Five Reasons Why You Need to Know If You Have Type 2 Diabetes

Nearly one in 10 Americans has Type 2 diabetes—and a staggering 27 percent don’t even know they have the disease. Might you be one? It can come on silently and without warning but the effects are very serious. It’s important that you are aware of the “red flags” and warning signs of this silent disease.

Do you have any of these symptoms?

• Are you thirstier than normal?
• Are you urinating more often?
• Are you hungrier than usual?
• Do you have blurry vision?
• Are you slower to health or having more infections?

If you have any of these “red flags” be sure to tell your health care provider. The sooner you have control of your blood sugar, the sooner you can slow down or stop the damage being done to your body because of diabetes.

A fasting blood sugar over 126 mg/dL, or a blood sugar over 180 mg/dL two hours after you start to eat a meal, leads to a diagnosis of diabetes. Any time your blood sugar is high, damage is done to your blood vessels. 

Without you even realizing you have diabetes, you can have:

• Gradual loss of eyesight (diabetic retinopathy)
• Increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure
• Higher chance of kidney failure and osteoporosis
• Nerve damage (neuropathy) causing pain, especially in the hands, legs, and feet. Eventually the nerves can be damaged to the point where they no longer function and become numb.
• Higher risk of serious complications, especially infections and amputation.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to Medical News Today. The good news is that there are many things that people who have type two diabetes can do to manage and live well. Getting diagnosed is the first step. If you have any of the red flags warning you of diabetes, please speak with your healthcare provider right away.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

Got Insurance?

The 2015 enrollment period for health insurance through the marketplace at Healthcare.gov opens on Saturday, Nov.15, and runs until February 15, 2015. If you need health insurance and did not enroll last year, this is your opportunity to do so. If you enrolled last year, your coverage will continue with the same plan that you have had for the previous year. However, officials with Healthcare.gov encourage you to review your plan and do a little comparison shopping in the marketplace. Some new plans have joined and some details of existing plans have changed. For example, Coventry is no longer offering a product through Healthcare.gov. It’s a good idea to review to ensure that your plan is really the best option for you. Personal or financial life changes in the past year are also a signal that you need to revisit your plan to see if you still qualify for premium discounts.

Grinnell Regional Medical Center once again has specially trained and certified insurance counselors to help you walk through the process at Healthcare.gov. This is not the only way for you to get health insurance, however. Any health insurance provider can help you compare plans and find the coverage that is right for you. Only those insurance providers who have products offered on Healthcare.gov can enroll you in policies offered through Healthcare.gov which may be eligible for discounts and subsidies through the Affordable Care Act.

Because GRMC does not sell health insurance our insurance counselors are available to help you walk through the process of enrollment. We don’t have any financial gain from whatever plan you might choose. GRMC does benefit when patients have insurance, whether from a private health insurance policy, Medicare, Medicaid, or the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. It greatly helps the fiscal health of the medical center.

If you wish to make an appointment with an insurance counselor through Grinnell Regional Medical Center, please call Amanda Bergmann at Grinnell Regional Public Health, 641-236-2385 to set up an appointment. 

https://www.healthcare.gov/

More Good News from GRMC

Technically, GRMC is not a research hospital. That label usually falls on those large teaching hospitals like University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. However, GRMC is in the midst of two research projects testing new infection prevention measures. These two projects put us in the regional news spotlight last week.

Two weeks ago here on The Rx, (click here to read previous story) we wrote about the Bioquell disinfecting system that we’ve been using at GRMC since early 2014. What made it newsworthy is that Bioquell reported that their germ-eliminating robots and services are being used by health facilities around the world to decontaminate locations where Ebola-infected and exposed patients are being treated. This includes Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

We pitched the story to our friends at KCCI in Des Moines. They also thought it was pretty interesting and sent out a news crew last Thursday. (Click here for the KCCI story on their webpage.) 

 

The other project features CuVerro, a copper alloy used on high-touch surfaces around the hospital,

particularly in patient rooms and at the new Paul W. Ahrens Fitness Center at Postels Community Health Park. Copper alloy has naturally occurring bacteria killing properties. What that means for the medical center is that the copper alloy surfaces are constantly killing bacteria naturally and within 90 minutes, any surface bacteria are dead. Copper alloy is found on IV poles, patient tables, bedrails, light switches, and toilet flushers. At the new fitness center, it has been incorporated into the free weights as well. This is a project we are working on with students and faculty at Grinnell College and the Medical University of South Carolina.

Our friends at Radio Iowa picked up the story and ran with it. (Here’s the link to the Radio Iowa story on their webpage) 

We’re always ready for good news coverage that highlights unique and beneficial projects GRMC staff are doing with our partners.