Managing Diabetes

Managing diabetes is not easy, but it can be done with the help of your NHS Diabetes team and you can make it a part of your daily life and avoid diabetic complications. The first step is knowing the limitations you face and not just trying to make the best of it, but to actually improve and enjoy your life to the fullest.

First, you should plan out your meals, medication and activities on a daily basis. This doesn’t require a thesis paper, just a simple outline of how your day will go by eating the right meals, taking your medication, checking your blood sugar count and finding activities to help you keep your blood sugar under control.

There is no reason to stick rigidly to your plan, either. Make the necessary changes when you have to and be flexible enough to take advantage of unexpected situations. Managing diabetes doesn’t mean you have to conduct your life the same way every day.

Work with a NHS Diabetes nurse to map out a diet plan you can follow. Be sure to mention all the foods you enjoy and those you don’t. Any ethical or religious restrictions should be brought up as well. There are plenty of low fat, sugar free cookbooks available that are written specifically for diabetics.

If you are overweight, losing the excess pounds can make a tremendous difference in your treatment plan. In many cases those with type 2 diabetes were able to reduce or even eliminate their medications because they lost the excess weight.

Find several fun exercises you can do at least five days a week, living with diabetes means you are going to have to stay active to avoid many of the more dire complications that might set in if you don’t keep active. Join a gym. Enter a karate school, jump rope, whatever it takes to stay active and healthy.

And your active life does not end at the gym. At work you should get up occasionally and walk around. Take the stairs or walk to the store if it is nearby. Remember that the more active you are, the better living with diabetes will be.

Make sure your medic alert bracelet is on you at all times. In case an emergency happens, medical personnel need to know that you are a diabetic to avoid any potentially harmful treatments.

Travelling across time zones can complicate the timing of your medications, be sure to consult with your physician first in to learn the best way to handle these situations.

Managing diabetes means carrying around a snack with you just in case, hard candy makes for a good source of glucose. Also, having another glucose meter around, such as at work or school will make it easier for you to monitor your blood sugar, plus, you won’t have to “remember” it all of the time. Managing diabetes also means working with your NHS Diabetes team so that together you can avoid diabetic complications.