Diabetes Management Specialist

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes the glucose, or sugar, levels in your blood to remain too high.

Whenever you eat, the hormone insulin helps glucose travel to your cells to provide your body with necessary energy. Without the proper amounts of insulin, glucose remains in your blood and can result in severe medical problems, including death.

In Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin to transport glucose throughout your body. In Type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t properly utilize the insulin that is made. In prediabetes, you have higher blood sugar levels than usual, but it hasn’t yet reached the point of diabetes. With this condition, you are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

If you’re pregnant, you may be at risk for gestational diabetes. This condition needs proper management throughout your pregnancy and often resolves on its own after your baby is born.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Diabetes symptoms depend on how high your blood sugar levels are. In some cases, you may not experience any symptoms initially with Type 2 and prediabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, you may experience a rapid onset of symptoms that often start in childhood.

Common symptoms include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss
• Frequent vaginal, skin, or gum infections
• Sores that heal slowly

HealthStone Primary Care Partners offers diagnostic testing to determine if you have diabetes or if you have a condition known as prediabetes. Through blood work, our providers measure the levels of glucose in your bloodstream. An AIC test is also useful in determining how you’re managing diabetes.

What treatments are available for diabetes?

In Type 1 diabetes, you must use a regimen of daily blood sugar checks and insulin medications, often through injections. HealthStone Primary Care Partners also provides insulin pump management and continuous glucose monitoring services to ensure blood sugar is well controlled.

Without proper management of Type 1 diabetes, you can suffer serious or fatal health consequences.

With Type 2 diabetes, our providers may initially recommend lifestyle changes to control your diabetes, including:

• Weight loss
• Dietary changes
• Regular exercise

Besides treating Type 2 diabetes, these lifestyle changes are also crucial in managing prediabetes and preventing additional health complications. If these treatments aren’t effective in controlling your blood sugar levels, our providers may suggest insulin therapy.

Through follow-up appointments, the team at HealthStone Primary Care Partners monitors your blood sugar levels and provides comprehensive guidance to help you control your diabetes effectively.

Book an appointment online or by calling the office to learn more about diabetes management.