Carefully manage your diabetes with proper food, physically active, monitor glucose level, have medicines, control pressure-cholesterol, quit smoking and regular doctor visit.
Diabetes Management
- Food - What you eat directly influences your blood-glucose levels. Follow the food pyramid for effective diabetes control or management. Take food at the same time also the same volume and never skip your food or even snack.
- Physically active – try to make your busy in your daily life routine or spent some time for physical exercises such as walking, swimming, exercising and playing. It produces positive results in blood-glucose control as well as a drop in medicine (pills or insulin) requirements.
- Lose weight – if you are obese or overweight, try to reduce weight by following food pyramid and increasing physical activity or exercising. Losing weight has a direct positive impact in your blood-glucose control.
- Monitor glucose level – closely monitor your blood-glucose, check your blood-glucose using home glucose monitor, and make a record. If you maintain your blood-glucose near normal, then you can avoid many diabetic complications.
- A1C test – Have A1C test at least two times a year. If you are very much concerned about your health, it is better to have A1C test for every three months. If you are able to maintain your blood-glucose near normal most of the time, then your A1C level will be at the best range.
- Medicine – Have your medicine or insulin in the same time every day without skipping or delaying. Learn to adjust your medicines with respect to your daily activity change of any rare diet change.
- Scheduled exams – Go for regular yearly exam for eye, kidney, heart, nerves, and teeth. If you have, any symptoms of diabetes complication immediately consult your doctor.
- Vaccination – high blood-glucose can weaken your immune system, which makes routine vaccination is important for diabetics. Ask your doctor for details.
- Foot care – Give a special importance to your foot. Wash your foot in lukewarm water, dry it gently, and moisturize it. Regularly check foot for any blisters, cuts, sores, redness or swelling, if found any consult your doctor immediately for treatment.
- Blood pressure, Cholesterol – if you are hypertension and or cholesterol keep it in control with medication to avoid or postponed diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
- Aspirin - Aspirin interferes with your blood's ability to clot. Taking a daily aspirin can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke a major concern when you have diabetes.
- Do not smoke – if you are a smoker plan to quit. Smoking increases your risk of various diabetes complications, including heart attack, stroke, nerve-damage, and kidney disease.
- Alcohol – if you are a drinker, do so only in moderation and always with a meal.
- Stress – stress causes hormonal imbalance and prevents insulin to work normally, end up with a high blood-glucose control. So take the stress seriously and try to calm yourself or practice meditation.