Diabetic Care Specialist

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease with several types, each of which affects your ability to process glucose or blood sugar. Under normal circumstances, a hormone from your pancreas called insulin facilitates the delivery from your blood into your cells, which use it for energy. 

With diabetes, you either don’t have insulin to remove the sugar from your blood, or your body can’t use its insulin effectively. You might have:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 10% of diabetes cases. Most people get the diagnosis during childhood or adolescence, and it develops because your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that make insulin.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common of the three. It develops when you don’t make enough insulin to remove the sugar from your blood effectively. Soon, glucose builds up in your blood because your insulin can’t keep up with the demand. 

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs in pregnant women. If you have it, your placenta produces hormones that block insulin from processing glucose. 

At Ahearn & Associates Medical Center, the team diagnoses these three types of diabetes and aids in diabetic care. 

What does diabetic care involve?

Diabetic care looks different from person to person. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day since your pancreas doesn’t produce it naturally. The team at Ahearn & Associates Medical Center can also help you adopt a healthy exercise routine and diet to maintain your health.

With type 2 diabetes, diabetic care is a bit different. Diet and exercise can make a huge difference in your blood sugar levels, but you may also need to take medication. Many medications regulate insulin and glucose, and the team might prescribe more than one of them. Some patients with type 2 diabetes also take insulin.

If you have gestational diabetes, you’ll need to monitor your blood sugar daily while pregnant. In most cases, dietary adjustments and reasonable exercise are enough to manage gestational diabetes, but 10-20% of women will need to take insulin. Insulin won’t harm your growing baby.

For how long will I need diabetic care?

Since type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic diseases, you’ll need to manage them for the rest of your life with expert diabetic care. The Ahearn & Associates Medical Center team helps you adjust to your new routine and encourages you to attend regular follow-up visits for monitoring.

Gestational diabetes typically goes away after giving birth, though it raises your risk of getting type 2 diabetes later.

If you need assistance with diabetic care for any type of diabetes, call Ahearn & Associates Medical Center or schedule an appointment online today.