Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican | Reach | Fall 2017

Two stories of HOPE for a HEALTHIER FUTURE Living with diabetes? Find out what checkups and tests you need with our interactive tool. See it at StRoseReach.org . DIABETES Facing —Continued on page 6 Linda Bustamante knew something wasn’t right. She was always thirsty, had unexplained bad breath, and was tired all of the time. “I was pretty sure it was diabetes,” she says. “It runs on my mother’s side of the family.” Still, it took the 68-year-old a while to talk to her doctor about her symptoms. In 2016, Linda saw her primary care physician. He checked her glucose levels while also doing additional testing. Soon after, his nurse called to say the doctor needed to see Linda again. At her follow-up visit, her doctor explained that she had type 2 diabetes. A healthy glucose level is generally around 70 to 90 mg/dL. Linda’s was over 350 mg/dL. “I panicked when I found out how bad it was,” Linda says. “My doctor wanted me to see an endocrinologist (a physician who treats disorders of the endocrine system, such as diabetes) right away. My husband and I had two trips planned, so it was a few weeks before I saw him. In the meantime, I was so stressed out that my hair started falling out in clumps.” Learning the ropes witha supportive team “I was scared,” says Linda. “I didn’t know what to do or what to avoid, and it’s been a really emotional process.” Her doctor helped her understand how to monitor and treat her condition, and she now gives herself injections every 24 hours. Linda’s endocrinologist also told her about the variety of diabetes- related programs offered by St. Rose Dominican. And she met with Linda Takes control with medication and education