Category Archives: Diabetes

In Brief A year after receiving a new type of islet cell transplant to treat her severe diabetes, a patient continues to do well and no longer needs insulin injections to manage her disease. A Happy Anniversary

Even the most exciting breakthrough medical treatment can be rendered obsolete by a particularly insurmountable obstacle: time. If a treatment only works temporarily, it has little chance of making a significant difference in the lives of patients, which is why the latest news from the University of Miamis Diabetes Research Institute is so exciting.

A year after transplanting insulin-producing islet cells into the omentum of a woman with a particularly unwieldy form of type 1 diabetes, the cells continue to operate as hoped. She no longer needs to receive insulin via injections or an insulin pump and is in good health.

By using the omentum, a fatty membrane in the belly, as the transplant site, the researchers were able to avoid complications associated with the traditionally used site, the liver. The longterm goal of the research is to identify a suitable location for a pancreas-mimicking mini-organ called the BioHub. Based on this patients response, the omentum is looking like it just may be the ideal spot.

Prior to this transplant, the patients entire life revolved around her diabetes. Her quality of life was severely impacted. She had to move in with her parents. And, if she traveled, she had to travel with her father, the studys lead author, Dr. David Baidal, told HealthDay.

Unfortunately, shes not alone in having diabetes control her life. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 9.3 percent of the United States population has diabetes, and 28.7 percent of those people have to inject insulin to manage their disease. If improperly treated, diabetes can lead to a range of ailments, from blindness and high blood pressure to nerve damage or even death.

This patients positive reaction to her islet cells transplant could be the first step to helping those millions of people live normal, healthy lives free from the burden of constantly managing their disease. Were exploring a way to optimize islet cell therapy to a larger population, said Baidal. This study gives us hope for a different transplant approach.

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A Patient With Diabetes No Longer Needs Insulin After Receiving A Bioengineered Pancreas - Futurism

Gestational diabetes is a birth complication affecting millions of women worldwide. New research examines the link between air temperature and the risk of developing this condition.

Gestational diabetes (GD) is a temporary form of diabetes that affects some women during pregnancy. These future mothers often have no history of diabetes prior to getting pregnant, but their blood sugar increases by the time they are halfway through their pregnancy.

In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in the United States, as many as 9.2 percent of pregnant women may be affected by GD. Worldwide, around 1 in 7 births are affected by this complication.

GD occurs when the hormones in the placenta trigger insulin resistance, meaning that healthy blood sugar levels cannot be maintained.

Sensitivity to insulin is known to be improved by exposure to cold temperatures, during which the body produces more heat to keep itself warm. However, could it be that outside air temperatures have a larger impact on the risk of developing GD?

Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Mount Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto - all in Ontario, in Canada - set out to explore the connection between outdoor air temperature and the risk of GD.

The findings were published in CMAJ.

The study examined 555,911 births from 396,828 women over a period of 12 years, from 2002 to 2014.

The women were 31 years old on average, and lived in the Greater Toronto Area. Approximately half of the mothers were not born in Canada.

Extremely cold outdoor temperatures were defined as an average of 10C or less, and hot temperatures as 24C on average.

The women were exposed to these different temperatures for 30 days before being screened for GD.

GD occurred in 4.6 percent of the women that had been exposed to extremely cold temperatures, but this number jumped to 7.7 percent for the women who had been exposed to hot temperatures.

Furthermore, each 10C increase in temperature correlated with a 1.06 times higher risk of GD. A similar trend was found when the temperature increased between two pregnancies in the same mother.

"By further limiting our analysis to pregnancies within the same woman, we controlled for a whole number of factors," says co-lead author Dr. Joel Ray, a researcher at St. Michael's and ICES. "Doing so allowed us to eliminate factors like ethnicity, income, activity, and eating habits that would differ between two different women."

Lead author Dr. Gillian Booth, a researcher at St. Michael's and ICES, reports on the findings:

"We observed a direct relation between outdoor temperature and the risk of gestational diabetes among nearly 400,000 women residing in a single urban area in Canada.

After adjusting for influential risk factors, each 10C increase in [...] temperature was associated with a 6-9 percent relative increase in the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus."

