The needle stick "didn't hurt at all," Tulsa County Detention
Officer Joseph Meyer said.
And the rapid glucose test told him that he isn't one of roughly
6 million Americans walking around with undetected diabetes.
"I can see why it would be important," he said. "My wife's
grandma just passed away, and she had it. I've seen the bad effects
of it."
The American Diabetes Association of Eastern Ok- lahoma held a
free blood- glucose screening Monday for Tulsa Jail employees.
Diabetes is the fifth-most-deadly disease in the U.S. An
estimated 420,000 Oklahomans are living with the disease. Of those,
150,000 don't know it.
The group wants to raise awareness by sounding the call on
Diabetes Alert Day on March 24 to inform people how serious diabetes
is.
"Today we caught one person with a count well over 200"
milligrams per deciliter, or one-tenth of a liter, which is well
above normal levels, said Vicki Karney, a diabetes educator and
registered nurse with the Warren Clinic.
That woman had had gestational diabetes during her pregnancy
eight years earlier, she said.
Gestational diabetes is one of the risk factors for type 2
diabetes, the most common type of the disease.
Another man registered a low blood-sugar count.
As it turns out, he already knew that he is diabetic, but he had
taken his medication without eating, Karney said.
"Managing diabetes is kind of like driving a car," she said. "You
don't want to be in either ditch."
Both people were advised to see their physicians, as were others
whose blood sugar registered too high or low.
Karney said the thing about diabetes is that it is one of the few
diseases people have some control over.
"It's difficult to manage, but it's doable," she said.
Unfortunately, Karney said, many people become aware of their
diabetes only when they develop a life-threatening complication,
such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness or
kidney disease.
Moderate diet changes and physical activity can delay or prevent
type 2 diabetes, she said.
"I would encourage anybody who has diabetes to learn as much as
possible. Take a diabetes education course at a nearby hospital,"
she said. "Knowledge empowers people to make the changes they need
to make in their lifestyle."
Diabetes Alert Day
When: Tuesday, March 24
What: Take the risk test online. Go to your doctor and get a
blood glucose test.
For more: To learn about diabetes risk factors or to take the
risk test, go online to tulsaworld.com/diabetes
Source: American Diabetes Association
Living with diabetes workshop
What: Free health screenings, information on diabetes, a panel
discussion by medical experts and a cooking demonstration. Also
offered will be information on diabetes in children and diabetes
in pets.
When: 8:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 4
Where: Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills hotel, 1902 E. 71st St.
Admission: Free
For more: Call the local American Diabetes Association office
at 492-3839.
Source: American Diabetes Association/ Eastern Oklahoma
About diabetes
Type 1 diabetes: It's typically diagnosed in childhood but
sometimes can be found in young adulthood.
In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin
is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches
and other food into energy needed for daily life. This type of
diabetes cannot be prevented.
Only 5 percent to 10 percent of the population has this type of
diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes: The most common type of diabetes, it results
when the body doesn't produce enough insulin or the cells can't
recognize insulin.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented through diet and exercise. It
accounts for about 90 percent to 95 percent of all diabetes cases.
Source: American Diabetes Association
Kim Archer 581-8315
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