Nov 3, 2018 6 min read

Chance are pretty good that you have been touched by diabetes at some point in your life. In fact, the chances are pretty good that either you, a family member or someone you know has diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 30 million Americans have diabetes. That’s 9.4 percent of the population, or one-in-four adults over age 65.

Diabetes is defined as a group of diseases that result in too much sugar in the blood (high glucose). Glucose is what gives us energy. We get it from food.

Insulin is a hormone made by our pancreas that helps convert that glucose into energy. Diabetes occurs when your pancreas doesn’t make any or enough insulin to do the trick, leaving too much glucose stranded in your blood. Why is that a problem? High blood sugar can cause heart attack, stroke, organ damage and even blindness. Another complication from diabetes can be low blood sugar, which can cause fainting and seizures.

Not all diabetes cases are the same. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin. This is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and requires patients to take insulin every day.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use it the right way. Type 2 diabetes can occur at any age but most often sets in during middle age, and is the most common form of diabetes.

Gestational diabetes happens when a woman is pregnant and may go away after the baby is born. However, someone with gestational diabetes is at higher risk of eventually developing Type 2 diabetes.

So you’ve gotten the bad news that you or someone you love has diabetes. Now what?

Dr. Thomas Tambouratzis, internal medicine physician with Washington Health System, said a diabetes diagnosis is obviously upsetting, but that it’s not the end of the world. He said that while you can’t expect to completely reverse diabetes permanently, you can take action and live a normal life.

“It is my understanding that once someone is diagnosed with diabetes, they will always have diabetes more or less,” said Tambouratzis. “The good news is that getting diagnosed with diabetes is not a death sentence. It’s more of a wake-up call that if someone is overweight to get up off their fanny and do something.”

Changes start with your diet and watching sugar and carbohydrate intake along with calories.

Exercise is extremely important, not only to try to lose or control weight, but also to boost your health. If you’re diabetic and don’t exercise, you should start. If you already exercise, you may need to up your activity.

Tambouratzis said the real toll that diabetes takes on your body is to age you prematurely.

“When someone is diagnosed with diabetes, their real age is actually 10 years older than their age,” he said. “Their mortality rate is actually that of someone who is 10 years older. What’s the motivation to do anything about it? If you don’t take care of yourself and you’re a diabetic, you lose another 10 years of life on top of that.”

Tambouratzis saw this scenario play out in his own family when his father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and didn’t follow his doctor’s advice on using insulin. He passed away at 71, even though his own parents lived well into their 90s.

Once a patient gets a diabetes diagnosis, they often feel overwhelmed. But there are many resources available to help manage your condition, and there are experts willing to help you take control of your health. Your doctor will explain any medications and testing that will be involved and you’ll also be referred to other professionals, such as a diabetes educator and a dietitian. They can get you on the right path with an eating plan that eliminates foods that contain added sugar. They’ll also help you calculate how many calories and carbohydrates you should be eating every day according to your weight and other factors.

Tambouratzis said achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for diabetics and can drastically improve blood glucose numbers.

“Even 10 pounds of weight loss in a diabetic can make a difference in glucose control, even if they weigh over 300 pounds,” he said. “The reality is it can do a lot and every pound is important.”

The most important message that he conveys to his patients is to not get discouraged.

“I try to put the diabetes in perspective,” said Tambouratzis. “I tell them this is a problem you’re going to have to deal with, but you can do it. I try to empower them and give them courage that they can take action to get this condition under control.”

He admits that he sees a lot of patients dealing with a range of emotions after a diabetes diagnosis, but he offers them a message of encouragement and hope.

“A lot of times, patients get frustrated if they feel they’re helpless,” he said. “With diabetes, you’re really not helpless. There are all of these things you can do with diet, exercise and medication to try to keep this condition under control.”

The following symptoms of diabetes are typical. However, some people with type 2 diabetes have symptoms so mild that they go unnoticed.

Common symptoms of diabetes:

• Urinating often
• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Weight loss – even though you are eating more
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet 

Early detection and treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of developing the complications of diabetes.

Information provided by the American Diabetes Association