Although the study was observational and cannot provide causality, Dr. Booth offers a potential explanation for the seemingly counterintuitive results:

"Many would think that in warmer temperatures, women are outside and more active, which would help limit the weight gain in pregnancy that predisposes a woman to gestational diabetes. However, it fits a pattern we expected from new studies showing that cold exposure can improve your sensitivity to insulin, by turning on a protective type of fat called brown adipose tissue."

"Although we studied a single geographical region, our findings are likely to be generalizable to other regions in North America and worldwide," say the authors.

They also warn that, if their findings are correct, this could potentially mean that the worldwide number of GD cases might continue to increase as a consequence of global warming.

"Although changes in temperature of this size may lead to a small relative increase in the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, the absolute number of women affected in Canada and elsewhere may be substantial," the authors conclude.

Learn how the link between depression and GD can work two ways.

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Can outdoor temperatures influence gestational diabetes? - Medical News Today

Mick Mulvaney, now in charge of deciding who deserves health care.

The debate over Trumpcare has exposed Republican attitudes toward the people they represent more than any debate in recent memory. We've always known that they value some lives more than others, but they don't say it out loud very ofteninstead, it's dog-whistled most of the time. Now, though, when we're talking actual life and death formillions of people, they're unleashed.

First it was Rep. Mo Brooksof Alabamawith his comparison of"those people who lead good lives, they're healthy" and have pre-existing health conditions "through no fault of their own," versus the people who brought it on themselves and therefore don't deserve affordable insurance. Now it's popular vote loser Donald Trump's budget director, Mick Mulvaney, who is doling out health care on the basis of virtue.

"We have plenty of money to deal with that. We have plenty of money to provide that safety net so that if you get cancer you don't end up broke," Mulvaney said at the Leaders in Global Healthcare and Technology forum.

But then he drew a distinction between people like [Jimmy] Kimmel's son, born with a congenital heart disease, and people who end up with conditions like diabetes. "That doesn't mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes," Mulvaney said, according to a Washington Examiner account consistent with real-time social media reports. "Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmel's kid? I don't think that it is."

The American Diabetes Association would like Mulvaney to understand that lifeand diabetesdon't work that way.

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Have diabetes? Trump's budget director says you brought it on yourself, so no health care for you - Daily Kos

The American Diabetes Association is teaching Mick Mulvaney, who serves as head of the Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump, a valuable lesson about human biology.

On Thursday, Mulvaney told an audience at the Light Forum at Stanford University that people who get diabetes may not deserve affordable health insurance.

That doesnt mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes. Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmels kid? I dont think that it is, Mulvaney told the audience, according to a report by the Washington Examiner.

Butas the American Diabetes Association pointed out in a public statement on Friday, the notion that the condition is solely caused by poor lifestyle choices is both offensive and inaccurate.

All of the scientific evidence indicates that diabetes develops from a diverse set of risk factors, genetics being a primary cause, the statement said. People with diabetes need access to affordable health care in order to effectively manage their disease and prevent dangerous and costly complications. Nobody should be denied coverage or charged more based on their health status.

This isnt the first time that Mulvaney has made comments which critics perceived as calloused and factually challenged. In March, Mulvaney caught flak for arguing that cutting funds to Meals on Wheels was probably one of the most compassionate things we can do because it allowed the government to guarantee to you that that money is actually being used in a proper function.

Not only was this remark derided for its insensitivity, but it ignored the fact that Meals on Wheels has been demonstrably very effective.

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Mick Mulvaney gets schooled about diabetes after saying it's caused by poor lifestyle choices - Salon

Ill be responding to the prompts provided over the course of the week. I recommend checking out the topics and posts hereto keep up with all the bloggers participating this week.

Okay, time to respond to prompt #1! Here it is:

The prompt: Diabetes can sometimes seem to play by a rulebook that makes no sense, tossing out unexpected challenges at random. What are your best tips for being prepared when the unexpected happens? Or, take this topic another way and tell us about some good things diabetes has brought into your, or your loved ones, life that you never could have expected?

