Diabetes
Carroll Family Medicine LLC
Family Medicine & Aesthetics located in Hampstead, MD
Diabetes is as common as it is manageable. But the first step to living a healthy, balanced life with diabetes is getting an accurate diagnosis and understanding of your condition. Carroll Family Medicine LLC can help you do both. Call their office in Hampstead, Maryland, to get the diagnosis and treatment you need. Alternately, you can schedule your appointment online.
Diabetes Q & A
What is diabetes?
Diabetes affects the way your body processes the sugar in your bloodstream. Normally, your body can pull the sugar from the food you eat from your bloodstream into your cells for energy. But in order to do that, your body relies on a hormone called insulin.
Diabetes is a group of diseases that affects the way your body either makes or uses insulin. This causes an excess of sugar in your blood, which leads to a number of health concerns.
Some of the symptoms associated with diabetes include:
- Fatigue
- Sores that take a long time to heal, especially on your feet
- Increased hunger and thirst
- Increased urination
- Irritability
- Blurry vision
What are the different types of diabetes?
There are two common types of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Individuals living with type 1 diabetes are usually diagnosed before they reach adulthood. This type of diabetes is marked by an issue with the immune system that leads to it destroying the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Without sufficient insulin to move the sugars in the blood into cells so they can use it as energy, excess sugar builds up in the bloodstream.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes usually develops later in life. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase your likelihood of developing this type of diabetes.
The cells of a person living with type 2 diabetes are resistant to insulin. The pancreas tries to make enough insulin to overcome this resistance but it fails, leaving the individual with too much sugar in their blood.
What are the dangers of diabetes?
Excess sugar in the blood exposes you to a number of health complications, including:
- Neuropathy, or numbness resulting from nerve damage
- Cardiovascular disease
- Retinopathy, or eye damage
- Nephropathy, or kidney damage
- Foot ulcers and other foot damage
- Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease
- Depression
Can diabetes be treated?
Absolutely. And the dedicated team at Carroll Family Medicine has years of experience helping people develop a diabetes management program that works for them.
In addition to insulin to supplement the body’s shortage, they also offer wellness programs and individualized obesity counseling. A healthy weight is key in keeping your diabetes under control and protecting your long-term wellbeing.
You don’t have to navigate diabetes on your own. Call Carroll Family Medicine or schedule your appointment online today.