How To Control Diabetes: Three Common Mistakes That Make You Fail

How to control diabetes: there’s the right way and a lot of wrong ways. Diabetes is like a cruel jack-in-the-box. You always have to keep it under control. If you don’t, the jack-in-the-box will spring out and do bad things to you.

Keeping diabetes in the box isn’t easy. Especially day in and day out, watching what you eat, testing your glucose levels, taking your meds, and all the other things you have to do to keep everything under control.

Most diabetics use an approach to diabetes control that either doesn’t work very well or is very difficult to live with day in and day out. Maybe you are one of them.

Check it out: Does one of these describe you?

The “snapshot” approach.

You deal with the immediate situation and generalize the rest.  You test your blood sugar from time to time, especially if you “feel funny”.  If the reading is too high, you might take a shot of insulin (if you use insulin) or you might drink several glasses of water or try something else to bring it down.  If the reading is too low, maybe you eat a piece of candy or even “pig out” until you feel better.

This is a very dangerous and all too common way to deal with diabetes. The jack-in-the-box is always jumping out. Instead of really controlling your diabetes and keeping it down, you’re more often just trying to get it back in the box. It doesn’t work.

The “shotgun” approach.

This too is very common.  You know you have to watch what you eat, keep your blood sugars down, take your meds and see your doctor regularly.  You hit at all of them, but your energies and focus are scattered and diffused.  Without a system that fits with your daily lifestyle, one area may be well-managed, but another area of treatment may suffer.   

You may even do well, generally speaking.  But all too often you are just putting complications (affecting the heart, kidneys, eyes, hands and feet) a little further down the road.  And you don’t feel as good as you might if you had better-managed diabetes control. You still feel tired, still spend too much time and money on extra doctor visits and medicines that might not be necessary.

The “Band-Aid” approach.

This is yet another approach by many type 2 diabetics who use insulin. It’s probably the worst of them all. You just eat what you want and “cover it” with a little extra insulin. Very bad.

You are probably tightening the grip that insulin resistance already has on you. You increase the likelihood of complications every day, as well as increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. Don’t do it.

So what is the right way to control diabetes?

I’m the first to admit there is no single right way. But the right ways are far fewer than the wrong ways used by too many diabetics. Any way that works, and works every day, and works with your lifestyle, is the right way for you. Let me suggest three elements how to control diabetes the right way:

1 — Information that is solid and up-to-date.

There’s no substitute for knowing what to do, when and how to do it. That means you should read books and journals, Internet articles (but do be discerning with what you read on the Internet. Make sure it comports with other more solid sources of information). And as always, before incorporating any major changes into your treatment for diabetes, check with your doctor.     

2 — The right attitude.

Diabetes is a self-managed disease. It is up to you to control it, and no-one else. So no matter how good your information, no matter what treatment for diabetes you have available, you have to have the attitude and the motivation to put it into action every day.

Some days you don’t feel like testing your blood sugar or exercising. You feel like tossing your diet out the window and gorging on cake and ice cream. Or you just get depressed with the whole thing. And your diabetes goes out of control.

How do you press through it? You have to develop and nurture the right attitude, based not on feelings but on conviction and determination. The right attitude includes the determination that no matter how you feel — good, bad or indifferent — you’re still going to do what you have to do to keep your diabetes under control.

3 — A system that puts it all together and makes it work.

You need to put both information and attitude together into a system. Organization, prioritizing, goal-setting, and so on. It’s the framework or structure for your whole diabetes treatment plan. When everything is structured and organized to make it fit into your life the way you live it, this works better than unorganized, hit or miss approaches.  

Now determine for yourself: no more once-in-a-while or when-you-feel-like it “snapshot” approach, or scattered or dissipated time and energy of the “shotgun” approach, or patchwork “Band-Aid” approach that doesn’t work.

Put together a plan of information, the right attitude, and a system to make it work — today!

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If your pet has just been diagnosed with canine diabetes, you’re probably feeling shocked and overwhelmed right now. But don’t despair. Managing diabetes in dogs can be challenging at first, but after a few months, you and your pet will be old hands at it. Here are some answers to questions you probably have. 

1. Why Are Blood Sugar Levels Important?

Your pet’s body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose during the digestion process. Glucose is what fuels the body. It’s transported by the blood to all parts of your pet’s body.  

Blood glucose levels go up after a meal. That’s when insulin, produced in the pancreas, is released into your pet’s system to keep the blood sugar levels from becoming too high.  

If not enough insulin is being produced, blood sugar levels will get too high, which causes damage over time to your pet’s organ systems. If your pet isn’t fed at the right time, or he receives too much insulin, blood sugar levels can plummet to dangerously low levels, which can quickly cause death.

Blood sugar is measured by how many mg of glucose are present in a deciliter of blood. Normal blood sugar levels in dogs range between 75 and 120 millegrams per deciliter (mg/dL). It’s normal for the blood sugar levels to rise after a meal. But if they stay above 180 for a long time, the body will try to get rid of excess sugar by excreting it in the urine. This is known as “sugar spilling.”  

Blood sugar levels below 80 are too low, and if the level drops below 60, this is a crisis situation. You need to get your pet’s blood sugar levels higher right away. 

2. What Does “Regulation” Mean For Diabetes In Dogs?

Your pet is considered “regulated” when the supplies of food and insulin are balanced, which results in blood sugar levels staying within normal levels all day. 

If your pet is left alone all day, it can be challenge to keep her blood sugar levels from gettng too low or too high. You don’t want her blood sugar levels to get too low, because this can be fatal quickly. If levels are too high for long periods of time, ketoacidosis can result, which is a different crisis. Until she’s well-regulated, you may need to have someone come home mid-day to check her blood sugar level.  

3. Regulating Canine Diabetes Takes Time

You’ll need to establish a routine of feeding your pet at the same time every day. Two meals a day, twelve hours apart, is usually recommended. You’ll also need to check her blood sugar levels and give her an insulin injection twice a day, usually at mealtimes.

It’s best to give her the insulin shot after she eats. If you give it to her before you feed her, and then she doesn’t eat, her blood sugar levels will drop dangerously low, which means an emergency trip to the vet.

Always warm insulin in your hand before you give it to your dog, as injecting it while it’s cold is painful for your pet.

Is There A Cure For Diabetes In Dogs?

Unfortunately, no. The best cure is prevention. Since the biggest risk factor for dogs with diabetes is being overweight, putting her on a diet is the best thing you can do for your pet. Plenty of exercise is essential, too. Exercise is a great way to control blood sugar levels naturally.  

Natural remedies for dogs contain herbs and dietary supplements which have been proven to control blood sugar levels naturally. Many pet owners have successfully used a combination of diet, exercise, and herbs to prevent diabetes in dogs.

Don’t wait for your pet to develop canine diabetes. While it’s still fresh in your mind, you’ll want to start learning now how you can prevent your pet from becoming a diabetic.