According the American Diabetes Association (ADA), about 521,294 people in Louisiana have diabetes, 13.9% of the adult population. November is American Diabetes Month, and it is an opportunity to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of diabetes prevention and control.

It is estimated that 124,000 people who have diabetes don’t know it. Early detection and treatment of diabetes is important to decrease the risk of developing the complications of diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes may have no symptoms at all. Women with gestational diabetes also have no symptoms, and those at-risk should be tested at the proper time during pregnancy. The following diabetes symptoms are common:

• Urinating often
• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1 diabetes)
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2 diabetes)

The ADA recommends that it is essential to stay alert for symptoms of new skin infections and other skin disorders. A regular checkup with an optometrist is suggested to keep the risk of glaucoma, cataracts and other eye problems low. Nerve damage from diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) also affects about half of all people with diabetes. Other serious complications include amputation, blindness, heart disease, end-stage kidney disease, stroke – and death.

Carmichael’s retail locations offer an extensive line of diabetic products that help manage diabetes. Prescriptions also can be filled at our pharmacies, where our pharmacists will work with the patient and the prescribing doctor.