Diabetes Care

 Diabetes is a life long responsibility.  It is a disorder which needs to be taken care of both by you and other health professionals.  This is not a disease that you can allow your doctor to manage alone, however.  It is necessary for you to take on certain responsibilities to be sure that you do not have any complications.  There are ten steps that one can take to protect themselves.

Step 1

The first step is to see a doctor annually.  Because your doctor will know that you have diabetes, he may be able to see symptoms of secondary conditions related to diabetes.  The doctors will check a diabetic’s eyes, feet, heart, and do an all over physical.  Your doctor can be your first resource when it comes to caring for your diabetes.

Step 2

Getting an early eye exam is the second most important step to take when you are a diabetic.  An optometrist or an ophthalmologist can detect vision problems due to diabetes.  If these conditions are caught early enough, there is treatment available.  Diabetic retinopathy is the most common condition related to diabetes.  Diabetic retinopathy occurs when the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina are damaged.  This can cause vision loss or blindness.  In many cases, diabetic retinopathy occurs when a person does not have control of their diabetes.  Most optometrists or ophthalmologists require diabetics to have an eye exam every six months, especially if a person’s diabetes is not under control.

Step 3

It is important to see a dentist twice a year.  When a person has high blood glucose, their immune systems may not be as strong as someone who has control of their sugar.  This can make it more difficult for a person to fight off bacteria and viruses that cause infection.  Because the mouth is so full of bacteria, the gums are a common site for infection.  The dentist can make sure that you do not have complications due to bacteria in the gums.

Keeping up with your brushing and flossing can also help to keep your teeth healthy when you have diabetes.  The cleaner you mouth is, the more difficult it will be for your mouth to collect and develop bacterial infection.

Step 4

 The next step in caring for your diabetes is to keep up with vaccinations.  One important vaccination to have is the influenza (flu) vaccine.  A person with diabetes has a higher chance of developing diabetes then does a person who does not have diabetes.  When a diabetic develops the flu there are chances of developing conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar syndrome. 

Another important vaccine to get is the pneumonia vaccine.  This vaccine is a one time vaccine, however, someone who is more than sixty-five years old or who has kidney or heart disease may need a booster every five years.

Another vaccine that you should discuss with your doctor is a Hepatitis B vaccine if you have not already received it.  Another vaccine that a diabetic should get is the tetanus vaccine.  Also, a diabetic should keep up with their booster shots.

Step 5

To some it may sound odd but taking care of your feet is extremely important when you are a diabetic.  Diabetes can damage a network of nerves in the feet.  This is called neuropathy.  When a person experiences this, they lose the sensation of pain in their feet.  A person can develop a sore or a blister and not even know it.  Keeping an eye on your feet is important.

Another condition of the feet that many diabetics face is atherosclerosis.  This is the narrowing or blocking off of the arteries.  This can result in less blood flow to the feet.  With less blood to nourish the tissues of the feet makes small sores that are hidden under socks and shoes much more difficult to heal and this can cause a bigger problem.

Step 6
Smoking is one thing that a diabetic should not do.  Smoking is not good even if you don’t have diabetes, however, a diabetic is more at risk of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, or many other diseases.

One reason for this is that smoking restricts the arteries reducing blood flow to the legs.  Narrowed arteries can reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and can also make wounds take much longer to heal.  Smoking also increases your risk of kidney disease and nerve damage.  It can impair your immune system causing you to develop more colds and infections than a non smoker.

Step 7

Taking an aspirin every day is important for someone who is diabetic or who is at risk of having a heart attack.  This can reduce the chances of having a heart attack.  The dosage of aspirin is either 81mg, a baby aspirin, or 325mg, an adult aspirin.  It is important to talk to your doctor before beginning an aspirin regimen. 

Step 8

Monitoring your blood pressure is very important.  High blood sugar can cause heart problems and because diabetics are more susceptible to heart problems, keeping your blood pressure down is important.

Step 9

Keeping an eye on your blood sugar is very important when you have diabetes.  If you check your blood sugar and it is too high, steps need to be taken to get it down before you can have problems due to your high blood sugar.

Step 10

Keeping your stress level down is very important for a person who is suffering from diabetes.  Stress can cause production of the production of the hormone which blocks the effects of insulin.  The more a person keeps their stress down, the lower they will keep their blood glucose.

Following these steps can mean the difference between no problems with your diabetes to serious problems, even death.