What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease characterized by having blood sugar (glucose) levels that are too high. In type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin, the hormone responsible for getting glucose into your cells for energy production. This is generally considered more serious than type 2 diabetes, a condition that affects how your body processes glucose. This is also called adult-onset diabetes since it often appears in older adults and can appear suddenly at any age. Another very common variation is called pre-diabetes, which means you have higher than normal blood sugar but not high enough to diagnose you as a type 2 diabetic.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
The most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
- Increased thirst
- Increased hunger (especially right after eating)
- Chronic dry mouth
- Frequent urination
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue, weakness
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, make an appointment with Dr. Nguyen and get yourself checked out. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness, limb amputation and even death from complications caused by the disease.
How do we treat diabetes?
We treat most type 2 diabetes with medications and lifestyle modifications. As a diabetic, you must control what you eat and when you eat more carefully than non-diabetics. We recommend regular exercise, weight loss and good nutrition to help keep your blood sugar levels in check. People with type 1 diabetes must take regular insulin injections or dialysis treatments to get what their bodies need in addition to making other lifestyle changes.
Discover diabetes care you can trust. Call (951) 303-1701 for more information or Request an Appointment here.
