Mostrando las entradas con la etiqueta blood. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando las entradas con la etiqueta blood. Mostrar todas las entradas

viernes, 28 de noviembre de 2014

Remembers The Advice On Managing Your Diabetes

Tip 1: Take stress seriously.

If you're stressed, it's easy to neglect your usual diabetes care routine. The hormones your body may produce in response to prolonged stress may prevent insulin from working properly, which only makes matters worse. To take control, set limits. Prioritize your tasks. Learn relaxation techniques. Get plenty of sleep.

Above all, stay positive. Diabetes care is within your control. If you're willing to do your part, diabetes won't stand in the way of an active, healthy life



Tip 2: If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly.

Alcohol can cause low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and whether you eat at the same time. If you choose to drink, do so only in moderation and always with a meal. Remember to include the calories from any alcohol you drink in your daily calorie count.



Tip 3: Consider a daily aspirin.

Aspirin reduces your blood's ability to clot. Taking a daily aspirin can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke — major concerns when you have diabetes. Ask your doctor whether daily aspirin therapy is appropriate for you, including which strength of aspirin would be best.






Tip 4: Pay attention to your feet.

High blood sugar can damage the nerves in your feet and reduce blood flow to your feet. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can lead to serious infections. To prevent foot problems:

Wash your feet daily in lukewarm water.
Dry your feet gently, especially between the toes.
Moisturize your feet and ankles with lotion.
Check your feet every day for blisters, cuts, sores, redness or swelling.
Consult your doctor if you have a sore or other foot problem that doesn't start to heal within a few days.



Tip 5: Take care of your teeth.

Diabetes may leave you prone to gum infections. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss your teeth once a day, and schedule dental exams at least twice a year. Consult your dentist right away if your gums bleed or look red or swollen.




Tip 6: Keep your vaccines up to date.


High blood sugar can weaken your immune system, which makes routine vaccines more important than ever. Ask your doctor about:

  • Flu vaccine. A yearly flu vaccine can help you stay healthy during flu season as well as prevent serious complications from the flu.
  • Pneumonia vaccine. Sometimes the pneumonia vaccine requires only one shot. If you have diabetes complications or you're age 65 or older, you may need a five-year booster shot.
  • Hepatitis B vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends hepatitis B vaccination if you haven't previously been vaccinated against hepatitis B and you're an adult aged 19 to 59 with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The most recent CDC guidelines advise vaccination as soon as possible after diagnosis with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. If you're age 60 or older and have diabetes and haven't previously received the vaccine, talk to your doctor about the whether it's right for you.
  • Other vaccines. Stay up to date with your tetanus shot and its 10-year boosters. Depending on the circumstances, your doctor may recommend other vaccines as well.


Tip 7: Schedule yearly physicals and regular eye exams.

Your regular diabetes checkups aren't meant to replace yearly physicals or routine eye exams. During the physical, your doctor will look for anydiabetes-related complications — including signs of kidney damage, nerve damage and heart disease — as well as screen for other medical problems. Your eye care specialist will check for signs of retinal damage, cataracts and glaucoma.



Tip 8: Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.

Like diabetes, high blood pressure can damage your blood vessels. High cholesterol is a concern, too, since the damage is often worse and more rapid when you have diabetes. When these conditions team up, they can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening conditions.

Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly can go a long way toward controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol. Sometimes medication is needed, too.



Tip 9: Don't smoke.

If you smoke or use other types of tobacco, ask your doctor to help you quit. Smoking increases your risk of various diabetes complications, including heart attack, stroke, nerve damage and kidney disease. In fact, smokers who have diabetes are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than are nonsmokers who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop smoking or to stop using other types of tobacco.



Tip 10: Make a commitment to managing your diabetes.

Members of your diabetes care team — doctor, diabetes nurse educator and dietitian, for example — will help you learn the basics of diabetes care and offer support and encouragement along the way. But it's up to you to manage your condition. After all, no one has a greater stake in your health than you.


Learn all you can about diabetes. Make healthy eating and physical activity part of your daily routine. Maintain a healthy weight. Monitor your blood sugar level, and follow your doctor's instructions for keeping your blood sugar level within your target range. Don't be afraid to ask your diabetes treatment team for help when you need it.



jueves, 18 de septiembre de 2014

Effectively Monitoring Blood Glucose Levels

Living with diabetes is not easy. You need to make certain changes on how you live your life. Managing diabetes is easy if you know how to effectively monitor your blood glucose level. This will be able to help you live a more normal life despite the fact that you are suffering from diabetes.

You have to remember that once you get diabetes, you have it for as long as you live. There is no cure for this disease but it can be managed. And, in order for you to effectively manage diabetes, you need to be able to monitor your blood glucose levels. By doing so, you will be able to live a more normal life.

To monitor your blood glucose levels, you need to have a glucometer or a glucose meter. This device can inform you how much glucose is in your blood. Using this device requires you to produce a relatively small amount of blood for the machine to read. In most cases, lancets are included in glucose meter kits as well as a lancing device.

The first step is to put a new lancet in the lancing device. Then, you need to take a test strip from the bottle and replace the cap after doing so. Then, you have to insert the test strip in to the glucose meter to get it ready for use. Make sure that you disinfect your hands first by washing it and applying disinfecting alcohol. Also, make sure that your hand is dry as water or liquid can produce varying result on the glucose reading.

Then, prick the tip of your finger with the lancing device and let blood flow out of it. Take the required amount of blood sample and place it on the test strip. Most devices will automatically read the blood glucose level from the sample you provided and will produce results in just a few seconds. Then, you need to take disinfected cotton and press it on the area where you drew blood from.

You then have to discard the test strip properly as well as the used lancet. You have to record the result in a log book in order for you to effectively monitor your blood glucose levels during the day effectively. This will help you in preparing meals as well as know what kind of activities that you should do or not do.

Diabetes is a very serious disease that has a lot of complications when managed improperly. If you are living with diabetes, make sure that you know how to manage it in order for you to live a normal life. Although there is no cure yet for diabetes, there are ways to treat it and manage it. It is also important to regularly visit your physician in order for you to know how you can effectively treat and manage the disease.

If you are suffering from diabetes, one way to manage it is to take a blood glucose reading several times a day. Lifestyle change is also important. By effectively monitoring your blood glucose levels, you can be sure that managing diabetes will be easier in your part and will allow you to live a more normal life.

Keep these things in mind and you will be able to conquer diabetes.