Steps for Starting a Diabetes Treatment Plan

Diabetes is a condition in which a person has too much blood sugar, or glucose. According to Mayo Clinic, glucose is the main source of cellular energy for muscles and tissues. If neglected, too much glucose can lead to serious health problems. With chronic diabetes such as Type 1 and Type 2, developing an early, consistent treatment plan is critical.

Assemble Your Team

• When facing an adversary such as diabetes, assembling a support team is a good idea. First is your doctor, who will guide you in medical matters, a nutritionist to help with proper eating, and a personal trainer to develop physical fitness. Your spouse, family, and friends can also be on your diabetes support team. Since symptoms can be far ranging, you need to have regular checkups from an eye doctor, foot doctor, and dentist.

Draw a Road Map

• Think of your diabetes treatment plan as a road map. Fighting the disease is a complex, lifelong process that will have its hills and valleys along the way. Formulating a treatment plan allows you and your team to work better together, according to Discovery Health Guide to Diabetes. It ensures everyone has an understanding of your challenge and their part in it.

Make Decisions

• In the early stages of formulating a diabetes treatment plan, there are important decisions to make. Create a list of short and long-term goals, a list of the changes you need to make (stop smoking, lose weight, etc.) and a list of medications and how to take them properly. Get advice on planning meals in order to have a nutritious diet, and look for support groups that are available to you.

Receive Instruction

• You should create a checklist of procedures you need to learn, such as how to check and record blood glucose levels, what to do in the event that you have low blood sugar, how to test your urine for ketones, and how to administer insulin injections. You should be in developing your treatment plan because many of the decisions rotate around your particular lifestyle. Factors to be considered include your school and work schedule, eating patterns and preferences, physical fitness, cultural background, and how much the disease has affected you so far.