If you’ve been recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes by your physician, you might be feeling overwhelmed — and for good reason. There are many lifestyle changes that need to be enacted with a diagnosis like this one, such as regular insulin injections and blood sugar tests. Not only that, but there are plenty of foods you are permanently barred from or must take in moderation.
To keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed, we have created this guide to living with Type 1 Diabetes. We hope this article can help you understand your condition better, and how to make it more manageable.
Step 1: Find a way to deal with the emotions
There is only so much that a physician can do if you have Type 1 Diabetes. To help deal with your emotions, you might find that joining a local or online community of people diagnosed with this condition can be helpful. Others find better emotional stability in talking to a therapist.
After all, no person is an island. There is always comfort to be found in the thought that you don’t have to go through this alone.
Step 2: Inform medical professionals
Type 1 Diabetes may indirectly cause a number of conditions throughout the body, so it important to inform the following medical professionals about your diagnosis:
- Your PCP (primary care provider). They are responsible for your overall health needs and should be immediately made aware of your condition.
- Your endocrinologist. Anyone who has Type 1 Diabetes should have an endocrinologist they can consult.
- Your dietician or CDE (certified diabetes educator). These roles can be one and the same. Regardless, it is important to inform both so that a better nutrition program can be crafted for you.
- Your eye care specialist. People with Type 1 Diabetes are likely to experience diabetic retinopathy, so it is important that they are aware that you have the condition.
- Your dentist. People with diabetes have a greater risk of contracting periodontal disease and other health issues, so it might be better to visit your dentist regularly.
When consulting with medical professionals, it is important that you inform them of your condition so that they can make better decisions about your health. Try to talk to them about regularly scheduled visits as well so that you can prevent small problems from becoming larger issues.
Step 3: Learn to self-manage
One of the most important things about Type 1 Diabetes is to learn how to manage the disease yourself. It involves going through quite a checklist every day that consists of the following steps:
- Self-injection of insulin
- Prevention and treatment of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar
- Checking of your blood sugar through the prick test
- Checking for ketones
- Counting carbs
- Checking your feet for ulcers
These are just some of the things you might have to do, but with time, you are likely to master the management of this condition.
In conclusion
Dealing and living with Type 1 Diabetes might be overwhelming and frightening, but with enough knowledge and better habits, you might even forget that it’s there. So long as you listen to the advice of your physicians and follow their directions, you can expect to live a happy, meaningful life even with Type 1 Diabetes.
If you’re looking for more resources from physicians about Type 1 Diabetes, send us at Garden State Medical Group a message. We have the resources to help you erase your fears about this condition and help you cope with it better.