Approximately 37 million Americans have Diabetes, and an estimated 8.5 million are not aware they suffer this chronic medical condition.
What is Diabetes?
Normally when we eat, our body turns food into sugar which gives us energy.A hormone called insulin helps move that sugar into our cells.
In Diabetes either:
- The body doesn’t make enough insulin (Type 1 Diabetes) or
- The body can’t use it properly (Type 2 Diabetes) as a result; blood sugar levels can become consistently too high, damaging other parts of the body.
Common symptoms include excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss and fatigue, blurred vision, slow healing wounds, however some people especially with type 2 diabetes may have no noticeable symptoms, nerve damage often start in extremities such as the feet and hands and are typically one of the first signs of peripheral neuropathy and it may occur as blood sugar levels remain high over time, damaging nerves and the small blood vessels that supply them.
In Type 2 diabetes, tingling may even be present at diagnosis if diabetes has been undetected for a while. Initially, tingling may come and go, often worsening at night but as the condition progresses, tingling can lead to numbness, burning sensations, or even sharp pain.
Other early signs are tingling pain or numbness in hands or feet, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting for Diabetes type 1 and darkened skin in certain areas of the body for Diabetes type 2.
Risks and complications include low blood sugar due to excessive insulin or skipping a meal, severe dehydration, and diabetes ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition specifically for Diabetes type 1.
Long term complications are increased risk of heart attack, stroke atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, nerve damage (Neuropathy),chronic kidney disease or kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant, eye damage (Retinopathy) that can lead to blindness, cataracts, glaucoma, foot problems due to poor circulation and nerve damage that increase the risk of infections, ulcers and in severe cases amputations, skin problems like fungal and bacterial infections and diabetes dermopathy (dark scaly patches), higher risk of hearing loss compared to non-diabetic individuals.
Managing diabetes can contribute to stress, anxiety and depression; requiring constant attention to diet and medications, fear of complications can feel overwhelming, impacting overall quality of life, research suggests that people with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia compared to those without diabetes
For pregnant woman, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to birth defects, preeclampsia, large baby size increasing the risk of delivery complications
Managing diabetes is a team effort and True Care MD is here to support you and bring your sugar levels to normal range.
Together we’ll create a plan to track your progress and make adjustments as needed. Our plan includes patient education, lifestyle recommendations, medication and insulin therapy (type 1 Diabetes).
Our goal is to help you live your healthiest life with as few complications as possible.
Call our West Valley office in Peoria Arizona and schedule an appointment. We accept walk in patients, sick visits and new patients
