Make Health Good: Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is BEST MANAGED BY YOU, with support from your family, friends, and healthcare team.

Research tells us that patients themselves are in the best position to know what they need to manage their health. There are 8,760 hours in a year, and only a handful of hours are spent with the healthcare team. So knowing what to do, and doing it, is essential to maintaining your health. Most persons think of diabetes as a disease of high blood sugar, but for many persons it is associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Controlling all of these factors is important to reduce the risk of developing the major complications of diabetes:
blindness, foot disease, kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke. In fact, the major cause of disability and death in diabetes is heart disease and stroke. For many persons with diabetes, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol and not smoking are the most important steps that they can take.

Screening for complications is important to determine whether you already have eye, foot, or kidney disease. If you do, you may need to have more frequent follow-up visits, new, medications, or other treatments.

The following health tips summary is a guide to the essentials of diabetes care.

Each person with diabetes is unique.

Smoking: If you smoke or use tobacco, STOP! Please talk to your healthcare team about what steps you can take. Benefits start immediately. Influenza in season: Get a YEARLY vaccination. Being vaccinated last year doesn’t protect you this year. Getting a flu vaccination doesn’t give you the flu.

Pneumococcal vaccination:
Once in lifetime. However, if you were vaccinated more than 5 years ago, talk to your provider about whether you need a second one.

Nutrition and Exercise:
Following an appropriate diet and exercise are cornerstones of diabetes management. Work with your healthcare team to develop a plan that is right for you!