(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)
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ST. CLOUD -- It's a disease that can affect anyone and become a lifelong commitment to control.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Elisa Nielsen is with the CentraCare Diabetes Center. She says while a healthy lifestyle plays a huge role in living with the disease, health officials have come a long way to help patients monitor their insulin.

"We have some great advances in insulin pump therapy. A person would use the pump to give them insulin but there is a sensor in it that helps regulate their blood sugar levels."

Diabetes is where a person's blood sugar levels run too high and can be broken into two categories. Type 1 Diabetes is where a person can't make insulin, and Type 2 Diabetes is where a person can make insulin but can't use it.

Nielsen says as we come together to celebrate Thanksgiving, it's important to be supportive to those with diabetes who may not be able to eat the many holiday treats.

"They can get food pushers that say go ahead and eat this, don't be so restrictive. But when people are trying to make a lifestyle change, it's important to be supportive in what they need to do to make that change."

Some of the warning signs for diabetes include feeling thirsty all the time, rapid weight loss, frequently going to the bathroom, blurred vision, or stomach pain.

Nielsen says if your family has a history of diabetes, it's important to see a doctor and get checked out.

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