If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you will have to pay special attention to certain aspects of your health.
Diabetes doesn’t have to stop you from leading the life you want. Nor does it mean you’re destined to have other serious health problems in the future.
With careful management you can ensure that you control the condition, and it doesn’t control you. You can stay healthy, active and live a full life. Otherwise, you’re at increased risk of many health problems, which could force you to change your lifestyle entirely.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes put you at increased risk of:
- Heart disease and stroke.
- Circulation problems.
- Nerve damage.
- Foot ulcers.
- Blindness, caused by the eye condition called diabetic retinopathy.
- Kidney damage.
- Skin lesions.
- Damage to breast tissue in women.
- Muscle-wasting and damage to ligaments and joints.
What you can do
It’s important to remember that there’s a lot you can do to minimise your risk of these problems.
As well as taking your medicines or insulin, there are some key steps you can take to help you prevent or delay the complications surrounding diabetes.
- Maintain a healthy weight. This will help to control blood glucose level, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Eat a diet that’s low in fat, salt and sugar. A healthy diet doesn’t mean you can never eat biscuits or cakes again: but try to eat sugary and fatty foods in moderation.
- Eat a wide variety of foods, including at least five portions a day of fruit and vegetables.
- Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, find support to help you stop. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease and stroke even further.
- Get active for 30 minutes a day, five times a week. This helps you maintain a healthy weight and good general health. It doesn’t have to be the gym: there are plenty of other ways to keep active, such as playing with the kids, gardening, or any activity that gently raises your heart rate.
- Check your feet every day. The nerve damage that can occur in diabetes most commonly affects feet. Check your feet every day for damage, and if you notice cuts, grazes, changes in colour or changes in heat (i.e. areas of the foot feel especially hot or cold) then see your doctor.
- Keep your appointments with your diabetes care team. Regular check-ups once every three months are an important part of managing your diabetes.
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