Self-Care
How Others Manage Diabetes
It can seem like there's just too much to keep track of and manage.
Eating the right foods, getting the right exercise, checking your feet every day ... Sometimes it helps to hear how other people are managing.
For example, Fred here had an ingrown toenail that got infected and took a long time to heal.
"Yeah, that toenail problem sort of woke me up.
I knew it was time to get serious about taking care of my feet.
Now I have a routine after my shower every day.
I take a good long look at each foot ... spread my toes apart ... look for sores, cuts, and cracks.
I use a mirror to make sure I don't miss anything."
Now let's hear from Brenda.
She started noticing that she almost always had high blood sugar before lunch.
"I thought maybe changing my breakfast might help.
I usually had oatmeal with honey, but that has lots of carbs that I think were making my blood sugar high.
So I decided to try lower-carb foods.
Now my breakfast is usually cottage cheese with some fruit or a hard-boiled egg with a slice of cheese.
Sure enough, that did the trick."
And here's Evan.
He's figured out how to organize his exercise so that he gets about the same amount every day ... at about the same time.
"I walk up and down two flights of stairs before lunch every day.
And I set the calendar on my phone so that I get an alert at 5:30 every afternoon.
It reminds me to do 25 jumping jacks, or whatever I want it to say.
I love that reminder. It's hard to ignore."
Many people struggle with their blood sugar just like you.
And you can learn a lot from them.
Hopefully Fred, Brenda, and Evan gave you some ideas that will help.
Credits
- Current as of
- 07 28, 2021
- Author
- Healthwise Staff
- Medical Review
-
- Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
- Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
- David C.W. Lau MD, PhD, FRCPC - Endocrinology