I am a high school student doing a project on Diabetes. Part of the project consists of asking a few questions to people with Diabetes.
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How do you deal with Diabetes on a daily basis? is there a routine wihich you have to follow?7 comments to How do you deal with Diabetes on a daily basis? is there a routine wihich you have to follow? |
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Diabetes is stressful. As a diabetic patient, you have to think about what you eat, how much of a certain food you eat, and you are always worried about how the things that you eat will affect your blood sugar.
I have Type 2 Diabetes and this is where our bodies produce some insulin, but it is not enough to do the work that insulin is supposed to do, so therefore, we have to take oral medications or some diabetics with Type 2 have to take insulin injections.
Daily routine: Most Daibetics have a routine that they do follow. My routine is as follows:
7:00am fasting check
9:00am medication and breakfast
1:00pm check glucose level and if low enough eat lunch
2:00pm Picking children up from school
5:00pm check glucose and if low enough eat, take the pill
6:00-8:00pm watching tv, playing with the children, etc.
8:00—Bedtime
9:00—check glucose and if under 160 eat a snack.
So yes, we have a routine to follow.
Diabetics have to make sure that if they are on medication that they do not go longer than 5 hours without giving the body some type of food.
They say to snack, but in my case, if my sugar levels are low enough I will, but if they are too high, I will skip the snacks.
I am a recently diagnosed diabetic and I have a friend that is an insulin dependent diabetic. In a sense, yes, there is a routine I follow and definately one he follows. My doctor put me on an 1800 cal diet, now fat, low carbs, low sugar. The diet says I need to eat breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack, dinner and night time snack. All of this in an attempt to regulate the bloodsugar level. I count calories, watch sugar and carb intake and so far have kept my A1C number down to way below where it needs to be. I can eat what I want, I just have to count it and be reasonable with portions and nutrition. Changed from white to wheat bread, things like that. You would be surprised sometimes at what a portion size is and if it fills you up. My body is getting used to eating like this. Secondly, my friend has to eat at certain times, where I am more flexible. He has to take shots before he eats and needs the food in his system to process the insulin. He is much more routine based than I am. I am a Type 2 diabetic and he is a Type 1. Therein lies the difference, with shots you have to follow a much stricter routine and often times one must eat the at more exact/same times of each day. This also helps to regulate the “overnight” blood sugar so when he and I get up in the morning we’re ok as well.
go to the American diabetes association website.
I’ve had Type 1 for 8 years. I got a pump a year and a half after I was diagnosed and it made a world of difference for me. I check my blood sugar before and after every meal and anytime that I feel strangely. The pump allows me to have a much more flexible lifestyle than injections. I’m allowed to eat what I want, anytime I want. I can do whatever exercise I wish without worrying that my sugar will crash because of the temporary basal rate function. My blood sugar meter lets me chart my numbers on the computer which makes it easier to spot problem patterns.
My eleven year old daughter has type 1 diabetes. She was diagnosed at the age of 8. She has been on the insulin pump for 2 1/2 years. Her daily routine starts with testing when she first awakens (about 6:30), followed by breakfast. She enters her blood glucose (BG) and the number of carbs she will eat into the pump and it calculates how much insulin she needs to cover these. At 10:00am she tests again to see if her number is good and either corrects (through the pump) or has a snack to elevate her BG if she is a little low.
She tests again at lunchtime (about 11:45) and repeats the process from breakfast. She tests a 4th time after school, (3:00ish) to see where her BG is. If she is participating in an after school sport she will need a snack to keep her BG up with the extra activity. At dinner time (roughly 6:00) she will repeat the testing and enter into the pump her BG and carbs. She tests for the 6th and last time (usually) at bedtime.
The pump holds insulin in a tube called a resevoir and delivers the insulin through a tube to a canula called an infusion set that is inserted under the skin of her abdomen area. The infusion set and resevoir need to be changed every 2-3 days and is done at home by me.
She sees her pediatric endocronoligist every 3 months for an HbA1c test, height/weight etc and to monitor how well she is managing her BG.
This is our typical daily routine. Which is subject to change at any time as her BG is affected by: an increase in physical activity, illness, stress, problem with the pump or set, etc etc
I have type 2 diabetes and basically all I have to do is make sure I eat things that are low in sugar and low in fat, I have to take a tablet with each meal, and then I have to test my blood sugar level about 2 hours after each meal.
My boyfriend has type 2 diabetes.
He had to cut out sweets and junk food – he eats them every once in awhile and only a small serving. Of course eating healthy all around is going to help. He now also drinks 8-10 glasses of water a day.
He tests his blood sugar a few times a day.
He exercises daily also, even if its just walking for a half hour.
And also is on some diabetic medication that he may be on for the rest of his life – although i have heard of some people that eat really good and exercise every day who don’t need the medication anymore.
He also takes really good care of his feet now since even the smallest cut on his foot can cause major infections – (which is easier for diabetics to get and it’s harder for them to get rid off.) Making sure he gets the dead skin off of his feet and lotions them everyday. And he wears house shoes around since you never know what you’re going to step on – like a tac or something.