Q: Is it a failure on my part, if my doctor is now recommending that I go on insulin for my diabetes?

A: My answer is “no,” you have not failed. Diabetes needs to be treated. You can certainly share your concerns with your physician who will be able to help. For example, if you break your ankle, the doctor will recommend that you have a cast put on, yet having a cast on your broken ankle is certainly no more a failure than having to take insulin for your diabetes. The cast is simply a treatment to help you improve your health. Before your next doctor’s appointment, write down any questions you have, so you can communicate your concerns and symptoms to your physician. Better communication means better health.

As an example, I recently invited an African American colleague to my church for services. During the service, I could see that he was obviously not feeling well. He could not focus his eyes, he was lightheaded and dizzy, and he had other concerns. He was not well and I ordered him to get to the hospital. Once he arrived at the hospital, his blood sugar level was tested and the test showed that his levels were over 500 mg/dl. The accepted “normal” range for fasting before blood sugar level is less than 110 mg/dl. No wonder he was in distress: his levels were five times more than normal.

In diabetes, your blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, which our bodies use for energy. Our pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that helps glucose get into the cells of our bodies. With diabetes, your body either does not make enough insulin or it cannot use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

There are serious health complications associated with diabetes, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations.

Here are some facts you should know about diabetes:
1. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

2. There are more than 20.8 million people in the US with diabetes (7% of the population).

3. Diabetes occurs more commonly in African Americans and Hispanics than in the white population.

4. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure among African Americans.

5. African Americans with diabetes are much more likely to undergo a lower extremity amputation than white or Hispanic Americans who have diabetes.

Dr. Philip M. Bonaparte is the Chief Medical Officer for Horizon NJ Health, New Jersey’s largest managed healthcare company serving the publicly insured in all 21 New Jersey counties. Dr. Bonaparte is certified in internal medicine and he is licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey and New York.
If you would like to “Ask the Doctor” about your health questions, send, you can e-mail him c/o: carol_chernack@ horizonNJhealth.com or in care of positive.corp@verizon.net.

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For more information: View the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse publication, Your Guide to Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

View additional diabetes facts on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/faq/basics.htm

You can view the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse on the web at http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/

Also, you can research information on

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html