Recently Diagnosed?
It’s not easy to hear you have diabetes. However learning about diabetes is the first step toward feeling better and living a longer, healthier life. Here’s what you need to get started on the path toward improved health
and wellbeing.
Here's what you need to know to get started.
Living With Type 1 Diabetes
You’ve just been told you have type 1 diabetes. What now?
At its core, proper type 1 diabetes management is composed of a handful of elements: blood glucose control and insulin management, exercise, nutrition and support.
Medication
A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes means your pancreas is no longer capable of producing insulin. Through multiple daily injections with insulin pens or syringes or an insulin pump, it will be up to you to monitor your blood glucose levels and appropriately administer your insulin. You will need to work closely with your healthcare team to determine which insulin or insulins are best for you and
your body.
Nutrition
Nutrition is one of the most important pieces of the diabetes puzzle. Understanding how different foods affect your blood glucose and learning to develop solid meal plans will be a crucial part of your daily routine.
Exercise
Exercise is also a key component of proper diabetes care. Along with all of the other benefits you will receive from being active, your diabetes will also respond in kind with more stable blood glucose levels. We have plenty of information and tips to help get you motivated and keep your exercise routines fresh.
Support
Emotional support, while not often initially considered, plays a key role in diabetes care. Connecting with other people living with diabetes that understand the daily grind of counting carbohydrates, testing blood glucose multiple times each day and dealing with the various highs and lows (both physical and emotional) of life with diabetes can make all the difference.Talking with people who “get it” is important, and our Online Community offers a place for people living with and affected by diabetes to find that support. Our Family Link program connects parents of children with type 1 diabetes.
Always Remember:
You've got this!
Living With Type 2 Diabetes
Where do I start?
You undoubtedly feel anxious about the lifestyle adjustments you will need to make and are unsure of where to start. The good news is that getting started with your new type 2 diabetes lifestyle is easy. You can start to redefine normalcy and live a full life with diabetes with just a few simple actions.
Set Realistic Goals
Understanding the significance of your numbers and establishing attainable targets for lowering your daily blood sugar and A1C levels are crucial steps in the early stages of type 2 diabetes management. Understand that each person with type 2 diabetes is affected differently, so ask your doctor what levels are ideal for you. Ask your doctor what your ideal blood sugar numbers should be before your first meal of the day, two hours after your first bite of a meal, which ranges are too high or low, and what to do in the event your blood sugar is too high or low.
Build Your Support Team
When it comes to building your diabetes care team, always remember you are the most important person in it. While specialists certainly provide the expertise, only you fully understand how diabetes affects your body. Seek recommendations for endocrinologists, nutritionists, dietitians, diabetes educators and peer support groups from trusted sources such as your primary care doctor.
Find the Right Diet & Exercise Plan for You
Living with diabetes doesn’t mean cutting out cake, burgers, or your favorite guilty pleasures. It means adjusting in what quantities and the frequency in which you eat them. Healthy eating can be as simple as recreating your favorite dishes with healthier ingredients. Lace up your shoes and go for a run, walk and jog around the neighborhood. Keep moving and see the difference!
Always Remember:
You've got this!
Find out about the different types, symptoms and diagnosis methods by clicking on the tabs below:
Type 1
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease.
In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The body breaks down the sugars and starches you eat into a simple sugar called glucose, which it uses for energy. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.
Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin.
Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.
When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:
-
Right away, your cells may be starved for energy.
-
Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.
Finding out you have diabetes is scary. But don’t panic. Type 2 diabetes is serious, but people with diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives.
While diabetes occurs in people of all ages and races, some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in Asians, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.