Diabetes Management in Houston: The Numbers That Matter

Managing diabetes means chasing three numbers, not one. A1C is the one everybody knows, but blood pressure and cholesterol weigh as much or more on what actually matters: keeping your kidneys, eyes, nerves and heart intact.

At Clínica Hispana Airline we run that follow-up in Spanish or English, walk-in and without insurance, at 934 E Tidwell Rd.

The three numbers

A1C

It reflects your average blood sugar over the past two to three months. The CDC sets:

• Below 5.7%: normal
• 5.7% to 6.4%: prediabetes
• 6.5% or above: diabetes

With diagnosed diabetes, the common target used by the American Diabetes Association is below 7%, adjusted for age and other conditions. It is measured every 3 months if you are off target, every 6 if you are on it.

Blood pressure

Diabetes and hypertension travel together, and together they damage the kidney far faster than either does alone. It gets checked at every visit, not once a year.

Cholesterol

A lipid panel at least once a year. Cardiovascular risk is higher with diabetes, and LDL is the lever you can move the most.

What to screen every year

This is the part most often skipped:

• Feet. Sensation and wound checks. An ulcer that starts painlessly, because the nerve no longer warns you, is how many amputations begin.
• Kidneys. Creatinine and urine protein. Kidneys fail quietly over years.
• Eyes. Retinal exam with an ophthalmologist. Retinopathy has no early symptoms either.
• Heart. Depending on age and risk factors, an EKG.

The eye exam is with a specialist: we tell you when it is due and help direct the referral.

Prediabetes can be reversed

This is the message repeated least and worth the most. Between 5.7% and 6.4% A1C there is still room: losing some weight, moving more and adjusting your diet can bring A1C back into the normal range.

After that it is no longer reversed, it is managed. The difference between those two situations is one inexpensive blood test that almost nobody gets in time. See blood tests and lab work.

How we handle it here

Initial evaluation with lab work, a clear plan, medication adjusted to your progress, and follow-up every 3 to 6 months, with everything explained in your language and always compared against your previous results. See diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol care.

No insurance, no appointment. Ask the price before your visit.

Where we are

934 E Tidwell Rd, Houston, TX 77022, north Houston. Monday to Sunday, 9 AM to 9 PM.

If it has been more than a year since your last A1C, start there.