Expect the unexpected is one of the many taglines of the reality television show, Big Brother (of which I am, unashamedly, a fan). Its a warning to contestants that curveballs could, and will, be lobbed at them when they least anticipate it, and it certainly translates well into the life of a person with diabetes. Over the years, Ive experienced a number of mini emergenciesrunning out of test strips, forgetting my meter at home, dealing with failed insulin pods, coping with burnoutthese are just a few examples of episodes that always seem to happen when its the least convenient timing.

How have I prepared myself for the unexpected? Its become about anticipating all the possible scenarios: Maybe my pod will fail, so Ill need a backup, extra wipes, and insulin. Maybe I will have more than one low blood sugar on the go today, so Ill pack extra snacks. Maybe my PDM will run out of battery, so Ill carry replacements in my purse. Its a matter of being armed at all times with more supplies than its probably necessary to have, but Id rather be safe than sorry. In fact, my T1D mom and I always say to each other that wed rather have something and not need it, than not have it and need it. Its much easier to deal with the unexpected when you do everything you can to prepare for challengesI stress much less and dont panic to the same degree when I have everything I might need on my person.

To address the second part of the prompt, I think that one good thing that diabetes has brought into my life is a little more control over my eating habits than I might have without it. Since I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of four years old, I grew up understanding the importance of portion control because it was detrimental to my carb counting and accurate dosing. As an adult, I can also see how this has been a positive influence on my weight management and knowing when I may be going overboard with portion sizes.

I have moments when Im angry/frustrated/burnt-out from my diabetes, but every so often I like to remind myself that its not the worst thing in the world. Its made me stronger in ways I never expected, and for that, Im grateful.

Molly Johannes was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997 at the age of four. She controls her diabetes with an OmniPod insulin pump, Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, and daily exercise. Molly graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December 2014 with a degree in English. Currently, she works fulltime as an associate editor for a financial company. In her spare time, Molly enjoys spending time with her loved ones, reading books, watching movies, and playing games. Shes an avid fan of Disney, dark chocolate, wine, Harry Potter, and fun times. While Molly does not know a life without diabetes, she is determined to defy the daily obstacles the disease presents.

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#DBlogWeek Day 1 Diabetes and the Unexpected - A Sweet Life

This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

The World Health Organisation estimates that the number of people with diabetes is422m, globally. And between 1980 and 2014 the number of people with the condition almost doubled. Despite the high prevalence of the disease, it is often misunderstood. Here are some common misconceptions about diabetes.

New research suggests Type 2 diabetes may be caused by high levels of toxins released by staph bacteria. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

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1. Diabetes is Purely a Disorder of the Pancreas

Diabetes doesaffect the pancreas, but it shouldnt just be thought of as an illness that affects the body from the neck down. If we take this viewpoint we miss the psychological impact of living with this condition. And its a big one. As well as the issue of adjusting to the diagnosis of a long-term health condition, people with diabetes aremore likely to develop depression. There is even a specific form of depression associated with diabetes known asdiabetes distress. Its when a person is struggling to cope with managing their condition.

Having diabetes affects your mental abilities too. Research suggests that diabetes can affect your ability tothink clearly, focus and recall memories.

Diabetes also affects other brain processes, such as how we weigh up food choices. Researchers are also investigating how hormones, such as insulin,seem to regulate food choices. These particular brain effects, within a system called the midbrain dopamine system, offer one potential explanation for why some diabetics find it difficult to follow health advice, no matter how often they are given it.

2. Only Overweight or Obese People Get Diabetes

There is a strong association between type 2 diabetes and obesity, but that doesnt mean that everyone who is diabetic is overweight or obese. Nor does it mean that everyone who is overweight or obese will develop diabetes.

However, a Public Health Englandreportsaid that obese adults in England were five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than adults of a normal weight. But there is still a lot of work to be done to fully understand thelink between diabetes and obesity. This includes understanding the biological mechanisms that might link the two.

Type 1 diabetes isnt associated with obesity. It is considered to be an autoimmune disorder which means that the bodys own immune system attacks the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Its a very successful attack; a type 1 diabetic is no longer able to produce insulin. There is some evidence thattype 1 diabetes is genetic, yet not everyone in possession of the diabetes risk genes will develop diabetes. There is also some evidence thattype 1 diabetes might be caused by a virus.

