Educating yourself on the subject of diabetes should be your number-one priority if you have been diagnosed with the disease. Before you can properly treat it, you need to know exactly what you’re dealing with. Here are a collection of tips you can use to assist in the fight against diabetes.
A Diabetic needs to take responsibility for their condition and their treatment. Therefore, it is up to you to ensure that you know absolutely everything there is to know about Diabetes. Keep up on the latest developments in medical journals so you can ask your physician for any care you think might assist you.
Don’t use alcohol swabs on your skin before you give yourself an injection of insulin. They will dry out your skin and cause you more trouble than they’re worth, which will make you even less happy about having to take your treatment. As long as you clean your skin with soap and water, you should be fine.
You should feel awesome about being in control of your Diabetes, your care, your treatment, and your future. The fact that you’re seeking information on how to better deal with your situation shows what an amazing person you are. Keep up the good work and you’ll find yourself feeling healthy and happy!
If you live close to the Canadian border and drive, consider going to Canada to pick up your Diabetes prescriptions. The Canadian government regulates the sale of prescriptions so that they can’t have huge fees added to their cost. Often you can get the exact same medications for a huge discount, and they’re safe to take as they’re under the same or even stricter health regulations.
Take a thyroid test! If you are diagnosed as Diabetic, find out if you’ve had your thyroid checked recently. Sometimes thyroid conditions can cause the pancreas to lower its production of insulin! So, getting a blood test to make sure that your thyroid is doing fine is a good idea – before you go on any medications for Diabetes.
A great way to save money and still eat healthy is to plan out all your meals. If you can reuse a food bought in bulk multiple times, like a loaf of bread or a specific vegetable, you’ll be able to save money on the purchase. Plan out every meal to make the most of your grocery buys.
To keep your diabetes from hurting your teeth, be sure to brush and floss several times a day. Diabetes increases the levels of glucose in your saliva, which means your teeth are much more susceptible to decay. Anyone suffering from diabetes needs to be extra vigilante when it comes to taking care of their teeth.
Almost all insurance companies will now pay for blood glucose monitoring equipment for diabetics to have in their homes. It is important to keep machines in good working order and clean. This is vital to assure you obtain accurate results. Your manufacturer’s directions have directions on how to clean and maintain your machine.
While most people notice that they gain weight more easily as they age, this is often more severe in diabetics. As you get older, your body burns fewer and fewer calories following physical activity. If you are diabetic, it is especially important to decrease the amount of food that you eat as you invariably decrease your activity levels. This will lengthen your life and keep you more healthy.
Understand that there is no single “magic number” when it comes to your A1C levels. However, you should aim to keep this number as low as possible in order to reduce your chances of developing complications from diabetes. Even slightly high A1C levels put you at considerable risk for stroke and cardiovascular problems.
When you are ill or do not have an appetite it is important that you take great care of your health by eating the right foods, especially if you have diabetes. Make sure you keep up your fluid intake as dehydration can occur during prolonged low glucose periods.
Gestational diabetes usually goes away upon the birth of your child, but it is important to continue getting your blood sugar examined nonetheless. It is thought by a lot of people that once you give birth your blood sugar issues go away, but this isn’t exactly the case.
Smoking has been attributed to the onset of diabetes. Smoking also raises your blood pressure and affects your whole cardiovascular system. It is definitely not a good idea to be smoking if you are diagnosed with diabetes. Smoking also causes lung cancer and affects many other parts of the body that are also affected by the symptoms of diabetes.
If you have diabetes, you should avoid changing your medication without first talking to your doctor. It can be dangerous to experiment because your blood sugar can drop dangerously low by doing this. Therefore, you need to talk to your doctor, and find out what options he or she suggests for you.
When it comes to dealing with food and managing your diabetes, it may be wise to consult with a dietitian for tips on how to best prepare meals. Not only will they be able to let you know what foods to avoid, but they will give preparation tips to ensure that you are doing all you can to keep blood sugar in check.
When you are a diabetic there is an increased risk that you will develop some sort of gum disease. Making regular appointments at the dentist and following his suggestions on proper oral hygiene will ensure that you will stay healthy in that regard. Proper flossing and brushing are essential parts of a daily routine.
After reading these tips, you now have a powerful tool at your disposal — information. What’s important now is that you use this tool to build a strong defense against diabetes. This disease might not seem very serious now, but a failure to manage it properly can be devastating. Don’t find out the hard way; use what you’ve learned here and work to stay healthy.