November is American Diabetes Month

Although Charlotte media hasn’t paid a lot of attention to it, November is American Diabetes Month. The goal is to raise awareness of diabetes and to raise funds that will provide research dedicated to finding a cure. By doing so, we can help improve life for the more than 30 million Americans who have diabetes.

The Social Security Administration lists the condition among those that can qualify a person for Social Security Disability benefits. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is quick to point out that the condition does not automatically qualify a person for SSDI, noting that “there must be serious problems with diabetes in order to get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).”

Most of us are aware that diabetes is a serious health problem in our nation, but did you know that 9.4 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes? That number grows every day, the ADA says. About one and a half million Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes in the coming year.

Unfortunately, diabetes also takes an astounding toll each year as well. The ADA says that in 2015, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the nation. More than 250,000 death certificates issued that year listed diabetes as a cause of death.

The ADA says some of the common symptoms of diabetes include the following:

Common symptoms of diabetes:

• Frequent urination
• You are very thirsty
• You are also very hungry, even though you’re eating
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Bruises/cuts are slow to heal
• Pain/numbness in hands/feet

Speak with your family physician if you have several of those symptoms.

If diabetes prevents you from working, you can speak with an attorney experienced in helping clients navigate the SSDI appeals process.