3. You Need to Inject Insulin Regularly

Type 1 diabetics do require insulin therapy, but this can be delivered using insulin pumps. These devices reduce the need to inject insulin regularly. The insulin is still delivered via a needle, which is attached to a piece of tubing and then to the pump, and there are several advantages to this method. One is that it is more discrete and the diabeticavoids the social stigmaassociated withinjecting in public. The second is that it reduces the need tofind different injection sites.

There are a range of treatment options for type 2 diabetes, and for gestational diabetes (which develops during pregnancy). These types of diabetes may be treated by lifestyle changes or, in the early stages, might be successfully managed by pills, such as metformin. As diabetics age, or as a pregnancy progresses, there may be a need for insulin or a combination of pills. Those diabetics who are struggling to manage their condition might also be offered a drug such as bromocriptine, which targets areas of the brain that help toregulate the bodys metabolism.

4. Diabetes is Easy to Manage

There is some evidence that alow-calorie dietmay return fasting blood glucose levels to normal in type 2 diabetics, which has led to suggestions that this may be a cure. But theres no evidence that this is permanent and most doctors agree that diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes) is for life.

The serious long-term complications of diabetes arelimb amputation, loss of sight and cardiovascular disease. This is why routine screening is in place to monitor these aspects of diabetic health. In short, some diabetes complications can kill.

Diabetes is a hidden disease and for many people it certainly isnt easy to manage. Being given healthy living advice and education is not enough to help everyone, and many fail tomanage their condition(although some manage successfully until their illness progresses and everything changes). Blood sugar levels areaffected bynutrition, activity, sleep cycles illness, and stress and other hormone effects. So the signs and symptoms of diabetes are rarely stable.

For most people, diabetes is for life. It is a serious condition that can feel unpredictable and overwhelming, at times. Many people with diabetes report experiencing the stigma surrounding the condition. Some diabetics even have their own misunderstandings and preconceptions. It is therefore vital to raise awareness of the reality of living with diabetes to help improve the experience of it.

Claire Rostron is a Senior Lecturer at The Open University.

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Debunking Major Myths About Diabetes - Newsweek

Im not a huge fan of Mothers Day. Mind you: my kids are wonderful about it, and so is my husband. I just kind of want to live a life in which we all almost always appreciate one another, and remind one another of it. That said, I have someone or rather something special to thank this Mothers Day:

Say what?

Yes, you heard me right. Because while I did not know it when diabetes barreled into my daughters life nearly 20 years ago, it was the best worst thing that ever happened to me as a mother.

Diabetes has brought much grief, but I can say without hesitation that it has made me better in many ways. Its forced me to be strong and diligent, and given me skills and insights I didnt necessarily want, but that made me grow for the better. Part of who I am as a mother is thanks to diabetes.

And so, for Mothers Day this year, Im going to thank diabetes for a few things, like:

It takes guts to be a good mom. The easy way out for all parents, I think, is to let fear rule you. Diabetes pushed me to let go of fear, like the summer my daughter was six not yet even reading, and I dropped her off for two weeks at diabetes camp. I joke that I hid behind a tree for hours, popping out and yelling are you low??!! every few minutes that first day (not really but I did hang around for hours). Leaving her in the care of others, with barely any contact at all, took guts. And it taught me: she can be fine without me. I carried that courage over to the rest of my parenting life, not just with her, but with my daughter without diabetes

Nothing is more valuable than understanding what is a big deal and what isnt.

Things I used to sweat suddenly balanced out as not as big a deal. My kid didnt get the role she wanted in the middle school play? Hey, were all healthy and she can be perfectly happy in the chorus. Miss a birthday party because of a sickness? Life picks up and goes on the next day. Because diabetes is a never-ending practice of making the best of things (high? Well just fix it. Low? Weve got glucose tabs for that!), I learned as a mom to adopt that perspective in all my parenting moments (Okay most of them. I am a mere human). Over the years, things like getting (perhaps unfairly) cut from the soccer team became, instead of a world crisis, a paused, readjustment and chance to move forward.

