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People with disabilities who are diagnosed with diabetes can live active and independent lives if they commit to careful diabetes management, which includes:
- Diabetes education - everyone with diabetes needs to be informed about how to manage and live well with this disease.
- Physical activity - helps your body lower blood glucose (sugar) levels, promotes weight loss, reduces stress and enhances your overall sense of well-being.
- Healthy diet - what, when and how much you eat plays an important role in living healthily and well with diabetes.
- Weight Management - a healthy weight is especially important in the management of type 2 diabetes.
- Medication - Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin. Type 2 diabetes may be managed at the beginning with physical activity and diet, but over time may require medications and/or insulin to assist your body in making or using insulin more effectively.
- Lifestyle Management - reducing stress levels in day to day life can help people with diabetes better manage their disease.
- Blood Pressure - High blood pressure can lead to eye disease, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, so people with diabetes should try to maintain a blood pressure level at or below 130/80.
Lifestyle Strategies for Living Well with Diabetes
- Work with your diabetes health care team and follow your diabetes management plan every day.
- Know your ABCs – know the recommended target levels for your A1c - blood glucose (sugar), Blood pressure and Cholesterol levels.
- Ask your doctor to send you for diabetes education.
- Monitor your blood glucose every day and make the necessary adjustments to your medications or lifestyle.
- Take your prescribed medications as directed by your doctor.
- Monitor your weight, your blood pressure and your cholesterol to keep on top of your health.
- If you smoke, stop smoking. If you don’t, avoid smoking.
- Get an annual flu shot.
- Wear a diabetes identification tag all of the time.
- Seek support from professionals, family and friends.
- Talk to other people who have diabetes.
The most important thing you can do to protect your health if you have diabetes is to take charge of your health. Make sure you or a family member or friend understands what is going on and what to do about it. If you have a hard time making decisions about your care, ask for more information and find support to help you make your decisions.
Health Care Professionals Who Provide Care for Diabetes
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Diabetes Educators
- Endocrinologists (doctors who treat disorders of the endocrine system and hormones)
- Dentists
- Physical Therapists
- Dietitians
- Exercise professionals
- Pharmacists
- Eye care specialists (Ophthalmologists and Optometrists)
- Foot care specialists (Podiatrists)
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
If you have diabetes, you should see your doctor regularly. Your doctor will be prescribing regular checks to help you manage your diabetes according to the best available evidence and clinical practice.
Your doctor may prescribe lab tests to see how well your kidneys are functioning as well. And you should also have a dental checkup and an eye exam every year.
Finally, ask your diabetes educator or your pharmacist to help you check your blood glucose monitor regularly. The monitor which measures your blood glucose or sugar levels from a test strip that you use daily, needs to be coded appropriately to ensure the information you are getting is accurate. Be sure to have it checked regularly!
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