Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a health issue in which your body can’t use or make the hormone insulin. Insulin is used to digest sugar, but if you have diabetes and can’t, the sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to other life-threatening complications like heart disease.

What are the different types of diabetes?

Early signs of diabetes, known as prediabetes, is when your blood sugar is higher than normal, but still at reversible levels. Chronic diabetes conditions include:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is considered an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. 

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is when your body is producing insulin but for some reason isn’t using the insulin as it should. As your blood sugar levels rise, your body compensates by producing even more insulin, but over time, the levels of sugar in your blood build up to unmanageable levels resulting in full-blown diabetes.

Gestational diabetes

This type of diabetes only affects pregnant women and is thought to be caused by the extreme hormonal changes experienced during pregnancy. Although it usually goes away after giving birth, women who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the future.

Whether you are at risk of developing diabetes, or you think you may have it already, the only way to be sure is through testing. Advance Medical Group offers diabetes testing and treatment to maintain your health.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Diabetes symptoms vary depending on what type you have. The symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop suddenly, but the symptoms of type 2 diabetes are gradual and often mistaken for other illnesses. It’s important to recognize the signs of diabetes and some to look out for are:

• Weight loss
• Constant thirst
• Extreme appetite
• Numbness in your extremities
• Constant tiredness
• Blurry vision

Since type 2 diabetes symptoms may be gradual, you might miss the signs, so it's important to get tested during your annual physical at Advance Medical Group. 

What are the treatments for diabetes?

Each diabetic patient at Advance Medical Group receives a personalized treatment plan that providers develop and help apply to their everyday lives. Practitioners prescribe insulin injections and a list of suggested lifestyle changes for patients with type 1 diabetes. 

Patients with type 2 diabetes may also require insulin injections but often only need lifestyle changes to control their symptoms.

If you are at risk of developing diabetes or if you have it already, some suggestions your provider makes are:

• Changing your diet
• Exercising more
• Monitoring your blood sugar and insulin levels
• Prescription medication

During your physical, your practitioner discusses the various treatment options available to you and educates you on what your target blood sugar levels should be.

To book your diabetes consultation, call Advance Medical Group or use the online scheduling tool to make your appointment today.