There is no doubt that diabetes demands a lot of your attention, from day-to-day decisions to scheduling regular visits with your health care provider. With diabetes, there are several “to-do” lists to follow to keep yourself healthy and to prevent or slow down diabetes complications.
The good news is that we now know that doing all of these things makes a difference in the long run. We know that good control of blood glucose, lipids (blood fats) and blood pressure helps prevent or delay complications of diabetes. Keep in mind that for people with type 2 diabetes, heart disease is the biggest killer. So what can you do to stay healthy?
Things to do day-to-day:
Follow a healthy, consistent eating plan. Eat about the same amount of food at the same time each day. Be active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Get involved in activities you enjoy. Take your diabetes medications at about the same time(s) each day. Check your blood glucose levels a few times during the day, at least a couple of days a week. Contact your health care provider if your numbers are too low (under 80) or too high (over 180). Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters and redness. Report any problems immediately. Brush and floss your teeth and gums. Don’t smoke.
Things to do at every checkup with your health care provider:
Check blood pressure (goal is less than 130/80). Check weight. Review blood glucose records, along with your observations. Review A1C from this or past visit.* (Goal is 7 percent or less). Review progress on diabetes care behavior goals and revise these goals or set new ones. Review diabetes (and other) medications. Are there any changes necessary? Review daily aspirin use (81 to 325 mg/day). Review tobacco use. If you smoke, discuss how to quit. Have your feet examined. Check for sores, blisters and other irregularities.
Things to do throughout the year:
Work with your health care provider to make sure these preventive tests and checks get done throughout the year. If the results are not within your target goals, ask your health care provider what steps you can take to improve them and minimize damage from diabetes. A1C (two to four times a year). Check kidneys by testing microalbumin (goal is 2.0 or lower) or albumin/creatinine with urine check (goal is less than 30). Lipids (blood fats) (once per year to check heart and circulation):
- Cholesterol (goal is equal to or less than 200).
- LDL (bad) cholesterol (goal is equal to or less than 100).
- HDL (good) cholesterol (goal is equal to or more than 40 for men, 50 for women).
- Triglycerides (goal is equal to or less than 150). iLipids (blood fats) may be checked more often if numbers are high. Foot exam (once per year to check pulses and circulation). Dentist for cleaning (twice per year). Immunizations: flu vaccine (once per year in fall) and pneumonia vaccine (once, unless the first one was done before 65 years of age).
Put the to-do’s into action:
Make a copy of these checklists. Post the daily to-do’s on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator to remind you to practice these behaviors. Bring a copy of the to-do’s to every visit with your health care provider. Use it as a checklist to make sure your provider is doing all he or she can to help you stay healthy with diabetes. Also, ask when you should have the annual tests and make it a point to have these done. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to staying healthy with diabetes. * Some health care providers do the A1C test in their offices. Others send patients to a lab. If you are sent to a lab, ask if you can get the lab work done a week before your visit so that you can have the results to discuss at your visit.
Online information
All of these aspects of diabetes care are recommended by the American Diabetes Association. You can get more information on the ADA’s web site at: www.diabetes.org. To learn more about keeping yourself healthy with diabetes read, “Prevent Diabetes Problems“ a seven-booklet series from the National Institutes of Health, available at: www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov, or by calling (800) 860-8747.
