BY JENNA NEWTON – NURSE PRACTITIONER, CREDENTIALLED DIABETES EDUCATOR – MANLY VILLAGE MEDICAL
Diabetes can be a scary and overwhelming diagnosis for some.
When someone has diabetes, their body can’t maintain healthy levels of glucose (a form of sugar) in the blood. Glucose is used by the body as fuel but to access it, our body uses a special hormone called insulin, which is made in our pancreas, to convert the glucose into energy. Unhealthy levels of glucose in the blood can lead to short-term and long-term complications.
There are many different types of diabetes, but the three most common types are Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes.
It is predicted that 1.8 million Australians have diabetes with about 500,000 of those being undiagnosed. Some symptoms are:
- Feeling tired
- Increased hunger
- Headaches
- Increased thirst
- Slowly healing cuts and skin infections
- Passing more urine than usual
- Losing weight without trying (Type 1 Diabetes)
Although sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and certain groups of people should have regular screening done for Type 2 Diabetes if they:
- Have a family member with diabetes
- Are over the age of 40
- Are of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Islander or Maori descent
- Have trouble with maintaining a healthy weight
If you have any of the symptoms above or think you might be at risk of developing diabetes, please see your General Practitioner or Nurse Practitioner. They can help you access the right help and support you on your journey to prevention and/or living well with diabetes.
Further information can be found here:
What is diabetes – Diabetes Australia
