Diabetes

Jeevan Rekha Superspeciality provides the best diabetology services. It is also an endocrinology center with the required amenities.

Diabetology is the clinical science of diabetes mellitus its diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. It can be considered a specialized field of endocrinology

Apart from regulating medication (e.g. insulin) dosage and timing, a diabetologist will also concern himself with the potential consequences of diabetes, e.g. retinopathy, nephropathy, and peripheral neuropathy.

Consultation:

Constitutes a detailed history and taking of physical exam, reviewing lab reports and x-rays, making a presumptive diagnosis, ordering necessary tests, and reporting to the physicians.

Diagnostic Evaluation:

Performing necessary endocrine tests or doing provocative procedures to define under-activity or overactivity of an endocrine gland.

Follow-Up:

Usually at one to three-month intervals to assess the course of the disease, or response to treatment.

Nutritional Evaluation:

A detailed dietary history is taken, then a diet is planned catered to the patient’s desirable weight and/or diabetes for cholesterol control.

Know Your Diabetes

Step 1: Learn about diabetes:
Diabetes means that your blood sugar levels are too high. Weakness, tiredness, fatigue, loss of weight, excessive hunger, excessive thirst, and excessive urination are the general symptoms of diabetes. But unfortunately, most of the patients may not feel these symptoms even if their sugar levels are very high and go undiagnosed for a longer period till they develop complications. There is three types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes:
The body does not produce insulin. People with type 1 need to take insulin every day regularly for life long.

Type 2 diabetes:
The body does not make or use insulin well. People with type 2 often need to take tablets, insulin, or both. It is a common form of diabetes. Gestational diabetes – It occurs when a woman is pregnant. It increases her risk of getting diabetes later. It also raises her child’s risk of being overweight and getting diabetes.

Gestational diabetes:

It occurs when a woman is pregnant. It increases her risk of getting diabetes later. It also raises her child’s risk of being overweight and getting diabetes.

Diabetes is serious:
Diabetes is serious, but you should learn to manage it. All people with diabetes need to take healthy well-balanced food, stay at a healthy weight, and be physically fit. Taking good care of your diabetes will help you to feel better and avoid health problems such as:

• Heart attack and stroke
• Eye problems that can lead to trouble in seeing and loss of vision
• Nerve damage that can cause tingling, burning sensation, or numbness in the feet
• Some people may develop foot ulcers and even lose a foot or a leg
• Kidney problems
• Sexual disorders
• When your blood glucose is close to normal you are likely to:

Have more energy

• Be less tired and thirsty and urinate less often
• Heal better and have fewer skin or bladder infections
• Have fewer problems with your eyesight, feet, and gums

 Step 2:
Know your diabetes ABCs.
Talk to your doctor about how to manage your A1C, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol. This can help lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, and other diabetes complications. Here’s what the ABCs of diabetes stand for:

• A for the A1C test
  It shows you what your blood glucose has been over the last three months. By maintaining an A1C of < 6.5%, you can prevent most of the complications. To get the A1C of < 6.5%, you need to maintain fasting blood sugar of <100mg and postprandial of <140mg.
• B for Blood pressure
  The goal for people with diabetes is below 130/80. High blood pressure makes your heart work too hard and causes heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
• C for Cholesterol

The LDL goal is below 100mg.
The TGL goal is below 150mg.
The HDL goal is above 40mg.
LDL&TGL, the “bad” cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels. It can cause a heart attack or a stroke. HDL, the “good” cholesterol helps remove the bad cholesterol from your blood vessels and prevent heart attack and stroke.

Step 3:
Manage your diabetes

• You can avoid the long-term problems of diabetes by taking good care of your diabetes. Work with your doctor to reach your ABC goals.
• Use this self-care plan. Eat healthy food with more fiber[fruits and vegetables, whole-grain cereals].
• Take low-fat or skimmed milk and foods that have less fat, salt & minimum oil.
• Do 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.
• Brisk walking is a great way to start.
• Stay at a healthy weight by using your meal plan and exercise.
• Learn to cope with stress.
• Stress can raise your blood glucose and blood pressure.
• While it is hard to remove stress from your life, you can learn to handle it.
• Stop smoking.
• Take medicines even when you feel good. Tell your doctor if you have any side effects.
• Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots, and swelling. Call your doctor right away if there is a problem.
• Check your blood glucose, blood pressure regularly.

Step 4:
Get routine care
See your doctor at least once in three months. Ask what steps you can take to reach your goals.

At every visit be sure to have a:

• A1C test
• Blood pressure check
• Foot check
• Weight check
• Once in a year be sure to have a Cholesterol test.
• Complete foot exam.
• Dilated eye exam to check for eye problems.
• Cardiac evaluation.
• Urine and a blood test to check for kidney problems.