Diabetes Care

When looking for diabetes care doctors in the Versailles-Midway area, look no further than Versailles Family Medicine, with locations at 460 Wilson Avenue in Versailles and at 324 North Gratz Street in Midway.  The goal of our team is to empower families to successfully manage diabetes at home in order to provide as normal a life as possible for patients with diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how the body uses glucose (blood sugar).  Glucose provides energy for muscle and tissue cells and is the brain’s main source of fuel.  But having too much sugar in your blood leads to serious health problems, such as diabetes.

Managing your blood glucose, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol, can help prevent the health problems that can occur when you have diabetes.  Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control diabetes.

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems.  It can damage your eyes, kidneys and nerves.  Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.

Let Versailles Family Medicine discuss the different types of diabetes with you:

• Type 1 Diabetes | once called “juvenile diabetes,” is insulin-dependent diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which your pancreas does not produce enough insulin.  Type 1 diabetes is caused by environmental factors and genetics.  Individuals with a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes are at an increased risk of getting diabetes.  
• Type 2 Diabetes | also called insulin resistance, occurs when your body doesn’t properly use the insulin it has.  Being overweight is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, but not everyone who has type 2 diabetes is overweight.
• Prediabetes | when your blood sugar is high but not yet high enough for a diabetes classification.  This form of diabetes can be reversed through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.

Diabetes symptoms can vary.  Symptoms may be unnoticeable initially for people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.  Type 1 diabetes symptoms are more severe and come on quickly and are much more noticeable.  The signs and symptoms of diabetes include:

• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Irritability
• Unexplained weight loss
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections, such as gums or skin
• Ketones in the urine caused by the breakdown of muscle and fat when there isn’t enough insulin available
• Blurred vision

Versailles Family Medicine will work with you to create a diabetes care plan to manage your diabetes.  Your plan may include these steps:

• Manage your A1C (blood glucose), blood pressure, cholesterol levels and stop smoking.
• Follow a diabetes meal plan.
• Make physical activity part of your daily routine.  Ask our team what activities may be good for you.
• Take your medicine.  If prescribed, medication must be taken, even if you’re feeling good.
• Check your blood glucose levels.
• Cope with your diabetes in healthy ways.  Control stress and get enough sleep.

PA-C Jared Harper, PA-C Claire Schack and PA-C Elizabeth Watts see patients in our Versailles office.  PA-C Jenna Daniel and APRN Lena Nickell see patients in our Midway office.  Dr. Brian Smith and APRN Sammi Nichols see patients in our Versailles and Midway offices.

Contact Versailles Family Medicine online or by calling (859) 879-0111 and arrange an appointment to discuss diabetes care.  Type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented but healthy lifestyle changes can help prevent prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.