Nursing Notes: November is National Diabetes Awareness month.

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Type 1 diabetes, which was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes, may account for about 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes, may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:

  •  Frequent urination (can include bedwetting)
  • Excessive thirst
  • Unexplained and/or sudden weight loss
  • Extreme hunger
  • Sudden vision changes
  • Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
  • Feeling very tired much of the time
  • Very dry skin
  • Sores that are slow to heal
  • More infections than usual
  • Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
  • Heavy, labored breathing
  • Stupor, unconsciousness

 Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1 diabetes. The symptoms can often be mistaken for more common illnesses, like the flu. As with many diseases, early diagnosis goes a long way toward preventing serious health problems, and even death.

 For more information about diabetes, contact the school nurse or visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at www.jrdf.org

 Stay Healthy,

 Sue