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Understanding Diabetes
What you need to know about symptoms, risks, and management
November is American Diabetes Month, a month dedicated to raise awareness about diabetes. It is estimated that nearly one in two Americans has diabetes or prediabetes. The difference between prediabetes and diabetes is in how high the blood sugar levels are. Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Some of the symptoms of having high blood sugar include:
- very thirsty
- very hungry
- sleepy
- blurry vision
- passing urine more than usual
- slower healing wounds or injuries
Some, but not all people have or recognize the symptoms. The best way to know if you have high blood sugar is to have regular wellness visits with your primary provider and ensure you are completing blood work to check for it.
Diabetes is a manageable disease and individually treated. This means we generally look at each person and individually see where their numbers are at and what can be done to help them get those numbers in a healthy range. Treatment can include lifestyle modifications such as making diet changes with better nutritionally balanced meals, increasing physical activity, blood sugar monitoring and/or finding the best medication that will work for them.
At Murray County Medical Center, we have a diabetes program that is recognized by the American Diabetes Association that focuses on helping people manage diabetes, either through lifestyle changes, self-management education, or prevention. Be sure to reach out to us if you suspect you have high blood sugars, need help getting your blood sugar better controlled or need any help with your wellness journey.
Betsy Plotz, Registered Dietitian
Learn more about our Diabetic Education program: