4 Questions to Ask About Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disorder that affects blood sugar levels by causing the body to lack insulin or to respond poorly, resulting in sugar accumulation and a variety of health concerns. The most common signs include frequent urination, increased thirst, weight loss, intense hunger, impaired eyesight, slow-healing wounds, and exhaustion. East County Urgent Care and Walk-In Clinic is proud to provide diabetes care management to our valued patients. Our medical professionals have years of experience and plenty of expertise in helping people with diabetes thrive and overcome the challenges of their condition. Contact us today for more information, or simply schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 1625 E. Main Street # 100 El Cajon, CA 92021.
At East County, our medical professionals have years of experience and plenty of expertise in helping people with diabetes thrive and overcome the challenges of their condition! For more information, call us or book a visit online. We serve patients from El Cajon CA, Wells Park CA, Rancho San Diego CA, Hillsdale CA, Alpine CA, Santee CA, and Jamul CA.
Table of Contents:
What is usually the first sign of diabetes?
How would you know if you have diabetes?
How do you get diabetes?
How do you manage diabetes?
Diabetes can be a life-altering illness, whether patients have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. At East County Urgent Care and Urgent Care in El Cajon, CA our medical professionals have years of experience in diabetes management for patients of all ages. At our urgent care clinic, we provide a large variety of medical services for acute and chronic illnesses. Diabetes is one of the illnesses that we focus on at our walk-in clinic, and we can provide fast and attentive service for you and your loved ones when you come into our clinic. Rather than making appointments weeks or months in advance at a primary care clinic or hospital, we focus on providing immediate attention for patients when they walk into our clinic.
Managing your diabetes and general health is important when it comes to living with either type of diabetes. The two big lifestyles that we stress at East County Urgent Care and Urgent Care are healthy eating and physical activity. There is no specific diet for diabetes patients, but eating plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits is recommended.
Treatments that we provide for the appropriate management of diabetes include blood sugar monitoring, insulin administration, or oral medication. We work with each patient on an individual basis to find the best option for your personal health. In addition to our patient-specific diabetes management plans, East County Urgent Care and Urgent Care has a top-notch team of medical experts on site. Our doctors and nurses have extensive experience in diabetes management and are familiar with working with patients of all ages.
While diabetes certainly comes with its own set of challenges, those challenges do not need to diminish your quality of life. At East County Urgent Care and Urgent Care, our medical doctors would be more than happy to help manage your diabetes in a way that helps you thrive and live life to the fullest.
While there can be several different signs of early or undiagnosed diabetes, the most common first sign of type 2 diabetes is typically increased thirst, urination, and hunger due to higher blood-sugar levels than usual. With that, early or undiagnosed diabetes symptoms are often mild, as the onset can be subtle and gradual, with some asymptomatic individuals not noticing any change at all.
In addition to increased thirst, urination, and hunger, other early signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes could include the following:
– Blurred vision
– Constant fatigue
– Dark or discolored skin patches
– Increased itching
– Nerve pain, numbness, or tingling in the fingers, toes, hands, and feet
– Wounds that heal slower than usual
– Yeast infections, which can affect both men and women
While any of the above symptoms may cause you to suspect or be concerned that you could have diabetes, such symptoms can also be caused by other conditions or circumstances. As such, the only way to know if you have diabetes is to get tested by a medical professional. If you are dealing with any of the diabetes symptoms listed above, it may be a good idea to seek medical testing to find out if you have diabetes or if your symptoms are caused by something else.
Testing for diabetes could include any of the following:
– A1c test: also known as HbA1c or glycated hemoglobin test, A1c tests measure the amount of glucose that is attached to the proteins in your red blood cells that carry oxygen known as hemoglobin. This test is able to measure those levels as they have appeared over the prior two to three months. No fasting is required for this test.
– Fasting plasma glucose test: this test measures your blood sugar levels after fasting from food and drink, besides water, for eight hours.
– Random plasma glucose test: This test measures your current blood sugar levels at random—that is, the test does not have any requirement for fasting from eating or drinking before the test.
Oral glucose tolerance test: this test measures your blood glucose level after an overnight fast from eating and drinking, again one, two, and three hours after you have a sugary drink.
While it is not clearly understood how people develop diabetes, the condition occurs when there is too much glucose present in your bloodstream. The causes of this disorder may be linked to genetic and environmental factors, as well as obesity, dietary habits, and an inactive lifestyle.
With type 1 diabetes, your immune system mistakenly targets and destroys cells that produce insulin in your pancreas, leading to excessive amounts of glucose in your bloodstream.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the cells in your body become resistant to insulin so your pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance, leading to rising levels of glucose in your bloodstream.
The first step in managing diabetes is to find a qualified medical doctor whom you trust and feel comfortable with and who can monitor your symptoms and establish an effective treatment plan. A medical doctor who specializes in diabetes management can help with establishing a diet plan, and exercise routine, while also providing medication and treating any adverse symptoms that arise from diabetes, such as neuropathy or diabetic wounds on your feet. They can also provide you with resources and tips for monitoring your blood sugar, knowing your limits, and how to navigate and skillfully manage the unique challenges that arise from living with diabetes. If you are dealing with diabetes, our medical doctors at East County Urgent Care and Walk-In Clinic would be pleased to provide you with an effective treatment plan to help you manage diabetes. We welcome you to check in online with us through our website or by giving us a call. We serve patients from El Cajon CA, Wells Park CA, Rancho San Diego CA, Hillsdale CA, Alpine CA, Santee CA, and Jamul CA.
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