Diabetes and endocrinology care

Our endocrinologists focus on your entire endocrine system and the hormones and chemicals that help the body work and make energy. These include:

• Adrenal, pituitary and thyroid glands
• Ovaries and testicles (reproductive organs) 
• Pancreas (organ that helps digest food) 

Your primary care doctor or family medicine doctor will let you know if you need to see an endocrinologist. Your doctor will help oversee all your care to make sure you’re getting what you need.

Make sure you see your doctor for routine yearly checkups and tests. If you have a family history of endocrine disease or diabetes, be sure to let your doctor know.

We can help you with:

• Adrenal insufficiency
• Blood sugar levels
• Bone disease
• Cholesterol problems
• Kidney (organ that filters blood) disease
• Pituitary tumors
• Thyroid cancer
• Other endocrine problems

Your Optum endocrinologist will meet with you in person to learn your health history, do a physical exam and some tests. They may suggest medicine and diet (eating plan) changes. For some health problems, surgery may be needed.

We tailor your care plan to your unique needs.

Diabetes is a disease that involves blood glucose (blood sugar) levels that are too high. Having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems with your kidneys, nerves, feet and eyes. If you have diabetes, you're also more likely to have problems like heart disease or a stroke.

Your Optum endocrinology team will work to create a personalized care plan to help with problems involving the endocrine glands and thyroid.

A healthy eating plan is important when you have diabetes. We offer diabetes education to help you learn about healthier ways to eat. We can also help you create a weight loss plan.

You can help stay healthy and avoidgetting diabetes by making healthy lifestyle choices:

• Eat a balanced diet with many types of food, including fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, such as egg whites, skinless chicken breasts and Greek yogurt
• Get regular exercise like walking, swimming or biking
• Keep to a healthy weight
• Don’t smoke

Yearly checkups with your doctor can help you track your health and catch early signs of diabetes.

The only way to know if you have diabetes is by testing how much sugar you have your blood, known as your blood glucose level. Your doctor can give you this test.

Common symptoms of diabetes include:

• Frequent urination (having to pee a lot)
• Being thirsty
• Extreme hunger
• Losing weight without trying
• Fatigue (feeling very tired)
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing wounds

It’s important to see your doctor to get tested if you have any of these symptoms.

Thyroid nodule and thyroid cancer symptoms include:

• A lump that can be felt on your neck
• Pain in your throat or neck
• Problems swallowing
• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck (the lymphatic system is the part of the body involved with blood flow and the immune system or how the body fights illness)    
• Voice changes, including a hoarse voice

To find out if you need care for thyroid nodules or thyroid cancer, your care plan may include:

• Advanced molecular diagnostics (tests that help find thyroid problems)
• An appointment with an expert thyroid surgeon, if needed
• An ultrasound or ultrasound-guided biopsy (taking a sample of tissue from your body and testing it)
• Radioactive iodine treatment