Managing Diabetes by Preventing Long-Term Problems
To prevent long-term problems, people with
diabetes must control their:
Long-term problems resulting from diabetes include:
People with diabetes can perform key self-care activities to help manage their condition and live a long and healthy life. These activities may be done:
Daily Self-Care Activities
Things you can do daily to help manage diabetes and reduce the risk of long-term health problems include:
- Follow your diabetes meal plan with the correct portion sizes. Eat a variety of foods that are high in fiber and low in fat and salt.
- Be active every day.
- Take diabetes medicines as prescribed. If you have questions, talk to your pharmacist or doctor about your medicines.
- Look at your feet, and wash and dry them well each day. Tell your podiatrist or healthcare team about any changes with your feet.
- Check your mouth daily for gum or tooth problems. Call your dentist right away if you have problems with your teeth or gums.
As-Needed Self-Care Activities
Things you can do on an as-needed basis to help with managing diabetes include:
- Test your blood glucose as prescribed by your doctor
- Check your blood pressure as prescribed by your doctor
- Reach and stay at a healthy weight
- Stop smoking
- Make sure your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription is up-to-date so you can see clearly
- Report any changes in your vision to your healthcare team
- Work with your healthcare team to prevent diabetes problems.
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