March 22 is Diabetes Alert Day

Today, March 22nd, is “Diabetes Alert Day”. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) wants to remind people to ask their doctor for diabetes testing. 1 in 3 American Adults are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes especially if there is family history of the disease and a person is inactive. There is more to it then that, however. My diabetes was caused by a collapse in my endocrine system and I also have an aunt with diabetes. During my young life, I didn’t have very knowledgeable doctors. None of my medical complaints were taken seriously until I found a highly trained and professional OBGYN. Instead of treating symptoms as separate issues to be treated, she looked at the lab work as a whole and had me tested for Turners and diabetes. Maybe if I had been diagnosed as a teen with pre-diabetes, my diabetes now would be less severe.

Pre-diabetes is diagnosed by looking at either fasting blood glucose of 100-125 mg/dL or an HbA1c (3 month blood glucose average) of 5.7% to 6.4%. Diabetes is a progressive disease where cells either stop absorbing insulin (Type 2) or the body no longer produces insulin (Type 1). Pre-diabetes (one number apart from diabetes) will eventually become diabetes if you wait too long to take care of your body.

Every company has a Facebook page and Youtube channel. Even the company that makes my fast acting insulin, novalog is on Youtube. The sanofi aventis video news site. www.youtube.com/user/sanofiaventisTVen?feature=chclk

References:

American Diabetes Wholesale newsletter Health, News, and Tips “Diabetes Alert Day” by Marci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE

ADA American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org