Diabetes Self Management
One of
the most common myths involving diabetes is that people who do in fact have it
did something to themselves to cause it. Diabetes is a disease which presents itself
in many forms, Type 1, Type 2, Pre-Diabetes and Gestational diabetes. Diabetes,
simply put, means there is too much glucose, or sugar, in the bloodstream and
the pancreas does not have the ability to regulate enough insulin to balance
out the sugars in the bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the
pancreas that’s job is to transport glucose from the blood to the body’s fat
and muscle cells where it is then used for energy or stored as fat. Sadly there
is currently no cure for diabetes but it can be successfully managed if the
patient lives a healthy and cautious lifestyle, meaning not just through diet
and exercise but through a full lifestyle change.
One type
of diabetes is type 1 in which the person makes little to no insulin
whatsoever. Most usually are born with it, treatment is taking insulin
injections or pills, without these medications the patient would die due to the
body’s cells being deprived of glucose. In type 2 diabetes the person can still
make insulin just the body is unable to produce efficient usable amounts. Over time
the body wll make less and less insulin, not worsening condition just meaning
the amount of medication may need to be increase to keep an equilibrium. Pre-diabetes
patients have glucose levels than people without the disease but still not high
enough to specifically meet the diagnostics of the disease. Gestational diabetes
only occurs in expectant mothers who have high levels of glucose in blood, a
pregnant mother needs to create 2 to 3 times as much insulin in the pancreas
than the normal person. After birth the glucose levels will go back down, but
once you have gestational diabetes there is a higher chance of receiving diabetes
later on into life.
In
a study done by Marit B. Rise, Anneli Pellerud, Lisbeth Ø. Rygg, and Aslak Steinsbekk to see what knowledge people
had or did not have when it came to maintaining a healthy lifestyles many
people prior to the study said that they did not know much about having or
controlling diabetes. After completion of the study the participants said “when
physical activity, a healthy diet and blood glucose monitoring became habits
they were no longer a choice. The lifestyle was already a part of their daily
lives” (Rise et al, 5)
Controlling diabetes only starts with the idea of diet and exercise. It is highly important to regulate the food being consumed and the amount of medication being taken. Taking too much of too little medication can cause heightened of extremely low glucose readings. Be sure to meet with an endocrinologist every 3 months for an accurate reading and for doctor to document blood sugar for use in proceeding time and reference.
An important
factor in diabetes control is the nutrition label on foods. The first key
factor is to check the serving size, smaller portions are better and paying
attention to the serving size can help accurately track glucose readings. Diabetes
patients then want to look at the totally amount of carbohydrates in grams. Differing
from looking at the grams of sugars as many probably think. The total grams of
sugars is already included in the grams of carbs. Once you note the above it is
important to adjust the grams of total carbs based on how much you plan to
consume. Carbohydrates are important because once they are digested the carbs
are broken down into sugars which then in turn enters the blood. Men and women
do require different amounts of carbs. Women need between 45 and 60 grams of
carbohydrate per meal while men need 45 to 75 grams per meal, although both
need just 15 to 0 grams per snack. Learning to read and pay attention to labels
will be very important in helping to manage diabetes.
People with
diabetes must learn to cope with the fact that they do have a disease. Some may
need time to adjust to the new lifestyle changes that need to be put into effect.
For starters, one may set goals for themselves,
but do not expect perfection. Start by making steps towards accomplishing your
goal of maintaining diabetes. Take small steps in order to be able to celebrate
the steps achieved. Also, diabetes can cause one to be stressed. Just relax! Relaxing
can help to make the changes being made seem minuscule. Finally, be able to
share with other the feelings being had, not everyone will be able to tell what
a person with diabetes feels since they do not live with the disease. Talking to
family or your medical physician is a good place to start.
Monitoring
blood glucose readings in by far one of the most important ways to maintain a
healthy life. Without testing levels there is no way of accurately knowing
where sugar levels are, whether they are high or low. Before a meal sugar
levels should be between 70 and 130 mg, and after meals it should be lower than
180 mg. Staying within these ranges will easily help moods and attentiveness.
Funny to
think but paying attention to feet when having diabetes is very helpful. Diabetes
can cause circulation problems to the feet and legs which can cause a number of
problems with feet. Cuts and sores can begin to appear on feet which can easily
become infected. Remember to check and wash feet every day and to make sure
after washing feet become completely dry. Keep toenails trimmed and feet
feeling soft and smooth. Also avoid being barefoot outside, it is important to protect
the feet by wearing shoes and socks. Feet are very susceptible to injury and
infection with diabetes.
Individuals
who consume alcohol are at a higher risk for low blood sugar. Drinking as
little as just 2 drinks is enough to drop blood sugar. A mixed drink using
alcohol and regular pop of fruit juice will increase the carbohydrate content
meaning there needs to be more insulin in the blood to keep levels normal. Checking
sugar often while consuming alcohol can help to avoid low blood sugar. Diabetes
already has the ability to cause eye damage, drinking can make that eye damage
even worse. For those who do drink with the disease try light beers, dry wines,
and mixed drinks using sugar free mixers, the carbohydrate and alcohol content
tends to be lessened.
Now when
it actually comes down to food choices, there are some helpful tips for in the
kitchen to control diabetes. One example is, when eating salads or casseroles
add vegetables, the lesser amount of greens in a meal is good for a lower
amount of carbs. Another example is when cooking meats to grill, broil, roast
or poach only low fat meats, a leaner cut is always better. Also, limit salts
when cooking, do not add additional salts but rather use herbs and spices to
season or even just wine or lemon juice.
It takes
more than just eating right and exercising o keep diabetes at a manageable state.
With the above listed tips and helpful hints even the most uneducated person
can get a good understanding of how to keep diabetes under control. Some people
have no idea what having diabetes does to the body and what dedication and care
it takes to make sure diabetes does not spin out or control.
Bibliography
Rise, Marit B.,
et al. "Making And Maintaining Lifestyle Changes After Participating In
Group Based Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Educations: A Qualitative
Study." Plos ONE 8.5 (2013): 1-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Nov.
2013.
Lorig, RN, DrPH,
Kate, Halsted Holman, MD, David Sobel,
MD, Diana Laurent, MPH, Virginia Gonzalez, MPH, and Marian Minor, RPT PhD. Living a Healthy Life with Chronic
Conditions. Boulder Colorado: Bull Publishing Company, 2006. Print.
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