Diabetes Care and Treatment

Your body moves sugar (glucose) through the blood so that it can be turned into energy. However, when your body has difficulty turning sugar into energy, your blood sugar levels can no longer be regulated. As a result, you develop diabetes. Diabetes can occur if your pancreas cannot make enough of a blood sugar-regulating hormone called insulin or if your body does not respond as well to the insulin your pancreas makes.

Currently, there is no cure for diabetes, but the diabetes care team at Beaufort Memorial can help you manage it and prevent complications — two keys to staying healthy. Our providers work with you to develop exercise and diet plans that fit with your tastes and lifestyle, make healthy lifestyle changes, and find ways to help you adhere to a medication regimen and monitor blood sugar as needed.

If you have diabetes, enroll in our nationally recognized Diabetes Self-Management Program. Call the LifeFit Wellness Center at 843-522-5635 or have your primary care provider fill out a referral form.

Types of Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes — This type of diabetes usually develops in children or teenagers. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or does not produce it at all. Type 1 diabetes requires daily insulin shots or a pump to ensure the body gets enough insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes — Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, occurs when the body doesn’t use insulin properly. This condition is most common in middle-aged and older adults, but it can occur in children, as well.
• Gestational diabetes — This type of diabetes can develop during pregnancy. It typically disappears after childbirth but increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Diabetes Specialists

Diabetes can be confusing, but you don't have to face it alone. At Beaufort Memorial, we take a team approach to diabetes care. That starts with diabetes education at the LifeFit Wellness Center, which is home to our diabetes care center. As part of our Diabetes Self-Management Program, you'll meet with certified diabetes educators who will help you develop the skills you need to manage diabetes, including how to monitor your blood sugar, take medications as directed, get active and avoid complications. Importantly, our certified diabetes educators are also registered dietitians who can teach you how to make smart dietary choices, track carbohydrates and read food labels.

Additional members of your diabetes care team may include:

• Your primary care provider — The professional who knows your health plays a key role in identifying diabetes and helping you manage it.
• Specialists — You may need to see certain specialists to control chronic conditions related to diabetes or to treat complications of the disease. These professionals may include a cardiologist, an ophthalmologist, a podiatrist or a wound care specialist.
• An endocrinologist — This physician specializes in hormones and hormone problems, including diabetes, and can help if you need complex treatment, have trouble managing your blood sugar or experience complications.
• An exercise physiologist — Regular physical activity is an important part of diabetes management. An exercise physiologist can help create a fitness regimen that works for you.
• A medical social worker — This individual can help you deal with the mental health challenges that living with diabetes can present.
• A pharmacist —  You will likely take medications to help manage diabetes, and a pharmacist can provide valuable information about them.