Managing Diabetes Complications: Kidney Disease
Kidneys filter your blood through millions of blood vessels and then dispose of body waste in your urine. Diabetes can damage these small blood vessels, making it hard for the kidneys to filter your waste. As a result, diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. About 30% of people with type 1 diabetes and 10%–40% of those with type 2 diabetes will eventually have kidney disease, or nephropathy.1 Smoking, uncontrolled blood glucose, or high blood pressure, may increase your risk of kidney disease. Having a family member with kidney disease also increases the risk of developing kidney disease....
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Pick 1 Thing to Improve
Choosing 1 Thing to Improve There are probably many things that each of us would like to change about our life, but thinking about them all at once can be overwhelming. Instead, choose just 1 thing to improve for now. Changing any one of the things below could have a big impact on your life with diabetes – both your physical health, and your emotional well-being. Make testing matter For people with diabetes, testing more often is the key to staying in control of your health. Frequent testing provides the data you need to make informed decisions about your medication...
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Preparing for Pregnancy
Preparing for pregnancy—good reasons to start today Let's think into the future. Imagine sitting in a rocking chair playing with ten brand-new, tiny toes. That's the image you can remember every time you check your blood glucose, visit your doctor or say no to a glass of wine. And it's absolutely worth it. Not ready for parenthood yet? Here's what you can do now. There are several things you can do to prepare for pregnancy well before you're ready to conceive. Read about it—just not too much. When you understand the risks, you can take steps to reduce them...
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Managing Sick Days
Feeling fine? It's the perfect day to create a sick day plan. When you're feeling ill, you'd like nothing more than to lie in bed with a good book or movie. Yet that's when you need to focus even more on diabetes self-care. The key to sick days with diabetes is doing all of the thinking ahead of time. That way, when you don't feel like concentrating, you can simply follow the plan. What to include in your plan Involve your diabetes care healthcare team in developing your sick day plan—ask them when you should call for help, how often you should...
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Blood GlucoseTest Results Help You Take Control
Benefits of testing your blood sugar Testing your own blood sugar helps you take control of your health, especially once you learn what your test result numbers mean, and what to do with them. Recent research, the Structured Testing Protocol (STeP) study, offers the proof. The study concluded that collecting the data of blood sugar test results, visualizing and understanding this data, and focusing treatment based on that data significantly reduced the A1C levels of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes over a 12-month period1. Frequent testing gives you the data to make informed decisions...
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Treating Low BG
Low blood glucose: Know the signs and steps to take You may recognize the feeling—feeling hungry, dizzy, sweaty or just a little bit "off." These signs of hypoglycaemia, or low blood glucose, mean it's time to take action. What causes low blood glucose? For most people, low blood glucose refers to anything below 4.0 mmol/L , although your number may be different.1 Low blood glucose can be caused by taking too much medication, not having enough to eat or exercising. In fact, hypoglycaemia can occur up to 12 hours after you've been...
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Diabetes Basics
Diabetes Basics Understanding the basics of diabetes is the first step in gaining control of your health. Let’s look at what causes diabetes, some of the common symptoms, the benefits of healthy living, and what to do if you’ve just been diagnosed. What is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic disease. Your blood sugar levels are controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas. When you eat, food gets broken down and glucose enters your bloodstream. Insulin takes the glucose out of your bloodstream and allows it to enter your cells where it is broken down and turned into energy. If you...
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Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood glucose drops too low. The body responds to low blood glucose with warning signs that may be different in each person. Some warning signs of low blood glucose are feeling: Weak Shaky Sweaty Irritable or confused Hungry Low blood glucose may occur if your meal or snack is delayed or...
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Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia, or high blood glucose, occurs when blood glucose rises above your recommended range. Your healthcare professional will determine the proper healthy blood glucose range for you. High blood glucose can be caused by many things, including: Eating too much food Little or no physical activity Not taking medications Stress, infection or illness...
Read MorePages
Pick 1 Thing to Improve
Choosing 1 Thing to Improve There are probably many things that each of us would like to change about our life, but thinking about them all at once can be overwhelming. Instead, choose just 1 thing to improve for now. Changing any one of the things below could have a big impact on your life with diabetes – both your physical health, and your emotional well-being. Make testing matter For people with diabetes, testing more often is the key to staying in control of your health. Frequent testing provides the data you need to make informed decisions about your medication...
Read More Preparing for Pregnancy
Preparing for pregnancy—good reasons to start today Let's think into the future. Imagine sitting in a rocking chair playing with ten brand-new, tiny toes. That's the image you can remember every time you check your blood glucose, visit your doctor or say no to a glass of wine. And it's absolutely worth it. Not ready for parenthood yet? Here's what you can do now. There are several things you can do to prepare for pregnancy well before you're ready to conceive. Read about it—just not too much. When you understand the risks, you can take steps to reduce them...
Read More Managing Sick Days
Feeling fine? It's the perfect day to create a sick day plan. When you're feeling ill, you'd like nothing more than to lie in bed with a good book or movie. Yet that's when you need to focus even more on diabetes self-care. The key to sick days with diabetes is doing all of the thinking ahead of time. That way, when you don't feel like concentrating, you can simply follow the plan. What to include in your plan Involve your diabetes care healthcare team in developing your sick day plan—ask them when you should call for help, how often you should...
Read More Blood GlucoseTest Results Help You Take Control
Benefits of testing your blood sugar Testing your own blood sugar helps you take control of your health, especially once you learn what your test result numbers mean, and what to do with them. Recent research, the Structured Testing Protocol (STeP) study, offers the proof. The study concluded that collecting the data of blood sugar test results, visualizing and understanding this data, and focusing treatment based on that data significantly reduced the A1C levels of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes over a 12-month period1. Frequent testing gives you the data to make informed decisions...
Read More Treating Low BG
Low blood glucose: Know the signs and steps to take You may recognize the feeling—feeling hungry, dizzy, sweaty or just a little bit "off." These signs of hypoglycaemia, or low blood glucose, mean it's time to take action. What causes low blood glucose? For most people, low blood glucose refers to anything below 4.0 mmol/L , although your number may be different.1 Low blood glucose can be caused by taking too much medication, not having enough to eat or exercising. In fact, hypoglycaemia can occur up to 12 hours after you've been...
Read More Diabetes Basics
Diabetes Basics Understanding the basics of diabetes is the first step in gaining control of your health. Let’s look at what causes diabetes, some of the common symptoms, the benefits of healthy living, and what to do if you’ve just been diagnosed. What is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic disease. Your blood sugar levels are controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas. When you eat, food gets broken down and glucose enters your bloodstream. Insulin takes the glucose out of your bloodstream and allows it to enter your cells where it is broken down and turned into energy. If you...
Read More Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood glucose drops too low. The body responds to low blood glucose with warning signs that may be different in each person. Some warning signs of low blood glucose are feeling: Weak Shaky Sweaty Irritable or confused Hungry Low blood glucose may occur if your meal or snack is delayed or...
Read More Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia, or high blood glucose, occurs when blood glucose rises above your recommended range. Your healthcare professional will determine the proper healthy blood glucose range for you. High blood glucose can be caused by many things, including: Eating too much food Little or no physical activity Not taking medications Stress, infection or illness...
Read More