At Horizon Health, our diabetes treatments and management programs will
guide you through maintaining your diabetes. We can help you learn to
manage your diabetes and avoid the complications associated with the disease.
Our Diabetes Education Program is a great resource.
The following are some common complications that diabetes can cause:
Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
Kidney damage
Numbness, tingling, and loss of sensation in the legs and feet
Blindness (retinopathy)
With proper management, you can prevent the onset of these symptoms. That’s
why it’s critical you learn everything you can about diabetes and
practice healthy self-care.
Diabetic Information
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood
sugar because they have a deficiency in insulin production, their body
does not respond to insulin production, or both.
There are two types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2:
Type 1 diabetes – Person cannot to produce insulin. This type of diabetes only makes
up 10% of all diabetes cases. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in childhood
or adolescence, but can develop in early adulthood as well.
Type 2 diabetes – Person does not produce enough insulin, or the cells don’t
react properly to insulin. This type of diabetes makes up 90% of all diabetes
cases and can develop because of being overweight, being physically inactive,
or eating unhealthy foods.
Your primary care provider can test you for diabetes.
Diagnosing Diabetes
The early stages of diabetes often go undiagnosed. This condition progresses
slowly, and the symptoms are subtle during the early stages. They can
also be mistaken for symptoms of another condition.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
Increased thirst
Weight loss
Fatigue
Increased urination—especially at night
Increased hunger
Blurred vision
Sores that do not heal
One of the earliest and most notable diabetes symptoms is increased thirst
and urination. This is because too much sugar (glucose) in the blood puts
extra work on the kidneys, requiring them to expel waste material more
often. Your body starts will start creating feelings of thirst to prompt
you into drinking water so your kidneys can create more urine.
Depending on if you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, our providers can prescribe
insulin injections, lifestyle changes, or more to either manage or reduce
the effect of diabetes. Your first appointment will consist of an evaluation
of your medical history and physical health.
Podcasts
Diabetes – Part 1
Leighsa Cornwell, RN, certified diabetes educator, discusses the prevalence of diabetes in children. The discussion includes
how to stay well if you are diabetic, including the complications to watch for.
