Diabetes

The Diabetes Research Institute reports that almost 30 million American adults have diabetes, a chronic condition requiring regular check-ups and monitoring. If you suspect you may have diabetes or need expert care managing your blood sugar levels, Chris Sparkman, MD, Tabatha Mize, FNP, and the team at Sparkman Family Medicine can help. Call their Shenandoah, Texas, office for an appointment today. You can also book online using the convenient scheduling tool.

What should I know about diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic condition. It affects your ability to maintain regular blood sugar (glucose) levels. Consistently high blood glucose levels can damage your health.

Diabetes directly affects your ability to make and use insulin. The pancreas releases this hormone, which is critical in helping your body take sugar out of your blood and transport it into your cells for energy.

If you have Type 1 diabetes, your immune system has attacked the cells in your pancreas responsible for producing insulin, and now you don’t produce any insulin at all. With Type 2 diabetes, you don’t make enough insulin, or the insulin you produce isn’t used properly.

If you have high blood sugar levels, but they’re not quite high enough to be categorized as full-blown diabetes, you may be diagnosed with prediabetes. Without intervention, prediabetes can easily progress to Type 2 diabetes.

What are the common symptoms of diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes symptoms usually come on fairly quickly. You may have intense hunger and thirst, unexplained weight loss, increased urination, fatigue, and blurry vision. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in your youth.

Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes come on more gradually, and you may not even notice them. Mood changes, chronic fatigue, and increased hunger are signs. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in middle age or later, but it’s growing in younger patients due to poor diets and sedentary lifestyles.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

The team at Sparkman Family Medicine offers regular glucose testing to determine if your blood sugar is too high. Your provider may order the test if you have symptoms of Type 1 diabetes if you’re overweight, or have other factors that put you at higher risk, including family history, sedentary lifestyle, or unhealthy eating habits.

The sooner diabetes is diagnosed, the better. You can start to manage the condition with lifestyle changes and medications to prevent serious complications such as kidney or heart disease and nerve damage.

What diabetes treatments are available?

If you have Type 1 diabetes, you’ll need daily insulin therapy to control blood sugar levels.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, you can make changes to your diet and lifestyle to lower blood sugar levels naturally. You might also need oral medications if a healthy diet and physical exercise aren’t enough to control your blood sugar.

Keep tabs on your blood sugar levels by regularly visiting Sparkman Family Medicine. If you have diabetes or are concerned about being at risk, call one of the offices today or book an appointment online.