Diabetes wellness for life

Diabetes is a manageable disease. Daily self-management skills can help people lead full and active lives, prevent and/or reduce the health problems associated with diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not make insulin or use the insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone (made from the pancreas) that converts sugar, starches and other foods we eat into energy needed for daily life.

If your insulin doesn’t work effectively, the body doesn’t get the fuel it needs; the blood sugar levels continue to increase in the blood vessels; over time, high blood sugar can cause heart and kidney problems, blindness, the loss of a foot or leg, even kill you. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are over 20 million Americans living with diabetes.

What is pre-diabetes?

Pre-diabetes is a condition that comes before diabetes. It means that the blood sugar levels are higher than normal but aren’t high enough to be called diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 54 million Americans living with pre-diabetes.

What causes diabetes?

The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

Who is at risk for diabetes?

The risk for diabetes increases as you get older, gain weight, or if you don’t stay active. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Other risk factors include high blood pressure (above 140-90), having a family history of diabetes, having diabetes during pregnancy or having a baby weighing more than nine pounds at birth.

What are the warning signs?

The signs for diabetes or pre-diabetes are being very thirsty, urinating often, losing weight without trying, feeling tired, blurred vision, frequent or recurring infections and/or a slow healing wound.

If you have any of these warning signs, please contact your doctor immediately.

How do I get tested for diabetes?

Contact your health care provider and request to get a Fasting Plasma Glucose (sugar) Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Either test can be used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes.

With the FPG test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A person with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes. A second test on a different day must be completed to confirm or deny the first fasting test.

In the OGTT test, a person’s blood glucose level is measured after a fast and two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the two-hour blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl, the person tested has pre-diabetes. If the two-hour blood glucose level is at 200 mg/dl or higher, the person tested has diabetes.

What to do now that I have pre-diabetes or diabetes?

Diabetes is manageable. Reduce your risk for diabetes and control your blood sugar on a day to day basis. Management skills include:

• Meal planning – Eating healthier and smaller portions throughout the day can help keep the blood sugar within the normal range. Contact a dietitian to help formulate a special meal plan for you. (Contact us for a referral, if you like.)

• Regular exercise – Helps lower the blood sugar and provides many other health benefits. (Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program.)

• Self-monitoring daily – Daily blood testing at home helps keep you and your doctor aware of your progress. Keep the blood sugar at a near-normal value (see box below for ranges).

• Medications – Lowers the blood sugar. If your doctor prescribes diabetes medications (insulin or diabetes pills), take as prescribed.

Diabetes is serious – what complications can occur?

• Stroke (brain attack)

• Poor circulation

• Kidney disease

• Foot problems

• Heart disease

• Nerve damage

• Eye problem

• Dental Disease

• Blindness

Don’t let diabetes control you; you are in control.

Healthy Management Diabetes Education (HMDE) provides free education classes. The classes provide tools and resources to help those at risk for and living with diabetes. Students attending the class will learn appropriate food choices, diabetes medications, how to monitor their blood sugar and much more. HMDE provides free meter and training, after completion of diabetes education class.

Reservations are required. For more information call (951) 660-5547 or visit http://www.hmde.org.

Kaishawn McDuffie is a registered nurse and a certified diabetes educator. She has been a healthcare professional since 1990. She has served 12 years in the US Navy, specializing in diabetes for the past four years.

HMDE events

Nov. 10 – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Diabetes health fair at Corona Regional Medical Center, 800 S. Main St., Corona

Nov. 17 – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Diabetes cooking demonstration at Corona Regional Medical Center

Nov. 19 – 6 to 9:30 p.m. – Diabetes education class at Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 Sixth St., Temecula

Nov. 21 – 10 to 11 a.m. – Diabetes support group at Hemet Christian Assembly, 602 E. St. John Place, Hemet

Nov. 21 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Diabetes support group at 40700 California Oaks Road, No. 106, Murrieta

Nov. 26 – Diabetes education class 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Mary Phillips Senior Center.

Dec. 5 – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Diabetes education class at Hemet Valley Medical Center, 1117 E. Devonshire Ave., Room CR5, Hemet

Dec. 12 – 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Diabetes education class at Hemet Valley Medical Center

Dec. 14 – 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Diabetes education class at Workforce Development Center, 1025 N. State St., Hemet

Dec. 19 – 10 to 11 a.m. – Diabetes support group at Hemet Christian Assembly

Dec. 19 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Diabetes support group at 40700 California Oaks Road, No. 106, Murrieta

Preferred

blood sugar ranges

Note: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has higher blood sugar range than most doctors. Most doctors want a tight control (lower values) for blood sugar.

ADA (fasting)

70mg/dl-130mg/dl

ADA (2 hours after a meal) 70mg/dl-180mg/dl

Most doctors (fasting)

70mg/dl-110mg/dl

Most doctors (2 hours after meal) 70mg/dl-140mg/dl