Diabetes - 7 keys messages to the patients

1. Diabetes is self-managed.

Caring for diabetes is more than just taking a daily pill or doing your insulin injection. It may feel like a burden but the decisions you make about physical activity, what and when you will eat will affect both how you feel today and your future health and well-being.

2. Take diabetes seriously.

It is a multi-systemic disorder and indeed needs a lot of care. Since the symptoms and complications take time to appear you may think that it is a simple disease but it is not in reality!!!

3. Learn everything about the disease.

Since most of diabetes care is about self-care, the more you know about it, the better you will be able to manage it. You can control your diabetes rather than letting your diabetes control you. If possible, try to get updated with latest developments in the field and read to drive away myths about the disease.

4. Your treatment will change over time.

Treatment of diabetes will eventually change over time. Changes in treatment do not mean that you have failed or that your diabetes is worse. It simply means that your body needs more help to keep your blood glucose level on target. Insulin therapy is part of the treatment and not a punishment.

5. Negative emotions are common.

It can be difficult to live with diabetes and researchers have shown that patients are about twice as likely to become depressed. Let your doctor know if your emotions are getting in the way of managing diabetes or enjoying your daily life. Do not hesitate to go for a psychological evaluation.

6. Step by step is the motto.

Diabetes often involves making changes in your food, exercise and other habits. It can quickly become too hard if you try to do it all at once. Start by choosing one thing that is important to you. Try to make small changes each day. It is likely that you will try different things along the way. Use what you learn about what does and does not work as a guide. Perfection is not the goal. It is what you do most of the time that counts.

7. Complications don't always happen.

You may have seen the toll of long-term complications on others. The good news is that these can be delayed or prevented by keeping your blood glucose and blood pressure levels in the target ranges. There are no guarantees, but you can greatly reduce your risk.

Living with diabetes is not easy. But with the help of your health care team and your family and friends, you can do it.

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