Diabetes also taught me to reposition my own perspective. Its easy as a diabetes mom to feel sorry for yourself, to want to sink into the grief, anxiety and sometimes overwhelming duties attached to it all. But I learned early from teens and adults with diabetes themselves to change that view. Diabetes is not mine it is my childs. I dont live with it 24/7, she does. And until theres a cure, she always will. I had to learn that while my child is my heart, she is her own person and I am mine. I was not going to feel sorry for myself and not going to teach my daughter to feel sorry for herself.

Living with a chronic disease in your family opens your mind and heart to others who do as well. It also opens you to the realization that everyone even folks who dont have something like diabetes on boardsometimes are sad, hurt, scared, or overwhelmed by life. Sometimes, all someone needs is for you to let them know you know that.

Diabetes helped me see that. In the early years, someone who simply cared and let me know they felt empathy was like a balm to my wound. As I grew stronger, I realized as a mom knowing when to offer that balm to my own kids and my friends was a wonderful skill to have.

Diabetes helped me find my voice. Ive told my story make that my daughters story (perspective!) to senators, congressmen, even presidents. Ive stood on stages before thousands of people and movitated them to give money to JDRF and to do raise funds themselves. Ive ridden a bike 100 miles in one day through a desert, through three states, through a wind tunnel of marshes in northern Florida things I never thought Id have the power to do. Diabetes has pushed me to push my limits, to become more confident, to work harder, and to never give up. Thats a gift that serves me as a mother and as a human being. Diabetes helped me know I am stronger than I thought I was.

Diabetes has shown me how both my children the one with diabetes and the one without it can thrive in life despite it. It has introduced me to incredible friends. It has connected me to a world of true heroes. It has taken me places and taught me things I could never have learned without it.

So this Mothers Day, I thank diabetes for making me the mother I am today. Ill keep on working to banish diabetes from this earth, but until then, Ill continue to learn from it and soak up the very good from the very bad.

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5 Ways Diabetes Made Me A Better Mother - A Sweet Life (blog)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)- Doctors call it a silent killer and in Middle Tennessee, its affecting one ethnic group at an alarming rate.

Diabetes is on the rise in the hispanic community and one local doctor is educating patients and helping them control this potentially deadly disease.

Sergio Mezo is just happy he got help when he did.

My life has changed a lot in the last year my feet use to hurt a lot, they use to be numb, now my feet are better. I used to be very, very tired. I wanted to sleep a lot while I was working, said Mezo.

Mezo was diagnosed with Type One diabetes at 23 and over the last eight years hes had a hard time making appointments with his primary care physician.

I was very sick, waiting in another clinic to be seen and they didnt have any openings, said Mezo.

Since he started seeing nurse practitionerLuisa Leal, his diabetes is now under control.

Its a silent killer. Diabetes falls under the same category as high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol, those are the silent killers, said Leal.

Mezo is not alone. There is a growing number of Hispanics in Nashville being diagnosed with diabetes.

Mirta Rodriquez, 75, found out she had diabetes 22 years ago and during one visit, her blood sugar levels were through the roof.

It should be between 100 and 160 for her, but the patient had hot coco today, and hot coco has a lot of sugar, said Leal.

Leal says many Hispanics live with the disease and dont know they have it.

The average undiagnosed is usually between five years and ten years, said Leal.

So this nurse practitioner is educating her patients.

Its going to be very difficult to solve in one day, but prevention is the key and educating the patient, educating the community.

Leal said Hispanics from Central America and the Caribbean see some of the highest number of diabetes cases, mainly because when they move here to the states, they adopted the American way of living and eating.

A passive lifestyle with poor eating habits and now the obesity, added Leal.

For every one Hispanic Leal helps, she says there are many others who go untreated.

They just want to be working the 7-days during the week, and making money so they take care of their family; their last priority is taking care of themselves, said Leal.

Diabetes is a hereditary disease and the CDC estimates 40 percent of all Americans could develop Type Two diabetes while that number jumps to 50 percent for Hispanics.

