Not sure if you have high sugar levels – or not? Then regular diabetes testing is essential say members of Rotary Port Alfred who managed a diabetes testing station on World Diabetes Awareness Day at Rosehill Mall last Thursday.
Rotary PA president, Ren Mouton, and colleagues Lucinda de Vos and Petro Horner were kept busy trying to encourage shoppers and mall patrons walking past the station to test their sugar levels.
Some resisted a diabetes test with a slight shake of the head, but as many shoppers were eager to have their sugar levels tested.
De Vos who managed to sway this reporter to have his sugar tested, put minds of “patients” at rest with her calm manner before delivering a quick prick of the needle to their finger so a little sliver of blood could be placed on the strip that’s inserted into the glucometer for a reading.
“It’s World Diabetes Day and we thought we’d have our outreach to test for diabetes today,” says Mouton. “This programme actually runs every two months, on a Saturday morning. One of our focus areas is health … and if we can change one person’s attitude or save one person’s life who never knew they were diabetic … it’s definitely a win for us.”
She said the diabetes testing programme served as a crucial yardstick for people who agreed to test, whether any interventions were needed – or not. “it’s good for them to able to say: ‘ok I thought my sugar was high but now I know my vital signs are ok’ … or, ‘I need to look at my sugar levels and address my lifestyle’.”
So what is the next step should any person be found to have unusually high sugar levels?
“We immediately say ‘please go check it out at a doctor’, but people might have had breakfast in the morning. So the readings might be skewed, but readings of 11 and 14 are quite high,” says Mouton.
“Diabetes has a very big knock-on effect; it effects your eyesight, affects your extremities, you can get a stroke or lose limbs if diabetes remains uncontrolled … you can also go into a coma and die from it if it isn’t kept under control.”
De Vos a former nurse, says though the results from the testing is a “random test” because many people who decide to take the test had already eaten, it is still an important indicator of sugar levels.
“This time of the morning people might have a reading between 4.5 or 6.5 and 6.5 is normal for someone who had breakfast. If it registers 10 for example and you have already eaten, we suggest you go on a nil-to-mouth regimen to 8am the next morning and proceed to another test at a local pharmacy or doctor. You have a clearer idea when you have fasted.”
De Vos says the signs of possible diabetes is an unquenchable thirst, a dry mouth, numbness of legs or burning feet and fatigue. “Blurriness is quite a big one.”
“You must check out yourself on a regular basis when you have any of those symptoms … and start doing something … is it sugar, is it high BP, is it cholesterol or sugar?”.
De Vos says having the proper diet to avoid the onset of diabetes can’t be over-emphasised.
“Starch is a huge problem such as rice, pasta and potatoes. If these are not properly absorbed by the body it turns into sugar …”
Another problem is hypoglycemia where the sugar drops to worrying levels, and which is not exclusive to diabetes, though it’s more common in people with diabetes.
“Let’s say you are on insulin and you take a reading which shows it is normal in the morning … that can drop quickly to 3.5 and you have to intervene urgently to get the levels up… ”
“If it’s not under control you can go into kidney failure. Some people are not even aware they are walking around with diabetes. It’s also due to stress and lack of exercise. Learn to go for walks regularly – you don’t need heavy workouts to stabilise it.”
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, November 21, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
