Four general rules may keep your glucose levels in check and help lower the risk of your diabetes getting worse:
1) Follow your Diabetes Management Plan.
2) Take care of your body.
3) Work with your entire healthcare team.
4) Make — and keep — regular appointments with your doctor.
When you have diabetes, it's more important than ever to keep your appointments with your doctor. Your visits are opportunities to talk about your diabetes. Write down any concerns or questions you might have and take the list with you to your doctor's office. Here's what you can expect your doctor to review during the visit:
- your blood glucose diary
- any accounts of low blood glucose or high blood glucose you've had
- any adjustments that you've made or problems you've had with your treatment plan
- any symptoms that suggest diabetes complications
- other medical problems
- all the medications you're taking
- any emotional, family, work, or school problems that your diabetes may be causing
- any changes in your lifestyle that might affect your diabetes
Your doctor should also check:
- blood pressure
- blood fats and cholesterol, including LDL and HDL levels and triglycerides
- urine, to look for protein, which is an early sign of kidney problems related to diabetes
Written by Bobbie Hasselbring
Reviewed by Beth Seltzer, MD
Last updated June 2008