New to Diabetes?
Here are some thoughts. In addition, below are links to other pages at D-is-for-Diabetes that have
basic information for newcomers to diabetes.
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Education about diabetes is key to living well with diabetes. Diabetes classes, taught by
Certified Diabetes Educators, are very helpful to get started.
Healthy eating,
physical activity, and blood glucose testing are the basic therapies for all types of diabetes. In addition, many people with diabetes require
oral or injectable medications or a combination of medications to control their blood glucose levels.
People with diabetes may see endocrinologists, who may specialize in diabetes care; ophthalmologists for eye examinations; podiatrists for routine foot care; as well as
dietitians and diabetes nurse educators who teach the skills needed for daily diabetes management.
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People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care, and keep their blood glucose levels from going
too low
or too high.
This person is about to check her blood glucose (blood sugar) level. This process is a way for people with diabetes to
find out how much glucose is in their blood. A drop of blood from the fingertip is placed on a special coated strip of paper that “reads” the amount of glucose in the blood,
then a
hand-held meter displays a reading of the amount of glucose.
Blood glucose testing can help you understand how food, physical activity, and diabetes medicine affect your glucose levels. Testing can help you make day-to-day choices about how to balance these things. It can also tell you when your glucose is too low or too high so that you can treat these problems.
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Photos and text adapted from the CDC's
Public Health Image Library.
