Diabetes management is critical to avoid long-term damage to your body. The plan your medical team develops for your day-to-day diabetes treatment will depend on the type of diabetes you have —
type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes.
However, regardless of type, everyone with diabetes needs to have a treatment plan in place for staying healthy and keeping blood sugar levels stable.
Diabetes Treatment: Type 1 Diabetes
Goals: People with type 1 diabetes cannot naturally produce insulin, a hormone necessary to process glucose into energy. This causes blood glucose levels to go dangerously high, causing system-wide damage. Because of this, the immediate goal of type 1 diabetes management is to provide the insulin you need to bring down your blood glucose level.
Long-term goals for type 1 diabetes treatment involve keeping blood glucose levels steady to prevent diabetes complications such as:
Your diabetes management plan will include:
- Insulin. You must take insulin on a daily basis, usually through self-injections. Depending on symptoms, you may need to take insulin between one and four times a day and vary the amount you take depending on factors like illness, exercise, travel, and eating large or small meals. To make sure you’re getting enough insulin, you must regularly test blood glucose levels.
- Diet. You should eat a diet low in fats, sodium, and sugars, and high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. You’ll also pay close attention to the amount and type of carbohydrates you eat because carbs can drastically affect blood sugar.
- Exercise. Diabetics should get between a half-hour to an hour of physical activity most days of the week. This will help stabilize blood sugar levels. If, between diet and exercise, you can manage to lose some weight, it will aid diabetes treatment tremendously.
- Medications. Doctors may prescribe medications to help keep diabetes complications in check. If so, you’ll need to take them every day without fail.
Diabetes Treatment: Type 2 Diabetes
Goals: People with type 2 diabetes have become resistant to insulin, creating many of the same problems faced by people with type 1 diabetes. The goal of type 2 diabetes treatment is to regain control over blood glucose levels, and then maintain that control long-term to prevent complications.
Your diabetes management plan will include:
- Diet and exercise. Unlike type 1 diabetics, people with type 2 diabetes are still producing insulin. Because of this, the primary focus of type 2 diabetes management is on diet and exercise to restore at least some and perhaps most of the body's ability to process insulin. The diet and exercise guidelines are the same for type 2 diabetics as for type 1. Because many type 2 diabetics are overweight, bariatric surgery is an option for those who cannot lose weight through diet and exercise.
- Medications. Along with lifestyle changes, you may also be prescribed medications to help your body better process insulin or reduce blood glucose levels. You must be sure to take these medications as prescribed.
- Insulin. If diet and exercise aren't enough, you may have to take insulin between one and four times per day, and the amount will vary depending on activities. You also will need to self-test regularly to make sure blood glucose levels remain stable. However, unlike those with type 1 diabetics, people with type 2 diabetes may be able to stop taking insulin and other diabetes medications if they lose weight and their bodies respond to diet and exercise.
Diabetes Treatment: Gestational Diabetes
Goals: Gestational diabetes develops in women during pregnancy, causing their blood sugar levels to rise. Since this form of diabetes usually resolves itself after childbirth, the goals are focused on managing blood glucose levels to maintain the immediate health of the baby and the mother.
Your diabetes management plan will include:
- Diet and exercise. Eat a balanced diet featuring a wide variety of nutritional foods. The "eating for two" myth is exactly that — women don’t need to double their food intake. In fact, an extra 300 extra calories a day is more than enough.
- Monitoring the baby. Doctors will keep a close eye on baby's health throughout the pregnancy to make sure that high blood glucose levels do no harm. Periodically your doctor will perform special tests to make sure your baby is not having problems. Most often this involves monitoring the child's heartbeat and the response when your child moves around.
Doctors use similar strategies to treat the different types of diabetes — it’s the delivery order that differs. Regardless of the type of diabetes you have, a diabetes care team can help guide you through your management plan.
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