November is Diabetes Awareness Month. This is a time to reflect upon this rapidly growing disease. The symptoms can be very subtle, and until blood sugar levels reach two to three times normal, they may not even appear, or the diabetic may not realize the presence of the symptoms and/or disease.
The most common symptoms of diabetes include fatigue, irritability and frequent urination, especially at night. Because these symptoms are common to many other disorders, a health care practitioner needs to make the differential diagnosis. If left unchecked, diabetes can lead to many dangerous and life threatening complications. These include heart disease, kidney failure and loss of sight or limbs.
In What to Expect When You Have Diabetes, the American Diabetes Association presents a practical approach to issues such as understanding the disease, the complications, the basics of treatment, and how to prevent complications.
The 170 tips are presented in an informal question and answer format that is easy for the reader to follow and to reference as needed. They are separated into several categories such as:
- Now That You Have Diabetes
- Blood Sugar Highs and Lows
- Living Well - Diet and Nutrition
Because 95% of diabetics have Type 2 diabetes, the material is heavily weighted to the discussion of Type 2 symptoms, treatments and complications. The lifestyle and treatment suggestions however are similar for Type 1. The book is only a guide. Any specifics of symptoms, diagnosis, treatment or other health care issues should be discussed with the reader’s health care practitioner.
The book is also covers such issues for diabetics as eating out, exercise, medications and other treatments as well as complications and the presence of other diseases. The discovery of diabetes, the definition and distinction between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are also covered in these questions.
John Buse MD, PhD (President, Medicine and Science, American Diabetes Association), is the author of the foreword to the book. He presents the demographics about the epidemic proportions and describes the basics of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Buse encourages readers to,”learn as much as you can about diabetes. Know why you feel the way you do, and what to expect.” He hopes that this book will give readers incentive to become active partners on their own health care team and to ask questions and seek answers about the disease.
Health care practitioners will find this book to be a great addition to their professional library and a great resource for their patients.
What to Expect When You Have Diabetes, 170 Tips for Living Well with Diabetes, 2008 by Good Books, Intercourse, PA. ISBN: 978-1-56148-630-4. Available online at www.goodbooks.com.
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