What to Expect After a Diabetes Diagnosis

What to Expect After a Diabetes Diagnosis

What to Expect After a Diabetes Diagnosis – Many people feel overwhelmed and confused after a diabetes diagnosis. The good news is that if you are diagnosed with diabetes, you are not alone, as there are millions of people living with diabetes. You can draw on their experience to learn what to expect after the diagnosis. Here is what you need to know and what to expect to live a long, healthy life even after a diabetes diagnosis.

Lifestyle Changes

The first thing to expect is that you’ll have to make a few changes to your lifestyle. These include changing your diet and exercising if you have not been doing that before. Changes in your diet will include eating a variety of foods, with a focus on fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean meats. You will also need to learn how to eat the correct food portions, how to space your food and to remind yourself not to skip meals.

Exercise is an important part of maintaining proper glucose levels. Exercise helps utilise the glucose in your body and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin. They are then able to utilise glucose and you end up feeling more energised and can maintain the correct blood sugar levels.

New Medication

Medication is key to managing diabetes, especially type 2. Once diagnosed, your doctor or diabetes specialist will work with you to find a medication that works for you and that helps you keep your blood sugar levels in check. You may need to take medications and insulin, but in many cases, you will be required to take insulin only. You should also talk with your doctor if you need to take any medications. This is to avoid interactions with any medications you are taking for diabetes and to ensure the new medication is right for you.

Lots of Education

If you do not know much about diabetes, you will need to educate yourself about it. In addition to the condition, you will also need to educate yourself on diets and exercises. Doing so will also introduce you to the very helpful diabetes community that comes to your aid should you need any advice, information or help. Lastly, you will need to educate yourself on the health complications that are caused by diabetes. This way, you know when these complications are developing and know what to do if they are.

Getting Tested

If you have taken a home-based glucose test and suspect you have diabetes, it is important that you talk to a specialist to have a proper test done. Home-based tests can only go so far but cannot confirm a diabetes diagnosis. To learn how to test for diabetes, you can use the guide provided by the London Diabetes Centre. In addition to explaining how to test for diabetes and the various tests that are used, they also discuss the symptoms that indicate it is time to go for a comprehensive diagnostic test.  If diagnosed, their team of diabetes experts is standing by to help you manage the condition and give you the care you will need.

The treatment, care and management of diabetes has come such a long way over the past few decades that it is now possible to live a long, healthy life after a diabetes diagnosis. Knowing what to expect is a crucial first step in understanding how to live with diabetes.

Poppy Watt

Welcome to Women Talking.

Subscribe
Keep up to date and informed with our monthly eNewsletter
[wpforms id="1539"]