, adolescents, and children. Family history of diabetes and being African American, Hispanic or Native American are other risk factors.
Education, weight loss and increased activity are the starting points for treating type 2 diabetes.
With any diagnosis of diabetes, the goal is to lower blood sugar levels through self-management. Working with your health care provider and learning more about the disease with a Certified Diabetes Educator opens a path in this important direction.
For some patients, weight loss and increased activity are not enough to lower blood sugar levels; therefore, it may be necessary to take oral medications, non-insulin injection drugs, or insulin.
Good self-management of diabetes also includes daily monitoring of blood glucose. With the availability of a wide selection of glucometers, it is easy to find one that is suitable for the individual. The co-payers of test strips are often linked to insurance coverage. It is therefore important to determine the insurance coverage when choosing a glucometer.
Self-management also includes taking prescribed medications, meeting appointments with your health care provider, and obtaining blood tests as prescribed. A blood test, the HbA1c, is usually ordered every 3 or 6 months. This test allows you and your health care provider to know your average blood glucose level in the past three months because it is the weighted average of the amount of glucose glycated or "stuck" to the blood cells. red. The American Diabetes Association recommends an HbA1 level of less than 7%.
Self-management includes regular foot checks, dental checks, and eye exams including retina visualization. It also includes regular blood tests to monitor cholesterol levels and kidney function.
If you are diabetic, educate yourself and get involved in self-management of your diabetes. Make sure you have the most up-to-date information and tools to keep your blood glucose in a normal range. To find the Certified Diabetes Educator and the recognized Diabetes Program closest to you, visit the American Association of Diabetes Educators at https://www.diabeteseducator.com .org /.
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The previous columns are available online at www.thelcn.com.
Local resource
Recognized by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the UR Medicine Noyes Health Diabetes Self Management Program is comprised of a Certified Diabetes Educator and a Diabetes Educator. . The program is available near you in Geneseo, Dansville, Hornell and three health care provider offices in the area. For more information, call (585) 335-4355.
Join me during the month of November to explain the types of diabetes, new advances in treatment and management tools.
Nancy M. Johnsen, RN, is a Certified Diabetes Educator and Coordinator of the Diabetes Education and Wellness Program at UR Medicine Noyes Health in Dansville. Johnsen is the guest writing the "Do you have a minute?" Column for Lorraine Wichtowski, a community health educator at Noyes Health in November. For more information on diabetes, you can reach her at (585) 335-4355.
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