What is prediabetes?
Being a person with Type 2 diabetes, I know the struggle every day to keep my blood sugar in check. I go through a regiment of checking my glucose levels, watching my weight, taking medications, figuring out what I can and cannot eat. I take walks, and exercise. I watch, and weigh what I eat, while making sure I don’t eat items I know will cause my reading to skyrocket. Some days are better than others, but I manage. The alternatives are possible heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
How did I get here? I did not listen to my doctors or the signs my body was telling me when I was told I was prediabetic. I should have listened then, instead of facing the consequences now, sound familiar.
In the next couple of paragraphs, I will try to provide some information I learned along my diabetes journey in the hope that you may not have to go through the pain and suffering I face every day.
What is prediabetes?
We need sugars as fuel for our bodies. A normal body converts food into glucose, which is absorbed for use as fuel to our cells. Prediabetes is a condition where the cells are resistant to absorbing sugars in the bloodstream. You are considered prediabetic when your glucose levels are elevated, but still within the normal range, below 126. The normal range for an average person is below 100 when reading glucose levels in the blood. A range of between 100 and 126 is considered prediabetic. Above 126 and you are a type 2 diabetic.
What are the signs I may have prediabetes?
Prediabetes doesn’t usually have any signs or symptoms. One possible sign of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of the body. Affected areas can include the neck, armpits, and groin. Other possible signs are:
• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Frequent infections
• Slow-healing sores
If you experience any of these symptoms, check with your doctor.
Is prediabetes reversible?
Millions of US adults have prediabetes. With action now, prediabetes can be reversed. Eating healthy foods, making physical activity part of your daily routine, and staying at a healthy weight can help bring your blood sugar levels back to normal. The same lifestyle changes that can help prevent type 2 diabetes in adults might also help bring children’s blood sugar levels back to normal.
Has your doctor told you that you may be prediabetic?
If your doctor has told you you’re a prediabetic, act now to change your habits. Look at changing your eating habits. I feel this is the number one thing people can do. Research shows a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and olive oil is associated with lowering risk of prediabetics. Changing eating habits can have the side effect of losing weight. Exercise, be active. Get out and enjoy life. We all have heard the health benefits, so stop smoking. I did, and you can too. Though in my early career I sat at a desk all day. Like most people in the U.S., I had a sedentary lifestyle. Watching TV or reading. Now that I am older, I realized that lifestyle was not good for me, overweight, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes.
Set Goals for yourself.
Everyone is different, you need to find what will work for you. I strongly suggest getting a checkup and having your doctor. Find out if your prediabetic and working together you can reverse the progression of this disease.
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