Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Spring 2019

Keys to success “The biggest thing is finding out how motivated a patient is to make a change,” Gordon-Nickerson says. “I consider myself to be a partner in their diabetes. I’m not going to sit here and tell them what to do.” But she acknowledges that change doesn’t happen all at once: “Change is the hardest thing in the world. It is very uncomfortable. And that’s part of what we do here. I help people make lifestyle changes to improve their health.” Gordon-Nickerson emphasizes that “the key to success is making one small change at a time, like adding one extra serving of fruit per week.” Education is essential “The idea of diabetes education is to give people the knowledge and the skills to control their diabetes. You learn what foods affect blood sugar, and how exercise and medication affect blood sugar. You also learn how to test your blood sugar and how to be in charge of your diabetes,” says Bartlett Regional Hospital Diabetes Educator Cynthia Gordon- Nickerson, RN, CDE, CMC. “Diabetes has been an epidemic since I first went into diabetes education 19 years ago. Ten percent of the population has it. The majority of people diagnosed with diabetes don’t see a diabetes educator. And so a lot of people go without education. There are 30 million Americans with diabetes, 90 million with prediabetes and only about 15,000 certified diabetes educators in the country.” The good news is you can ask your doctor for a referral for an appointment with Gordon-Nickerson at Bartlett Regional Hospital to help you manage your condition. Taking care of your diabetes includes eating healthy and monitoring your blood glucose levels. First steps As a diabetes educator, Gordon-Nickerson works with newly diagnosed patients one-on-one to help them make changes needed to stay healthy after being diagnosed with diabetes. On the first visit, she assesses the patient’s situation. “I ask a whole bunch of questions. We go over height, weight and medications,” Gordon-Nickerson says. “Patients usually bring a blood glucose meter, or if they don’t have it, I give them one. We set it up and go through how and when to use it. I inquire about health habits, dental exams and eye exams. I perform a baseline foot check because diabetes can cause circulation problems in the feet.” The next step is a group class with other diabetes patients. “We talk about the causes of diabetes, risk factors and the cornerstones of diabetes care: food, blood sugar checks, lab tests and exercise,” Gordon-Nickerson says. “When people who have diabetes get out and are moving at least 30 to 60 minutes every day—whether it’s walking, dancing, cleaning the house or swimming—their blood sugars are going to be lower for the next 23 hours,” she notes. “So exercise is a tremendous tool for lowering blood sugars—and keeping them lower.” NEED A REFERRAL? Ask your doctor to call Cynthia Gordon-Nickerson, RN, CDE, CMC, at 907-796-8649 . —Continued on page 6 Diabetes myth-busting Living with diabetes can be challenging. Each patient’s journey is different. “There is no blanket protocol for managing your diabetes,” Gordon- Nickerson says. And for that matter, no set treatment. People with type 1 diabetes must check their blood sugar and administer insulin daily—while 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes require insulin. “There are so many myths regarding insulin,” Gordon-Nickerson says. “You know, a lot of people think it’s like a flu shot and it’s not. It’s a different technique, using a www.bartletthospital.org 5