You can live with diabetes – or die

W. TERRY SMITH

I do not care for President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court.

Judge Sotomayer is probably the most overturned nominee ever to seek the high bench.

She also is a diabetic. She has injected insulin for most of her 55 years.

But that should not be held against her, and to her credit, she has been forthcoming about her health.

A lot of folks have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports 18 million of us have the disease and 6 million have it and do not know it. Another 41 million have pre-diabetes.

"Us"? You bet. I have been diagnosed and am learning how to manage the disease. I am confident I will because I have guidance from Nurse Practitioner Lisa Coltrane at the Macclesfield Health Clinic and Registered Nurse Charlotte Goodwyn and her able assistant Nikki Wooten with the Edgecombe County Health Department.

Goodwyn is the coordinator of an excellent – and free – program offered here. To be eligible, you must be referred by a physician.

The program has a three-tier approach:

• There's an educational phase when you learn more about the disease.

• You can meet one-on-one with a registered dietician at Heritage Hospital.

• And you can participate in an exercise program offered five days a week between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the hospital gym or pool.

“People want to learn and need structure," Goodwyn said “They want to take charge of their lives.”

All of this is aimed at keeping diabetics out of the hospital.

Diabetes is one of the top five health concerns in Edgecombe County behind breast cancer, stroke, heart disease and obesity. However, it is not difficult to link diabetes to stroke, obesity and even heart disease.

Since the program started more than three years ago, more than 2,000 people have been screened through health fairs, schools, churches, businesses and civic groups.

About 500 people have taken advantage of attending the educational session.

Goodwyn estimates there are about 63 people actively involved in the exercise program today.

(Old) state statistics report 6.5 out of every 100 people in Edgecombe have diabetes.

"I'm sure it's more than that," Goodwyn said.

None of the diabetics in the program have had to be hospitalized due to complications from diabetes.

The program operates on a $175,000 annual budget, $100,000 of which comes from the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners, $50,000 from University Health Systems (Heritage Hospital), $12,000 from the Sanoti-Aventis pharmaceutical company and various other grants.

If you are 45 or over, Goodwyn recommends screening, a simple blood test.

It's good advice.

“You don't want to be diagnosed too late," Goodwyn said. "Diabetes is one of those silent killers."

It's the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

W. Terry Smith is editor of The Daily Southerner.