Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes your body to produce or use insulin improperly and consequently creates abnormally high blood glucose levels. 

Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas secretes to collect blood glucose, or sugar, from food and energize your cells.

If you have diabetes, instead of making and using insulin properly, your pancreas doesn’t produce sufficient insulin, or its insulin can’t deliver sugar into the cells. These two problems occur with Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes typically first appears during childhood, which is why some people call it juvenile diabetes. Meanwhile, Type 2 diabetes usually develops during adulthood. 

You can temporarily develop a third type of diabetes, called gestational diabetes, during pregnancy. Usually, gestational diabetes goes away after you give birth.

Of all of these, Type 2 diabetes is the most common.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Symptoms of diabetes, regardless of the type, include:

• Irritability
• Fatigue 
• Mysterious weight loss
• Slow-to-heal sores
• Extreme thirst
• Frequent bathroom breaks
• Susceptibility to infection
• Blurred vision

Diabetes symptoms often develop gradually.

How can diabetes damage my long-term health?

Aside from the everyday symptoms, diabetes is a serious disease that can wreak havoc on your body if you don’t control it. Over time, too much blood sugar can harm your blood vessels, damage your organ systems, and lead to diseases and complications like:

• Dental disease
• Eye damage
• Foot damage
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Nerve damage

In addition, diabetes can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

How can I manage diabetes?

Bowman Family Medicine Clinic, LLC, is prepared to help you manage your diabetes by creating a unique treatment plan. 

Considering the origin, type, and progress of your diabetes, your provider at Bowman Family Medicine Clinic, LLC, prescribes lifestyle changes and treatments such as:

• Insulin therapy
• Blood sugar monitoring
• Regular physical activity
• Healthy eating habits
• Medications to stimulate pancreatic insulin production

If the idea of exercise makes you anxious, know that your provider is here to support you every step. Furthermore, when they design your plan, they are careful to create a routine that eases you into physical activity so that you don’t get hurt or overwhelmed. Your provider listens to you and helps you identify some physical activities you may enjoy, such as walking, cycling, or swimming.

If you think you’re at risk for diabetes or you’re struggling to manage it, call Bowman Family Medicine Clinic, LLC, or request an appointment online today.