It's time to get real and tell your diabetes: "Hey, I'm the boss around here, and we're going to do things a little differently now." By eating right, keeping active, managing your risks, and staying on top of treatment, you'll be on your way to successfully making your care plan work for you.
If you’re frustrated coping with diabetes, you’re not alone. Far from it. I went through this, too. That’s why I reached out to friends and family for help. My advice? Get connected to your community. Recognize that these feelings are normal and learn healthy ways to manage them.
When living with diabetes gets you down, remember there are ways to help you deal with how you’re feeling. Learning more about the condition, making a plan with your health care team, and leaning on your family and friends can help. Remember, never give up on yourself. You’ve got this!
The bottom line? Some things we can do to manage diabetes and live a healthy, active life include:
Control blood sugar
Healthy eating
Moderate physical activity
Manage risks
Stay on top of treatment
Talk to your doctor
Reaching blood sugar goals
Not sure where your blood sugar level should be? It’s all good—keep it in the range your doctor tells you. Not only can it make you feel more energetic, it can also help delay or protect you from complications like heart disease. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of death in people living with type 2 diabetes, so it’s no joke.
Managing diabetes is a group effort. In fact, a care team may include your:
Work with your health care team to create a personalized treatment plan. It’s one of the best ways to manage diabetes and to get you to reach your goals. Family and friends are definitely part of your support system, too.
Even if you’re doing everything right, your diabetes may change over time. That means your treatment plan may have to also. It doesn’t mean your diabetes is getting worse. It could be that your body’s making less insulin or is less effective in responding to the insulin it makes (this is pretty common and called “insulin resistance”).
Your doctor may recommend that you start, change, add, or increase a medicine. That, along with eating healthy and staying active, may help get your blood sugar in check. By adjusting to the changes that need to be made in your diabetes treatment plan over time, it may help you manage both your diabetes and your long-term health. It took me awhile to adjust. I had to make some real changes to my treatment plan here and there, but I'm glad I did.
Here's how Anthony got real about eating healthy, being active, and listening to his doctor.