One out of three people who have diabetes do not know they have it, and the sad thing is many people who have it have no signs or symptoms at all. This means that even if you feel healthy, you can’t be complacent.
Diabetes is when your blood glucose or blood sugar is too high. If left unattended, this can cause complications and may result to stroke, eye damage, heat attack, kidney damage, impotence and difficulty passing urine, and numbness and reduction of blood supply.
Benjamen Curry and Steven Evans, pharmacy interns from the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy, said a change in lifestyle among the local residents of the CNMI and the neighboring Pacific islands is one of the keys curb the high incident of diabetes,
Evans said getting your blood sugar tested is very important so that if you already have diabetes, you can start addressing it immediately before it becomes worse.
“We have been conducting blood sugar testing in different parts of the island, and we are surprised at the big number of diabetes cases as well as other prevalent diseases including hypertension, asthma, and gout,” Evans said.
Curry and Evans explained in the pamphlet they have formulated and distributed in the community that type 2 diabetes is the most common here.
Type 2 diabetes is when the body does not make or use insulin well. He said that individuals who have Type 2 diabetes often need to take pills or insulin. Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not make insulin. Insulin helps the body use glucose we get from food for energy. People who have type 1 diabetes need to take insulin daily.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and it raises the risk for getting another type of diabetes, mostly type 2 for the rest of the woman’s life. Gestational diabetes also raises the risk of the child being overweight and getting diabetes.
Curry and Evans are spending over five weeks on Saipan spreading awareness and educating people about the island’s prevalent health issues including diabetes.
WARNING SIGNS
Signs of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia
• Need to urinate more often.
• Dry skin.
• Extreme thirst.
• Always hungry.
• Blurry vision
• Drowsiness
• Slow-healing wounds
Signs of low blood sugar of hypoglycemia
• Shakiness
• Fast heart beat
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Anxiety
• Extreme hunger
• Blurry vision
• Weakness or fatigue
• Headache
• Irritability
What To Do
• Eat and exercise right to maintain a healthy weight.
• Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week, such as walking along the beach, bicycling, swimming, water aerobics, basketball, running, jumping rope, playing volleyball, and fast dancing.
• Keep taking medications even if you feel you are already better.
• Maintain a blood pressure of 130/80.
• See a doctor for a foot exam and keep track of any wounds.
• Get a dilated eye exam, dental/oral exam at least once a year.
• Limit your alcohol, cigarettes, and betel nut use as these all have a negative effect on your body.
