Common Questions About Diabetes
Diabetes information is available almost everywhere.
It can be overwhelming and difficult to decide what’s relative to you and what doesn’t apply.
We asked our diabetes experts to answer 20 of your most-asked queries.
Here’s what they told us.
Q: What should my blood sugar be when I wake up (fasting) and before meals?
One to two hours after eating, a postprandial blood sugar reading at or under 180 mg/dl is recommended.
Must I Go On Insulin?
Q: Does a diagnosis of key in 2 diabetes mean I will have to go on insulin?
Do I Need to See an Endocrinologist?
Q: I was recently diagnosed with throw in 2 diabetes.
Do I need to see an endocrinologist?
Do the math: 25 million people have diabetes; there are not nearly enough endocrinologists.
see to it your doctor keeps up-to-date and provides you with care in sync with current guidelines.
Be active in your care and ask questions.
Can I Reverse My Diabetes?
A:No, but you’re able to control it.
Weight regain, aging, and the natural progression of key in 2 diabetes can bring it back.
“Not eating carbohydrate or severely restricting it is nearly impossible for any length of time.
Aren’t Fruits Full of Carbs?
Q: Why is it OK to eat fruit when it’s full of carbohydrate?
Are some fruits better to eat than others?
People with diabetes need to eat a certain amount of carbs every day for energy and essential nutrients.
What Does Leg Pain Mean?
Q: Why do my legs hurt when I start walking and stop hurting when I sit down?
A:You have signs of peripheral arterial disease, or PAD.
“It develops when too much plaque in your arteries limits blood flow to the legs.
The pain may occur while you walk because muscles need increased blood flow.
PAD increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and foot ulcers.
Cypress suggests lowering your risks for PAD with the same advice you follow to stay healthy with diabetes.
How Do I Accept Diabetes?
Q: How can I learn to accept my diabetes?
Diabetes becomes an integral part of a person’s life.
Marrero’s advice: Accept that diabetes will, for the rest of your life, be there.
And it’s a very treatable disease, which places few restrictions on you if you follow treatment recommendations.
What Are Good Travel Foods for People with Diabetes?
Q: My husband has jot down 2 diabetes and is a truck driver.
What foods can he take on the road?
Also, drink plenty of water and no-calorie drinks.
Will Insulin Make Me Gain Weight?
Q: Will insulin make me gain weight?
Insulin’s job is to process calories.
For this reason, it can-but doesn’t have to-cause weight gain.
To prevent weight gain: Practice portion control.
Burn extra calories with exercise.
This won’t happen once your blood sugar is under control.
If you experience hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), treat it with just 15 grams of carb.
How Can I Lose Weight?
Q: Why is weight loss so important?
What’s the best way for a person with jot down 2 to lose weight?
A:Weight loss is vital, particularly just after a diagnosis of key in 2 or prediabetes.
Weight loss increases insulin sensitivity, allowing cells to more effectively use the insulin the body continues to make.
Losing just 1020 pounds can accomplish a boatload of benefits.
To lose weight slowly and steadily, change your lifestyle.
The pounds you keep off over time are the most important to living a long life.
Can I Drink Alcohol?
Q: Can I drink alcohol?
Q: Can your menstrual cycle and/or going through menopause affect glucose levels?
A: Yes and yes!
After ovulating, estrogen and progesterone rise.
“Estrogen can make women more sensitive to insulin and cause hypoglycemia.
Progesterone can do the converse,” says Natalie Strand, M.D., of the University of Southern California.
Strand was the first person with diabetes to winThe Amazing RaceTV show.
Glucose levels often return to their usual patterns after the first few days of the menstrual cycle.
“Check your glucose levels and analyze your monthly fluctuations to know your patterns,” she says.
Then devise a management plan for these days.
Menopause also can affect blood sugar.
“During perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone can fluctuate and lead to glucose swings,” Strand says.
An early sign of perimenopause for women who take insulin is hypoglycemia due to dropping progesterone.
What Foods Should I Eat Before and After Exercise?
Q: What are the best foods to eat before and after exercising?
A:Foods that contain carbohydrate are quick and easy to digest for energy.
Unless your workout was particularly exhausting or lasted several hours, you don’t need food.
Why Can’t I Share My Lancet?
Q: Why can’t my wife and I use the same lancet if we clean it?
“And alcohol may not sufficiently disinfect a lancet.”
Will My Diabetes Ever Go Away?
Q: Can I get rid of diabetes?
Will it ever go away?
To stay healthy, keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under good control.
To do so, eat healthy, be physically active, and take your prescribed medications.
Also get the tests and checks it’s crucial that you detect complications early and treat them aggressively.
Q: How often should I replace my glucose meter?
To check, use the control solution that comes with your meter.
Your vial of strips gives you a glucose range in which the result should fall.
If it’s in the range, your meter and strips are working correctly.
If not, hit up the manufacturer, which will offer advice and possibly a free replacement meter.
Consider upgrading your meter ever five or so years because there is so much innovation, Freeman says.
Should I Always Have Glucose Tabs?
Q: Should I always carry glucose tablets?
If you take one of these medications, always carry treatment.
Most of the commonly used blood glucose-lowering medications for bang out 2 diabetes don’t cause hypoglycemia.
Can I Prevent Complications?
Q: Is it true that complications of diabetes can be delayed and even prevented?
Let your provider know if you have any signs or symptoms of a potential problem.
Today, diabetes complications don’t need to happen.
Will I Always Need Insulin?
Q: Will I need to be on insulin the rest of my life?
Why can’t I take pills instead?
In this case, you’ll likely need to take insulin injections the rest of your life.
These situations raise stress, and stress can raise blood sugar levels.
Where Can I Find Motivation?
Q: How can I get motivated to take care of myself?
It’s easy to understand why motivation waxes and wanes.