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Diabetes affecting Middle Tennessee Hispanics at alarming rate - WKRN.com

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At this years Miss USA Pageant, it wont just be Miss Michigan USA Krista Fergusons first time competing on the Miss USA stageit will also be the first time a contestant has visibly worn a glucose monitor for type 1 diabetes during competition. Fergusons monitor, a patch called Dexcom, will be visible on her arm all night long as she vies for the title.

But when Ferguson, 24, first won Miss Michigan USA, she wasnt sure if shed wear her monitor somewhere visible or not. (She can wear the patch on her arm, thigh, or stomach, or even take it off for a few hours if she feels confident about her blood sugar levels.) Recently, she did a Snapchat takeover on the Miss USA account and documented how she checks her blood sugar each day. I had a lot of people messaging me if I would be wearing [my monitor] on stage, Ferguson tells Glamour. I thought, I dont want to make anybody feel pity for me, but this is my platform. I have accepted it and learned that I can make a difference and have an impact on young women and men. And that made the decision easy: If I were to take it off its almost a little bit hypocritical. Why would I hide something like that? Im keeping it onwith pride.

Ferguson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2015, at age 22, a late diagnosis for this type, which is often identified in late childhood or early adolescence. I actually went to the hospital for something completely differenta ruptured ovarian cystbut they took my blood sugar and found out it was 400, Ferguson explains, a very high reading. At first, I was in shock. [My diabetes] had been untreated for so longI could have gone into a diabetic coma. Then, she says, she realized that years of unexplained symptomsextreme thirst (I was drinking 15-16 water bottles per day), an overactive bladder, tingling in her toes, blurry vision, exhaustioncould be attributed to her diabetes. Even though it was a relief that these symptoms could now be managed with insulin injections, she still says she struggled to come to terms with her diagnosis. When I got diagnosed, a part of me didnt want to compete in pageants anymore, says Ferguson, who first vied for the title of Miss Michigan in 2014, before her diagnosis. I thought: Im never going to win. Theyre going to see me and think shes sick. So she took a year off. During that time, she says, I eventually told myself: Im going to have diabetes, but my circumstance and my illness do not define me. I pushed myself. I reminded myself: I want this. She returned to the competition in 2016, finishing as first runner up, which only fueled her resolve to win. She returned in 2017 and took the title. I really understand my disease now, so type 1 diabetes was my platform. Im very positive about it, explains Ferguson, who works with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) as her chosen philanthropy, an organization working to end juvenile diabetes.

These days, Ferguson says she lives a pretty regular life. Shes made a few minor dietary changesI still have dessert, but things with protein like milkshakes and cheesecake work better for my body always aims to hit her 10,000 steps since staying active helps her body regulate her blood sugar, and checks her blood sugar levels regularly on her phone via an app that syncs up to her Dexcom monitor. When she takes the stage Sunday night, she hopes young people everywhere living with type 1 diabetes feel empowered by seeing her wearing her Dexcom. Whether I win or lose, if those kids can see that pageant girls can have diabetes and still competethat is winning.

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Why This Miss USA Contestant Is Proudly Wearing Her Type 1 Diabetes Glucose Monitor During the Competition - Glamour

After being diagnosed with diabetes, every meal became a complicated math lesson.

Barbara Goldsmith had to become vigilant about everything she put in her body. The Edinburgh resident meticulously counted carbohydrates, too many of which can spike her blood sugar level and wreak havoc on her body.

She calculated how much she has eaten, and immediately following a meal, factored in housework, gardening or some other activity so that her sugars dont rise to unsafe levels.

On top of the four different medications she takes, diabetes has shifted everything in Goldsmiths life. But changing her lifestyle has been her only option.

