Live Healthy Live Well

Live Well with Diabetes

Learning you have diabetes is a significant life change.   It is common to feel sad or angry with the diagnosis.  Managing your blood sugar is the key to living well with diabetes.  Below are some suggestions to manage your blood sugar and live your best life:

• Know Your Type of Diabetes

Learn about your type of diabetes. Talk with your physician and get the facts.

• Monitor Your Blood Sugars

Check your blood sugars as directed by your physician and record your readings.                Your readings reveal how food, activity, stress and medications affect your blood                sugars.

• Know your A1C

A1C is a simple blood test that gives you a picture of your average blood sugar level            over the past two to three months. For most adults with diabetes, an A1C of less                  than 7% is ideal. This indicates good blood sugar control which helps reduce risks              of diabetes complications.

• Eat Well

Work with a Registered Dietitian or a Certified Diabetes Educator to develop a meal           plan. Prepare healthy meals every day, learn what foods contain the most                             carbohydrates, and understand how carbohydrates fit into your meal plan.

• Be Active

Physical  activity is one of the best tools for managing diabetes.  Strive for daily                   activity and keep it fun.  Vary your routine to keep from getting bored. You might               join a social group that walks, sign up for a bowling league, visit a park or find                     interesting places to walk such as the zoo, shopping malls or museums.

• Seek Support
  A well-rounded team of healthcare experts will teach you how to manage diabetes and minimize associated health risks. Your healthcare team should include a primary care provider, endocrinologist, registered dietitian, diabetes educator and a pharmacist.  Family and friends are also valuable members of your team.

• Manage Medications

Take any medications prescribed by your physician regularly and on time. Learn                what each medication does and why you are taking it and set up a system to make              it easier to manage medications.

• Create a Diabetes Tool Kit

In addition to keeping a blood sugar log and a medication chart to share with                      healthcare providers in case of an emergency, you may want to create a small                      travel bag that contains an ID card or bracelet; a meter, lancet and test strips;                      diabetes medications; an insulin pen, syringe and test strips, fast acting sugar                      tablets.

•   You may also want to have coping techniques in your toolkit

Make diabetes a part of life instead of life being all about diabetes!

Written by: Beth Stefura, OSU Extension Educator, Mahoning County. stefura.2@osu.edu

Reviewed by:  Jenny Lobb, OSU Extension Educator, Franklin County.  lobb.3@osu.edu

References:

American Diabetes Association. https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes