Proper diabetes management reduces your risk of life-threatening cardiovascular events like heart attacks. Diabetes management and education specialist Diana Hernandez, NP-C, manages your diabetes with personalized care that includes a healthy diet, medication, and glucose monitoring at Texas Diabetes Clinic in Corpus Christi, Texas. Call Texas Diabetes Clinic today or book a consultation online to start managing your diabetes to improve your quality of life.
Diabetes is a metabolic illness that causes you to have elevated blood sugar (glucose). Typically, a hormone called insulin, made in your pancreas, processes your blood sugar to convert it into energy for your cells. When you have diabetes, insulin either doesn’t work correctly or your pancreas doesn’t produce it.
Diana starts with a comprehensive evaluation to determine which type of diabetes you have.
Usually present early in life, Type 1 diabetes appears because your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. As a result, your pancreas doesn’t make the insulin you need to convert glucose into energy, and the glucose rises to dangerous levels in your bloodstream.
People get Type 2 diabetes when their bodies can no longer use their insulin efficiently. This type is closely linked to lifestyle choices like a lack of exercise or having extra body fat. Prediabetes leads to Type 2 diabetes and is a warning sign that you should refine your diet and lifestyle to keep Type 2 at bay.
Gestational diabetes is more similar to Type 2 diabetes than Type 1. It arises when you’re pregnant and goes away when you give birth, but it leaves you at a higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes later.
The type of diabetes you have is one of the many things determining your treatment.
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have very similar symptoms, with the main difference being the speed of their onset. Type 1 diabetes symptoms appear rapidly, while Type 2 symptoms gradually appear.
Call Texas Diabetes Clinic or your primary care provider if you experience:
Undiagnosed or mismanaged diabetes can lead to severe complications like coronary artery disease (CAD), vision loss, heart attacks, and amputations. Book an immediate doctor’s appointment for diagnostic testing if you have diabetes symptoms.
Managing diabetes improves your quality of life and lowers your medical risks. Diana creates a personalized care plan for you which can include:
Diana might also urge you to reduce the stress in your life to the best of your ability and reduce your alcohol intake.
Call Texas Diabetes Clinic today or schedule an appointment online to learn how to manage your diabetes effectively.