Lauren Witt unpacks the blood sugar monitor that she keeps with her at all times. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago, and utilized the Johnson Memorial Health Diabetes Care Center in Franklin to learn about testing her glucose levels, managing her diet and adapting her lifestyle to the disease. Ryan Trares

The blood sugar monitor and testing strips that Lauren Witt keeps with her at all times. Witt, 29, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago, and utilized the Johnson Memorial Health Diabetes Care Center in Franklin to learn about testing her glucose levels, managing her diet and adapting her lifestyle to the disease. Ryan Trares

Lauren Witt sets up the blood sugar monitor and testing strips that she keeps with her at all times. If her blood sugar, or glucose, reaches a certain level, she may need an emergency shot of insulin. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago. Ryan Trares

Lauren Witt sets up the blood sugar monitor and testing strips that she keeps with her at all times. If her blood sugar, or glucose, reaches a certain level, she may need an emergency shot of insulin. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago. Ryan Trares

Lauren Witt sets up the blood sugar monitor and testing strips that she keeps with her at all times. If her blood sugar, or glucose, reaches a certain level, she may need an emergency shot of insulin. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago. Ryan Trares

The different types of insulin that Lauren Witt keeps with her at all times in case of a diabetic emergency. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago, and utilized the Johnson Memorial Health Diabetes Care Center in Franklin to learn about testing her glucose levels, managing her diet and adapting her lifestyle to the disease. Ryan Trares

Lauren Witt, 29, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago, and utilized the Johnson Memorial Health Diabetes Care Center in Franklin to learn about testing her glucose levels, managing her diet and adapting her lifestyle to the disease. Ryan Trares

Watch what you eat and how much you eat. If you have medication, take it. Watch your sugar, and try to stay active. Those are the main things, she said. I dont know what would happen to me if I dont do that.

More and more Johnson County residents such as Goldsmith are living with diabetes or are on their way to developing it in the future. The disease has become worryingly more prevalent throughout Indiana, growing by more than 50 percent from 2000 to 2009.

Battling the growing epidemic has required a multi-faceted approach. Health officials have focused on educating patients about ways to avoid the disease, stressing diet and exercise, and teaching how the sugars we consume impact the body.

The hope is to stem the increase of new cases, while helping people already diagnosed live healthier and minimize the impact.

Diabetes is a global epidemic. Its out of control, said Dr. Gaston Dana of Johnson Memorial Internal Medicine Specialists. Once you develop it, you have it for life. By realizing that you can make changes in lifestyle that can significantly impact that, you can possibly stop that.

Diabetes is broad term for diseases characterized by high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. The disease is caused by defects in insulin production, how insulin acts in the body, or a combination of both. Insulin is a hormone necessary for the regulation of blood glucose levels.

When insulin production and action in the body works improperly, complications such as heart disease, stroke, amputation and blindness can occur. At its worst, the disease can cause death.

The disease can come in varying forms. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas, the only cells in the body that make insulin to regulate glucose.

Type 2 is the more common form, accounting for between 90 and 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. The bodys cells start resisting insulin and not using it properly, which eventually causes the pancreas to lose the ability to make it.

Diabetes levels in Indiana, particularly Type 2, have risen sharply since 2000, climbing from 6 percent of the population to 12.9 percent. In Johnson County, 11 percent of people have the disease. Treating diabetes costs Indiana $6.6 billion in medical costs each year, according to the American Diabetes Association.

I would say its over 50 percent of our patient population that is dealing with diabetes, Dana said.

Many of those people are referred to the Diabetes Care Center at Johnson Memorial Health, where specialists help patients adapt to what is a consuming and jarring diagnosis.

No one wants to have this diagnosis. Probably 50 percent of the people who sit in front of me are angry and in denial, said Carla Duncan, a registered nurse at the Diabetes Care Center. Theyre not hearing a word that I say, so you have to find a way to connect to them.

The staff works to ensure their patients understands what their disease is and what theyll be going through. They explain the genetic factors of the disease, how things such as being overweight, skipping meals or smoking can turn the hereditary aspects of diabetes on. Medication and how it can impact the disease is also covered.

The key is to help people understand how the disease is managed now, Duncan said.

A lot of the people who come here have preconceived ideas and old beliefs about diabetes. My grandma did this, it worked for her 50 years ago, why are you telling me something different now,' she said. So just making people realize that what we knew 50 years ago is different than what we know now about diabetes.

Lauren Witt was 24 when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She noticed that she was losing a lot of weight, despite still eating the same amount she always had. Her vision would get blurry, and on one occurrence, she passed out.

