From HealthNewsDigest.com
My Diabetes Organizer
By
May 27, 2009 - 5:34:14 PM
Four Ways to Curb the Stress of Diabetes
Diabetes Specialist Says It's Easier Than You Think
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - New York, NY - Type 2 diabetes affects 21 million Americans. Poorly controlled diabetes can affect every organ of the body and cause damage to the kidneys, eyes, heart, blood vessels, and nerves. Good diabetes self-care is vital in order to avoid life-threatening complications, yet people with diabetes often find the stress of daily diabetes management overwhelming.
Doctors and diabetes educators encourage their patients with diabetes to make many lifestyle changes, including meal planning, exercise, stress management, blood sugar testing, and possibly medications. In addition, your doctor will recommend a schedule of follow-up visits, blood tests and exams with specialists. What's more, there is on-going paperwork and important information to keep track of, such as doctors’ phone numbers, insurance, medical expenses, and sick day plans. If you have diabetes, it is essential that it you work closely with your doctor and your diabetes educator, participate in daily self-care regimes, and keep diabetes-related information current and organized.
Gina Barbetta, MS, RD, CDE, CD-N, co-author of My Diabetes Organizer, can help. Here are four ways to organize for the best self-care:
Set goals: With your doctor, set personal health goals and mark up a calendar for the coming year with reminders to schedule follow-up visits and recommended screening tests. Your plans may include reducing your A1c, losing weight, lowering your blood cholesterol and lowering your blood pressure. Plan with your doctor how you are going to achieve your goals.
Track your progress: To meet your goals, your plan will likely include lifestyle changes, blood glucose testing and may include medications. These are the things that you are going to do every day. Develop a daily chart or journal to track how you are doing with your plan. A journal is a very effective way to turn these changes to your lifestyle into lifelong habits!
Plan ahead: Whether you are experiencing a spike or decline in blood sugar levels or something as simple as a cold, it’s important that you have a plan for the times you are feeling sick. Know what actions to take and know when to call your doctor. Keep a notebook at home and record your doctor’s recommendations. This is also a good place to record questions or concerns that come up between doctor visits. Bring this notebook with you to your checkups so that you keep a running log of issues and the doctor’s advice.
Organize: Set up files for keeping track of paperwork related to treating your diabetes. Quick access to this information will save you time and give you peace of mind.
Learn more about taking control of your Type 2 Diabetes in My Diabetes Organizer, available wherever books are sold.
About the Authors:
Gina Barbetta, MS, RD, CDE, CD-N is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and nutrition consultant with over 15 years of experience in the diabetes and weight management field, which includes clinical research on diabetes-related topics with Yale University, School of Medicine. Ms Barbetta is published in scientific journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Valerie Rossi, an organizer by nature, embarked on this project to help family members get better control of the issues surrounding type 2 diabetes. She has worked for IBM in sales and marketing and has a 20-year history of volunteer work. She lives in Westport, CT.
My Diabetes Organizer
The Essential Planner and Record-Keeper to Manage Your Type 2 Diabetes
978-1-57826-261-8, $24.95 cloth
A Hatherleigh Book, Distributed by Random House
Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and be eligible for Health News, discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7.
HealthNewsDigest.com
© Copyright by HealthNewsDigest.com
