Diagnosing Diabetes: Health Story
Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, July 22 and September 9, 2007
Show 417
Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, and millions more are living with it completely unaware. Dr. Richard Jackson of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston is working to increase public awareness, and provide better treatment options for people who have the incurable disease.
"The symptoms of diabetes might be drinking more fluids, urinating more, blurry vision, feeling tired, urinary infections," says Dr. Jackson. Diabetes occurs when blood glucose levels become too high because of a lack of insulin or a resistance to it. When diagnosed, monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol along with having annual eye exams are critical to keeping diabetes under control.
"If you get yourself into the habit of doing some things, it's really manageable," says Bob O'Day, who has Type 2 diabetes.