Voice of the Diabetic

Voice of the Diabetic

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FLU SHOTS

As regular as tax time, flu season is coming around. Just like tax time, there

will be lots of new nastiness we haven't seen before—and you'd better be

ready. Influenza, “the flu,” is not just the aches, fevers, and fatigue—it

can put you in the hospital, or take your life. According to the Centers for

Disease Control (CDC), each year the flu kills about 20,000 people.

The CDC says most of the people seriously harmed by the flu

will be members of high-risk populations: People over 65, children, pregnant

women, people with chronic lung or heart disease, with asthma, with auto-immune

diseases, or with diabetes.

Why? A serious case of the flu can put anyone on their back

for a week or two, but if you have diabetes, it can cause real problems with

your blood sugar control. The fevers and infections can drive your blood sugars

way up, and it is really hard to self-manage your diabetes when you're that

sick.

Prevention is the best cure! The CDC is already tracking the

strains of flu expected to be here this winter (mostly “B” type),

and vaccinations will be in plentiful supply this year. Talk to your doctor,

and avoid this complication—get your flu shot.

To learn more about the flu, check out the following website:

http://www.hcfa.gov/flu.

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