Diabetes
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Gadh Family Practice
Primary Care Physicians located in Plantation, FL
Managing your diabetes isn't something you should have to do on your own. It's important that you have a skilled medical team to support you every step of the way. At Gadh Family Practice in Plantation, Florida, the expert family physicians can guide you through everything you need to know to manage your diabetes. By establishing yourself as a patient, you'll have access to experienced providers who can track your progress in controlling this disease.
Diabetes Q & A
Will I know if I have diabetes?
Possibly. Because diabetes doesn't develop overnight, you might currently have symptoms that you didn't realize were warning signs of diabetes. For instance, you can:
- Be more thirsty than normal
- Feel hungry all the time: Even if you just ate
- Urinate often
- Have a dry mouth
- Lose weight unexpectedly
- Have heavy breathing: Known as Kussmaul respirations
- Be extremely exhausted for no reason
- Have blurry vision
- Experience fainting spells
How do I know if my blood sugar is too high or too low?
You’ll have to check your blood sugar level by getting a small blood sample, which is often drawn from your fingertips. Your blood sugar should typically be less than 100 mg/dL when you have been fasting for a minimum of 8 hours, like overnight. It shouldn’t be above 140 mg/dL when checked a couple hours after eating.
Your blood sugar will likely be at its lowest during the day, anytime before you eat. What a “normal” low level looks like, just depends on you. Typically safe low blood sugar levels dip between 60 and 90 mg/dL. Because your liver continues to deconstruct protein and fat throughout the day, to turn them into essential glucose if needed, your blood sugar should never really go below 60 mg/dL.
What about insulin? Will I need injections?
It just depends on your diagnosis. If you have Type 2 diabetes, for example, your body probably has insulin. But with Type 2, your system doesn’t recognize the insulin for some reason, leaving you insulin resistant. Glucose travels around in your blood without being fully efficiently absorbed. Often times, patients with Type 2 diabetes need medication to help improve glucose absorption and stabilize blood sugar levels.
If you have Type 1 diabetes though, odds are, you will be insulin-dependent the rest of your life. With Type 1 diabetes, usually you have some kind of damage to your pancreatic cells, minimizing that organ’s ability to produce insulin. This requires you to take insulin by regular injections, or pump, if that is an option for you.
Most Insurances Accepted
At Gadh Family Practice, we accept most major insurance plans. Here is a short-list of just some of the most popular plans we accept. Please contact our office if you do not see your insurance provider listed.
