They Made It Simple

April Pothoven, resident of Knoxville, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. After a trip to Pella Regional’s emergency department with extreme vomiting where she couldn’t keep anything down, April was admitted to the hospital floor for a week.

“My blood sugar was at 318. It’s supposed to be no higher than 150. It was miserable,” said April. “They put me on insulin and walked me through how to give myself shots. It’s easy and you can’t even feel the needles. Then they gave me menu plans to keep my blood sugar low. They made it simple for me to go home and care for myself.”

Diabetes is a disease that will not go away—but it can be managed by taking the proper and necessary steps to control it. At Pella Regional, patients are part of a team of people committed to helping them manage their diabetes. The patient is the most important member of the team. The more the patient knows, the better they will do.

April now takes more time for herself and has realized that, at times, she needs to put her health first. “We’re also being more conscious of our nutrition and using proper portions,” said April.

As April is newly diagnosed, she schedules appointments on a monthly basis to make sure everything is going well and that she is comfortable with the treatment plan.

“The best part of all of this is realizing that just because you are diabetic doesn’t mean you can’t eat anything,” said April. “All of the changes have really helped me maintain a healthier weight.”

April appreciates that the Diabetes team explains thing in plain English so that it’s easy to understand. “If you follow what they say, you’ll be good.”

Learn more about the Diabetes program at Pella Regional.