If you or someone you know has a diagnosis of diabetes, you may wonder what comes next. Does type 2 diabetes last forever? What goals does a doctor have when he sees a patient with type 2 diabetes? What can be done to live the best life with type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease. Yes, it can last a lifetime. With hard work and dedication it is possible for some people to reverse their diabetes, but they still must remain vigilant in their lifestyle changes so that the diabetes does not return. For some people, diabetes is more severe and lifelong. Those people should focus on maintaining their good health with diabetes. They should work closely with their doctor to help them achieve that goal.
If a patient has the goal of living well despite diabetes, what goals does a doctor have for his diabetic patient? Doctors have short term as well as long term goals. Their immediate concern is to lower their patient’s blood sugar. Their long term goals include preventing health complications from diabetes in their patient.
Doctors help their diabetic patients by providing activity and food guidelines. They tell their patients which exercises are safe and effective. They educate their patients on what types of foods to eat, how much food to eat for a meal or a snack, and how often to eat to keep blood sugar as stable as possible.
Doctors educate their patients about diabetes. Patients must learn specific skills, such as how to test their blood sugar. Diabetics carry a kit with them so that they may do a blood sugar reading at any time. Diabetics must learn how, when and what kinds of foods to eat. They must learn to read their body’s signals as well, so they can tell when their body is telling them that their blood sugar is too low or too high, so they may react appropriately. Diabetic patients must learn how to take medicine if their diabetes case is severe enough to need it. Medicine may be in pill form, or the patient may have to learn how to give themselves shots. They must also learn how to properly store any medication they need. Diabetic patients also must learn where to buy their diabetes supplies, such as needles and alcohol swabs in case of injections, or test strips for their meters.
It cannot be stated strongly enough that regular exercise is beneficial to the human body, especially a body with diabetes. Exercise lowers your blood sugar without medicine. Exercise helps you to burn fat and calories, which help with weight management, which is vitally important with diabetes. Exercise also boosts your mood and energy level as well as increasing blood flow and circulation. Circulation can be a problem for diabetics. Exercise is important and beneficial. You should always consult your doctor before starting an exercise program, and learn the additional steps that diabetics need to take during exercise, such as blood sugar checks.
In addition to consulting your doctor about exercise, your doctor can also give you guidance in terms of food. You need to make sure that you are eating the proper balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates each day, to best fuel your body. If you have any questions about your diabetes, your doctor is the one who can help you out!