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Silent Stalker

At first the symptoms are barely noticeable. Perhaps you are a little thirsty. Perhaps you have to urinate more often. Perhaps you seem hungry more often, even shortly after eating. Maybe you lost some weight without trying. (Why worry about that? That's a good thing, isn't it?) Or maybe you gained some weight, although you didn't think you were eating more. You feel fatigued, but that is to be expected with the schedule you keep.

Yes, at first the symptoms are very quiet and not too bothersome. Yet all the while, this disease is developing. Suddenly, one day, your thirst becomes outrageous, or you are hungry all the time, or you start to run to the bathroom frequently. Your vision seems blurry from time to time. You have headaches. You are tired, so tired, yet you have been doing a lot of sleeping. Your feet lose feeling or you get a tingling sensation. Your skin is very dry. You have a sore that is taking forever to heal.

These symptoms, which can be very silent at first, gradually make themselves known to a point where you shouldn't ignore them anymore. These are symptoms of diabetes, known as a silent killer. However, the good news is that if you heed these warning signs and take steps to reduce the symptoms, you can slow down (or perhaps halt) the damage that this disease can do to your heart, kidneys and vision.

You can fight back. You have the power to prevent heart attacks and strokes by controlling your diabetes. The better the control, the less the damage. The National Diabetes Education Program has a slogan "Control the ABCs of Diabetes." The "A" stands for the A1C test, which measures your average blood glucose (sugar) over the last three months. The "B" is for blood pressure. High blood pressure makes you heart work too hard. And the "C" is for cholesterol. Bad cholesterol, or LDL, builds up and clogs your arteries. For most persons with diabetes, the goal numbers for the "ABCs" are: the A1C should be below 7, blood pressure should be below 130/80 and the LDL cholesterol should be below 100.

To achieve these goals, you must take action! Diet is of course a critical component of control. You should be measuring your blood sugar level to see if what you are eating is keeping your blood sugar at desirable levels. If not, then you need to make changes. In addition to eating well, you should increase your exercise. Exercise helps you body to utilize the foods you eat. Other actions include losing some weight (even modest weight loss can make a big difference.) You should take all your medications as prescribed. And you should stop smoking. The more actions you take, the better your chances of minimizing the effects of this disease.

Diabetes can lead to blindness, heart attacks, strokes and the loss of limbs. But it doesn't have to be that way. It is unlikely that once you are diagnosed with diabetes that it will ever go away. However, you can live a long, healthy life if you make changes and take the disease seriously.

For written information on diabetes, District residents (Hamden, North Haven and Woodbridge) can call QVHD, 203.248.4528. Or you can request information online or through email, dculligan@qvhd.org

Quinnipiack Valley Health District
1151 Hartford Turnpike
North Haven, CT 06473

Phone. (203)248-4528
Fax. (203)248-6671
E-Mail. info@qvhd.org