Seven Critical Mistakes Made by People With Diabetes

Seven Critical Mistakes and How to Avoid Them if You Have Diabetes

Like so many of you, I’ve learned many lessons the hard way. That was the case with James, my first husband who had diabetes for 10 years when I met him. I didn’t know much about diabetes back then and it was not even on my radar screen to talk to him about it. Because James took insulin I assumed he knew about diabetes. Tragically, I was wrong. Over the next few years the devastating complications associated with diabetes emerged: blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure and ultimately, death.

Fortunately for you, there is no need for you to make the same errors that plagued James.

I want to give you an easy lesson, free of pain, how to avoid many of the most common and critical errors associated with diabetes.

Pay attention and you can live a long and healthy life with diabetes. First, let’s identify those mistakes:

Seven Common and Critical Mistakes You Should Never Make!

1. Thinking your diabetes is no big deal, or not a problem, because you feel fine.
2. Skipping your medicine because your blood sugar is at a good level.
3. Monitoring your blood sugar only in the morning, or not at all.  (You feel fine so why bother?).
4. Not involving people close to you, or asking for support.  (You don’t want to bother them).
5. Not knowing your A1C and cholesterol levels.
6. Not having a dilated eye exam, a foot exam, and a kidney test every year.
7. Not learning enough about diabetes from reliable sources.

These mistakes are so common! They add up to not paying proper attention to your diabetes.  James didn’t know enough, or do enough, about his diabetes. Relying on your doctor to take care of everything doesn’t work with diabetes. Sure, he or she is part of your team, but you are the main player. Diabetes must be “self managed”.

Don’t be scared or overwhelmed. You are not alone. There are 29 million with diabetes in the United States and there  are resources and support available. Now that we’ve identified the mistakes, let’s develop a strategy to avoid them.

Here’s What To Do:

1. Find out what your A1C is so you know if you’re glucose average is in a safe range. This is a lab test  which should be done every 3 to 6 months. A common target is less than 7.0, but targets should be individualized. Ask your health care provider about your A1C goal.

2. If you are at your goal A1C, your overall average glucose is in the target range. If you are not, you need to take steps to bring your blood sugar down. These steps may include changes in diet, medicine or other strategies incorporating diabetes treatment.

3. Monitor your blood sugar with a glucose meter. Monitoring lets you know the details and can enlighten you on the consequences of your actions. It is best to monitor a few times a day but not always first thing in the morning.

Checking in the morning lets you know your level when you haven’t eaten for many hours. It’s also good to see the effects of exercise by checking before and after exercise. You can do the same for a meal by checking before and 2 hours afterwards. Use the information you get from monitoring to make decisions on how to manage your diabetes. Managing your diet, insulin or exercise by “how you feel” is no way to manage your diabetes!

4. Take your diabetes medicine as prescribed. Most diabetes medications are designed to be taken on a regular basis, and not based on current blood sugars. When you don’t take your medications, generally you’ll see your glucose level rise. Obviously, this is not a good thing.

5. Get a proper and thorough eye, foot and kidney exam regularly. Everyone with Type 2 diabetes should have a dilated eye exam and a foot exam at diagnosis, and then at least once a year. Kidneys should be checked by a urine or blood test. It is important to have these checked so that potential problems can be detected early and treated effectively.

6. Ask for help and support. Let your loved ones know how they can help you. Sometimes family and friends don’t know what to do. They may be scared like I was when James started having complications. Engaging in honest and open communication with those you care about can do wonders. No person is an island. You will do better with support.

7. Finally, education is power. Learn all you can about diabetes from reputable sources like Diabetes.org.

Of course, you can ask me questions on Facebook or contact me to discuss ways we can work together side by side to avoid common mistakes. I would be honored to help you.  

For more on healthy eating download my free guide, “How to Eat when you have Diabetes & Still Enjoy your Favorite Foods!”