A blood test confirmed that her glucose levels were incredibly high. Once doctors determined that she had Type 1 diabetes, she was referred to Duncan to help manage the disease. She helped Witt learn to take insulin, count carbohydrates and learn more about nutrition.

(Duncan) has been so helpful. I call her my diabetes mom. She always takes care of me, and I can count on her to help with whatever questions I have, she said.

In the five years since diagnosis, Witt has adapted every part of her life around the disease.

It affects everything I do. When I wake up, I need to make sure sugar is decent, that I didnt get too low during the night. When I exercise, I have to have something to eat with me because my blood sugar can drop quickly. And everything I eat I have to count, she said. A lot of people dont know a lot about food, so to learn actual nutrition helped me comprehend everything better.

Lifestyle is a huge focus for patients with diabetes, Duncan said. Many of the people they see dont exercise, eat poorly or smoke, contributing to and exasperating the situation. Misconceptions about the disease also have to be overcome.

People have to adjust the food they consume, when and how much they eat, factor in exercise and adapt to the medications.

Changing your lifestyle is probably the hardest thing in the world. We want everybody else in the world to change, but not us. When were told to change, it gets very uncomfortable, Duncan said. The key to being successful at this is helping the patient get to that point in their life, when they say theyre ready to change.

Goldsmith was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes around 2005 but refused to change much about her life. She had always eaten whatever she wanted and didnt do much exercising.

Though she was told to watch her concentrated sugars, she didnt pay attention. She kept gaining weight, reaching 171 pounds at the most.

I knew I was diabetic, but I just didnt do anything about it. I didnt watch myself. Thats what got me out of control, she said.

But during a checkup with her doctor, a blood test revealed that Goldsmiths glucose levels were almost twice the normal levels.

(My doctor) was very upset with me. She put me on medication, and sent me to Carla, she said. Without their help I wouldnt be where I am today.

Duncan schooled Goldsmith on portion control, how to count her carbohydrates so that too much wouldnt spike her glucose levels.

Living a more active lifestyle was also very important. Goldsmith hurt her back, which prevents her from walking long distances or running. But after she eats, she makes sure to do housework, finish the dishes, take care of laundry anything to keep moving.

The more I move around after I eat, the better my blood sugar numbers will be. If you eat a meal and sit down, let it absorb, it will screw up your numbers, she said.

Following Duncans advice, Goldsmith lost 40 pounds and dropped to 133. Her blood sugar levels have stabilized and she feels better than she has for years.

In addition to her diet and exercise, she takes one pill after breakfast, and three others after dinner to help her body regulate her blood sugar. Three times a day, she has to test her blood to monitor her sugar levels.

Medical professionals measure blood sugar to determine if a patient has diabetes. A normal blood glucose level is below 5.7 percent, while diabetes is diagnosed if that level is 6.5 percent of above.

Patients need to know how different factors affect their blood sugar, how to test it and what those numbers mean.

Even most people who have had diabetes for many years cant tell me what their blood sugar should be, Duncan said.

Duncan and her staff also work with people who come to the center with prediabetes their blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet reaching the level to be considered diabetes. The condition can often be reversed with lifestyle changes, such as improving your diet and getting more exercise.

They have to know how to do that, though, Duncan said.

Weight loss, exercise, diet. Most people with prediabetes need to lose a little bit of weight, probably arent as active as they need to be, she said. Our goal is more about lifestyle. By changing lifestyle, we can change that diagnosis back to normal to prevent the diagnosis of diabetes until later in life.

If you go

Diabetes education series

What: A series of workshops and informational meetings presented by the Johnson Memorial Health Diabetes Care Center teaching people about diabetes, blood sugar and other aspects of nutrition and the disease.

Where: Johnson County Public Library, Franklin Branch, 401 State St.

Next session: 1 to 3 p.m. June 22, focusing on sugars and carbohydrates, reading a food label and balancing your plate.

Additional workshop: 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 28

Cost: Free. No registration necessary.

Information: (317) 346-3846 or JohnsonMemorial.org/Diabetes

Link:
Diabetes cases on the rise - Daily Journal - Daily Journal