Diabetes is a disease that occurs when sugar (glucose) builds up in a person’s blood. It’s caused by problems with insulin, which helps the body use glucose. The most common forms are type 1 and type 2. 

 

Type 1 develops when the pancreas stops making insulin. It often starts in childhood but can also develop in adults.

 

Type 2 develops when the pancreas slows down its production of insulin or the body can’t use the insulin. Most cases are adults, however in the last few decades children have also begun to develop the disease at an alarming rate.

 

Along with medication, diabetes can be controlled with good diet and lifestyle choices, however once contracted it can’t be cured.

 

Sandra Hayes, nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator at the Clearwater Medical Clinic, said both pre-diabetes and diabetes are on the rise, with the clinic seeing at least one new diagnosis every week.

 

“People can have diabetes for years before they’re diagnosed,” said Hayes. “And the longer you have it the worse the damage.”

 

“For a lot of people with pre-diabetes it’s a wake up call. They know the choices they should be making but they’ve been putting it on the back burner.”

 

Clearwater resident Gary Betzler was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a young adult.

 

“I had extreme thirst, I couldn’t drink enough water,” said Betzler. “I was going to the bathroom all the time and was very fatigued and losing a lot of weight. I went to the doctor and they knew right away. The unquenchable thirst was key.”

 

Predisposition to diabetes is inherited. Betzler’s great-grandfather and aunt both had the disease; a grandson has also been diagnosed.

 

Betzler has seen a lot of changes in diabetes care since he was first diagnosed. In the beginning he monitored his glucose with urine tests as there were no blood glucose monitors, but they didn’t give accurate counts. Animal insulin was used, as human insulin wasn’t yet available. Insulin came in vials, now it comes in a FlexPen that lets him select the dose he needs.

 

He watched sugars but didn’t count carbohydrates because doctors didn’t realize that it was an important aspect of control.

 

Today Betzler eats anything he wants in moderation, although he counts his carbs. 

 

“Almost everything you eat except for vegetables turns into sugar because they contain carbohydrates,” he said. “Starchy foods like potatoes, bread and corn are bad.” 

 

Five times a day he tests his blood glucose by pricking his finger and using a meter to read the results. This helps him determine how much insulin he needs, which he injects four times a day.

 

 

Betzler has learned to take long-term insulin at night and elevate his blood sugar a bit to help guard against an insulin reaction while he sleeps. He said it’s good to have a spouse whocan sense a reaction; Rita can usually tell if he’s having one because he’ll start sweating and get cold and clammy. 

 

“The best thing to bring him out of it is to drink pop with sugar in it,” she said.

 

“It’s a constant battle,” said Betzler. “Something you never get over and something you learn about your entire life. You have to learn to live with it.”

 

Although type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented, type 2 can. 

 

“The number one thing in prevention is good self care,” said Hayes. “A healthy diet and healthy lifestyle. Common sense things that none of us like to do.”

 

“A lot of it is the hidden sugar,” she added. “Processed foods have large amounts of sugar. We need to go back to clean eating, eat like your grandparents ate.”

 

Hayes recommends everyone be screened for diabetes yearly when they come in for their physical. Anyone with diabetes symptoms should be tested immediately. Symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision, extreme fatigue, tingling or numbness in hands or feet, slow healing sores, and frequent infections.

 

For more information on diabetes, talk to a doctor or visit the American Diabetes Association website at www.diabetes.org.