Not many people are frightened by the glucose test where a diabetic tests his or her glucose level by pricking a finger. It is things like diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease associated with diabetes, that really bring on the fear. Do whatever you can to prevent your diabetes from progressing that far. Learn more about your condition, and find out what you can do to prevent it from getting worse by using this article.
If your child has diabetes, do not make things more stressful than they need to be. You can cope! Today, diabetes is becoming so common that there are many new treatments that can offer a normal life for your child. The oldest living diabetic is 90, and he was born before many of the treatments we have now.
Take the stress out of diabetes management by developing more consistent habits. For example, put your meter and insulin in the same place every night to make it easy to find in the morning. When you are testing your blood sugar, write down all your levels in a log.
Many items on store shelves have this ingredient, so make sure you’re choosing products without it before you put them in your cart. Most soda drinks contain high fructose corn syrup, but so does ketchup, so check the labels. In Canada this item is labeled as “glucose/fructose”.
You can find a lot of savings on diabetes medication by shopping online versus using the local pharmacy. Many of these also have the option of setting up a monthly delivery subscription, ensuring you never are left without these important supplies.
You are going to want to contact a doctor if you have gestational diabetes and are pregnant. If you don’t act proactively, you are putting your health, as well as the health of your child, at risk. Most likely, your doctor is going to prescribe you a specific medication to handle the issue during pregnancy whilst advising you a more appropriate route to take.
Go to your doctor immediately if you notice anything wrong with your vision. Diabetes can cause various eye problems, such as cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. It is important to have these problems taken care of because the worse case scenario is that it can cause blindness.
Gestational diabetes does not happen because of something you did. In most cases, this condition does not appear for any specific reasons. You should try and keep stress levels low and try to think positive things about you and your child.
This often leads to a greater chance of your child getting diabetes, either when born or at a later time in life. Don’t pass this terrible disease onto your kids by taking care of yourself immediately.
Always remember why it is important to you to maintain adequate control over your diabetes. Stay conscious of the hobbies and activities you enjoy that rely on your good health. How can diabetes affect those hobbies if not controlled? Maintain focus on the things you love so that you can be strong and continue to manage your disease.
Favorite Foods
Alter your favorite foods instead of eliminating them. One of the most difficult aspects of a diagnosis of diabetes is the restrictive diet. The majority of diabetics think that they have to eliminate their favorite foods. Other people will eat what they want in spite of their diet. Instead of tempting fate, a smarter idea is to think about your favorite foods and make healthy substitutions wherever you can. Many favorite foods are able to be diabetes-friendly simply by substituting healthier alternatives where appropriate.
Although you may have little appetite and feel ill, as a diabetic you must continue to help your body by consuming healthy foods, and by tracking your blood glucose levels. Keep the fluids up as well, in order to avoid dehydration.
To keep watch on gestational diabetes after the baby is born, you should continue to track your blood sugar levels, even if you think the condition has been resolved. You can still have problems with blood glucose levels when you have your baby!
When you’re measuring blood glucose levels, don’t use urine ketone testing alone. You should also make sure you know what the normal range is at various times during the day. The ADA tells us that diabetics should use finger sticks and blood tests for more accurate results.
For employers, turning down a job application because the prospective employee has diabetes is illegal. Also, you do not have to disclose any medical conditions during the hiring process.
An insulated bag for insulin storage is one essential piece of equipment for the traveling diabetic. You want to make sure that your insulin stays at the correct medium temperature. Using an insulated bad will protect you insulin from extreme hot or cold temperatures.
Counter-intuitively, not eating causes your liver to secrete glucose to keep your body going, as it’s not getting the glucose it needs from food. Eating regularly and eating snacks with carbs could decrease glucose.
Keep your supplies organized and ready to go, keep extra supplies around so you are always able to take care of your diabetic needs whenever and wherever you are. Make sure your insulin, syringes and meter hooks are together so you’ll always be prepared.
Blood Sugar
Know what ketoachidosis is and how it happens. Ketoacidosis is the increased acidity in the blood that occurs when blood sugar is abnormally high. Ketones are created, which are an acidic byproduct, and they make the blood acid levels rise. This reaction is very dangerous for your health and can even lead to coma! Symptoms include confusion, breath that smells like fruit, and extreme thirst. Treat these symptoms by increasing your level of hydration as well as taking insulin. Ketoacidosis is dangerous and must be treated promptly, so monitor your blood sugar, use your insulin properly, and know the symptoms so that you do not hurt yourself.
As the introduction of this article mentioned, it’s the potential to go blind and other debilitating side effects associated with diabetes that really scare people. You can work past the fear and use the information you’ve learned here to ensure that you’re never a victim of these nasty complications.
