10 things your diabetologist wants you to know

Before consulting a diabetologist for your next check-up, here are few things you need to bear in mind for better diabetes control.

How often do you consult your doctor?

What are the things that your doctor should know?

When should you get a test done?

As a diabetic, there are numerous questions that you have in mind. But the problem is most of us fail to convey the same to the doctor, which will not help in . According to Dr Sanjay Kalra, Consultant Endocrinologist, Bharti Hospital, Karnal & Vice President, South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies, The treatment of diabetes is based on four quadruples of Atreya [1], namely physician, patient, drugs and attendant (family/caregiver/nurses/paramedical staff), which is purely a teamwork. And hence, dealing with diabetes could be made easy if you are disciplined, provide complete information to the doctor and strictly abide by the treatment approach.' Here are top 10 things that your diabetologist wishes that you understand.

1. Management is not a one-time affair

Unlike popular belief, controlling diabetes is not a one-time affair but a lifelong one. So following a strict diet plan and regularly monitor your blood glucose level. Also, eating with abandon after your diabetes is under control is not right. If you have diabetes, following a proper diet, medication and exercise routine. Also read about ABCDE of diabetes: 5 rules to control your blood sugar level.

2. Discuss your complete medical history with your doctor

Always keep in the mind that diabetes is a lifelong condition and the best way to deal with it is to maintain your blood glucose level within control. Some people are reluctant to share personal details with the doctor when the family members are around or do not open up about the problems they are experiencing. In such a case, it is extremely difficult for the doctor to prescribe a treatment. Be it a clinical history, sexual dysfunction or any medicines that you are taking, let your doctor know your complete medical history.

3. Allow your doctor to do a physical exam

If your doctor asks you to lie down or get a physical examination done, please co-operate. If you are uncomfortable with anything, communicate so with your doctor. In fact, checking your feet, eyes, tongue and even your nails and abdomen might show crucial signs of any injury caused due to high blood glucose and help you treat the condition in the initial stage. Here are 3 tests for diabetes you should know about.

4. Get additional tests done as recommended by your doctor

Once the regular check-up is done, most people tend to ignore additional tests like eye-checks for glaucoma, liver function tests, lipid profile test or kidney function tests, thinking these tests are a mere waste of time and money. However, in reality, undergoing these tests is important to assess any damage caused due to high blood glucose on different organs like eye, heart, kidney and feet. It is a common perception that doctors recommend numerous tests without the need, but these tests might help you lower your risk of various diseases and also prevent you from any future health complications like diabetic neuropathy, diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic nephropathy, etc.

5. Keep a tab on your blood glucose level with at-home tests

The best way to check if your medications, diet and exercise are yielding any results or not is to closely monitor your blood glucose level. And this can be possible by doing a simple home-test or using a glucometer to check your blood glucose regularly at home. Do a home-test to check your blood glucose level. Known as self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), it helps you to achieve proper glycemic control, if your blood sugar varies from time to time and also prevent hypoglycaemia, which might be caused due to excess drug dosage.

6. Check your HbA1c level every three months

Do you need to make any change to your diet plan? Is your exercise regimen helping you out in controlling your blood glucose? Do you need to change your medications? Well, the answer to all these questions HbA1c. To know if you are maintaining your blood glucose in control, your doctor might recommend you to undergo HbA1c, a blood test done every three months to keep your diabetes under control. While the normal range is below 7 for diabetics, if you are pregnant, then it has to be less than 6.5.

7. Treatment is more about diet changes than medications

Although drugs form the crux of diabetes treatment, diet plays a vital role in keeping your blood glucose under control. Hence, follow a strict dietary control to prevent various health complications caused due to diabetes. When it comes to diet, ensure that the food you eat should comprise of fibre, complex carbohydrates and proteins more than fat and simple carbohydrates. Also, make sure that you do not eat too much at a single time but distribute it throughout the day. Remember that without a proper diet, no drugs can help keep your blood glucose under control. Here are 7 expert diet tips to keep your diabetes under control.

8. Make it a habit to exercise regularly

Age is just a number. You can start exercising at any age to get fit and lead a healthy life. If you are overweight and diabetic, your risk of other health conditions increases drastically. And hence, it is important to lead an active lifestyle to maintain your blood control. You can go for a morning drink walk for 30 minutes every day or swim for an hour. Even simple things like cycling and doing yoga might do the trick for you. You can try these 10 yoga poses to keep diabetes under control!

9. Stress management is as important as controlling diabetes

Stress is the leading cause of increasing number of diabetes in the country. And if you are leading a stressful life, whether it is physical or mental and domestic or workplace stress, it puts you at a high risk of diabetes. If this is the case, then so share it with your doctor as the dose of the medications might need to be changed. Also, dose adjustment should be done under expert supervision.

10. Learn more about drugs

Do not blindly follow what your doctor has prescribed. With the internet at your finger tips, learn more about the drugs your doctor has prescribed, know more about who to take them and what is the right way to take them and how to administer them, contraindications (if any) associated with the drug. So the next time you visit your doctor, you can ask any drug-related queries that you have and also understand how the medications work. Moreover, learning about administering the drug or use of injection is always a good idea, suggests Dr Kalra. But the most important point to keep in mind is that never self-medicate as it might cause more harm than good. Also, read about how 61-year-old diabetic Surendra Rajput does not need insulin any more thanks to Yoga!

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