Diabetes In Control. A free weekly diabetes newsletter for Medical Professionals. News and information for Medical Professionals.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Diabetes In Control.
As I was reviewing the articles for this week I got a call at the pharmacy from a 40 year old patient asking me to refill her two diabetes drugs: metformin and glyburide. As I was processing the prescriptions I noticed that she was on 20mg of glyburide and also that it was a high dose. I asked her about this and she said she had been on those drugs since her diagnosis in 1986. She told me her A1c was up to 9% and had been climbing over the past few years. I told her a 9% A1c is an average glucose of 240mg/dl and that anytime her glucose was over 180 she was going blind, losing her kidneys and her feet. She had no idea what her A1ct number meant and why her medicines were no longer working. After a short discussion she agreed to stop by to pick up some handouts to help her understand what she should be doing and what newer medications are available.
If you don’t think you have any patients like this, check out this week’s Item #9 and learn about Diabetes Awareness among Healthy Americans. Then spend some time finding out how the landmark DCCT and EDIC studies have changed the way we treat patients with diabetes over the past 30 years.
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Announcements:
From dLife.com: "One family shares how diabetes has brought them closer together; From the dLife Kitchen, a tasty baked treat – sugar free cheesecake; Jim Turner shares his low blood glucose experience while dreaming; Nat Strand, Type 1 since age 12, shares her journey around the globe to conquer television’s Amazing Race." Sundays live online at dLifeTV.com at 7 PM ET, 6 PM CT, and 4 PM PT. Keep up on the latest dLife news at dLifeTV.com.
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We can make a difference!
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Dave Joffe, Editor-in-chief