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Diabetes

Nguyen Medical Group -  - Internal Medicine

Nguyen Medical Group

Internal Medicine & Nephrology located in Boynton Beach, FL

Of the over 34 million people in the United States who have diabetes, around 20% don’t know they have it. At Nguyen Medical Group in Boynton Beach, Florida, Thomas Nguyen, MD, MS, Susan Nguyen-Mui, APRN, and their team can help you diagnose and manage your diabetes. To find out what diabetes management entails for you, call Nguyen Medical Group, or book an appointment online today.

Diabetes Q & A

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting the way your body processes sugar. While there is no cure for diabetes, all forms of diabetes are manageable with the right approach. Treatment for diabetes can help you avoid serious complications throughout your body resulting from too much sugar in your blood.

When talking about diabetes, sugar isn’t just the sugar that sweetens your coffee and pastries. Every time you eat, your body converts the food into sugar or glucose that enters your bloodstream. When this happens, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to regulate the sugar and help turn it to energy for your cells.

If you have type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, your immune system prevents your pancreas from producing insulin to process your blood sugar. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body still produces insulin but can’t use it efficiently. Type 2 diabetes and obesity often occur together.


What are some early signs of diabetes?

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can come with early warning signs. The main difference is that type 1 diabetes often comes with more severe symptoms that appear very quickly, while type 2 diabetes can be very subtle. You might not realize you have type 2 diabetes until you experience serious complications. 

Early warning signs of either type of diabetes might include:

  • Hunger
  • Thirst or dry mouth
  • Frequent urination
  • Fatigue
  • Itchy skin
  • Blurry vision

You should book an appointment at Nguyen Medical Group if you notice symptoms like these. If you have high blood sugar, Dr. Nguyen might diagnose you with prediabetes. You can reverse prediabetes and avoid type 2 diabetes by changing your lifestyle. Most people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed either during childhood or adolescence.


How is diabetes treated?

At Nguyen Medical Group, Dr. Nguyen and his team provide flexible in-house care and long-term management for both types of diabetes. They may evaluate your blood sugar using the in-house laboratory for quick results. 

Your ongoing treatment plan depends on the type of diabetes you have. For type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day to make up for your body’s inability to produce it. For type 2 diabetes, much of your treatment focuses on your ability to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Nguyen might recommend weight loss, dietary changes, and regular exercise. 

In some cases of type 2 diabetes, you may need to take insulin or non-insulin medications. For either type, you might need to learn to test your blood sugar with home-use devices.

If you have concerns about diabetes or need long-term care, call Nguyen Medical Group, or book an appointment online today.