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| Monday, September 06, 2010
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 Rice County Diabetes Education is a department of the hospital that is dedicated to helping those with diabetes learn to stay healthy. The program is recognized by the American Diabetes Association as meeting the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education. This accreditation enables Medicare and other insurance providers to cover the cost of the program for their beneficiaries.
Mary Konen, R.N., Certified Diabetes Educator and Ellen Garden, Registered Dietitian are the educators that meet with each patient at every class. They are friendly professionals that are dedicated to helping their patients stay healthy and improve their confidence in becoming the head of their own health care team.
The program is divided into four sessions with each session building on the knowledge that was gained in the preceding. Classes are limited to no more than six participants and each participant is encouraged to bring a support partner. Important concepts emphasized include: blood glucose monitoring, meal planning and portion control, exercise recommendations, eye care, medication information, blood pressure monitoring, foot care, lipids control, standards of care, stress management, and other concepts to help improve knowledge to take control of diabetes on a day to day basis.
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Diabetes risk factors fall into three categories: genetic, personal health history, and lifestyle.
Genetics and some facts about your personal health history cannot be changed. You can't change a family history of diabetes or a personal history of having had diabetes during a pregnancy, for example. They are just facts.
Lifestyle factors, such as being inactive or smoking, CAN be changed. These changes can improve other risk factors such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. Any positive change will reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
*****RISK FACTOR ROUNDUP******
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1. Are you overweight? | |
2. Do you smoke? | |
3. Does someone in your family have diabetes? | |
4. Are you inactive (sit for long stretches of time)? | |
5. Are you African-American, Native American, Hispanic, Asian,
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander? | |
6. Has your blood glucose level ever been high? | |
7. Have you had diabetes during pregnancy or a baby
weighing more than 9 lbs. at birth? | |
8. Do you have heart or blood vessel disease? | |
9. Do you have high blood pressure? | |
10. Do you have abnormal blood cholesterol or triglycerides? | |
11. Do you have dark velvety patches of skin on the back or your
neck, in your armpits, at the elbow, or anywhere else on your body? | |
12. Have you ever had polycystic ovary syndrome?
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Some people have many symptoms of diabetes. Some have none at all.
People without symptoms may find it hard to believe the diagnosis.
Some common symptoms of diabetes are fatigue, blurred vision, frequent infections;
poor wound healing, numbness and tingling in the hands, legs, or feet; frequent urination,
increased thirst, and increased hunger.
Diabetes is diagnosed by measuring the level of glucose in the blood.
Two high levels from blood tests done on different days are needed to make a diagnosis.
A fasting test is done after having only water for at least eight hours.
A normal fasting blood sugar is from 70-100mg/dl. Diabetes is diagnosed
when the blood sugar is 126mg/dl or higher on two results.
Early detection, treatment and continued control is very important as this will
reduce the chances of developing more serious health problems linked to diabetes:
nerve disease, kidney problems, heart/circulatory disorders and blindness.
Retinopathy
Currently there are more than 39,000 people living in Kansas with impaired vision who are over the age of 40. There are just over 12,500 people living in our state who are legally blind and over 40. Estimates are that every day 33 to 66 people with diabetes will lose their vision because of a serious complication called diabetic retinopathy.
High blood glucose levels negatively affect circulation in many areas of the body including the tiny blood vessels in the back of the eye called the retina. The earliest stage occurs when the vessels begin to thicken or swell and then they become blocked. As the condition progresses, new blood vessels grow around blocked areas. Unfortunately, the new vessels are weak and unstable and may leak blood which may lead to vision changes. Ultimately this leads to blindness if not detected and treated in a timely manner. Diabetic retinopathy is dangerous and deceptive because it is often silent and without noticeable symptoms until irreversible stages of the disease set in.
According to the American Diabetes Association there are steps that can be taken to avoid eye problems. First and most importantly, blood sugars must be kept under tight control. In the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, people who kept their blood sugar levels close to normal reduced the risk for developing retinopathy by 76%. In this same study, further progression for those already diagnosed with retinopathy occurred only half as often when they regained tight control of their blood sugars. These impressive results show that blood sugar control can have a long term impact on a person’s life.
Second, blood pressure must be kept under control. High blood pressure can make eye problems worse. The recommendation is to keep pressure 130/80 or less.
Third, quit smoking.
Fourth, a yearly dilated eye exam with an eye care professional is absolutely necessary. Only eye care professionals can detect signs of retinopathy. Only an eye care professional can get the treatment for retinopathy started to preserve vision.
Rice County Diabetes Education will present Dr. Jeff Schletzbaum “The Diabetic Eye” on Thursday, March 16 at 7pm in the District hospital conference room. This opportunity to learn how to avoid, detect, and treat diabetic eye problems is free of charge and open to all who would like to know more.
Mary Konen, RN/CDE
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