Category Archives: Coping w/ Diabetes

Dealing with Diabetes Among Pregnant Women

Coping w/ Diabetes

Carrying a life inside the womb for nine months is probably the most wonderful experience any woman could ever have. In this stage called “pregnancy,” it is very important for an expectant mother to pay attention to good nutrition because this is very vital for her and her baby’s health. Pregnancy for regular women is complicated as it is, how much more for women who are suffering from a chronic illness such as diabetes?

During the course of the pregnancy, the mother and the baby need all the energy and nutrients they can get. Pregnancy is indeed not the time to lose weight or go on a diet because having a nutritionally sound diet can increase the chances for the baby to have a normal birth weight, proper brain development, and reduce the risk of certain birth defects. All these and more should be of topmost consideration for pregnant women who have diabetes.

What you need to know

Diabetes has three types, the “type 1 diabetes” which is the least common type but predominantly diagnosed among kids and teens, the “type diabetes” which is the most common to all ages and the “gestational diabetes” which are common for women once they get pregnant. It can be said that among these three types of diabetes, “gestational diabetes” is the easiest to deal with because it usually ends once the woman gives birth. However, this is not always the case because there are also those that continue to suffer from the disease that can lead to “type 2 diabetes” if not monitored and given proper medical attention immediately.

Although almost pregnant women are expected to suffer from gestational diabetes at one point during their pregnancy, there are also those who suffer from it even before they conceive. In this scenario, dealing with diabetes can be harder and much more complicated. But now, with the help of modern technology and advances in the field of medical research, pregnancy for women who are diabetics is fairly easier and lesser risk when it comes to the overall health of the baby and the mother as well.

First things first

For women who are diagnosed with diabetes, getting pregnant should be an utmost decision to make. This is because it will greatly determine not just the baby’s health but the woman’s overall health condition as well. For women who are planning to get pregnant despite suffering from diabetes, the major consideration to ponder on is the readiness of the woman’s body. This is very important to ensure that the woman can meet all the challenges and difficulties that goes with pregnancy.

To know if the woman’s body is ready for pregnancy despite diabetes, she should undergo a thorough physical examination administered by a licensed physician. This is very important because the physician can tell if the body is ready for the demands of pregnancy and labor and the possible complications that might occur along the way.

Experts say that pregnant women who have diabetes will most likely develop related complications such as diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, kidney disease, autonomic neuropathy or nerve damage to the internal organs, and cardiovascular diseases.

What you can do

With proper daily management, many women were able to have successful deliveries. The following are just some of the things that helped them along the way:

  • frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG);
  • administering insulin injections and identifying how to adjust the doses depending on results of their SMBG;
  • controlling and treatment of hypoglycemia;
  • maintaining an appropriate level of regular exercise or physical activities; and an
  • appropriate meal plan specially designed for women who have diabetes.

There is Life With Diabetes

Coping w/ Diabetes

Because diabetes requires so many efforts from you every day, checking blood sugar and taking medications as needed, dealing with it can take over your life. But part of finding a path to overcome the disease is to not let it be the center of your life. As a diabetic, you may tend to turn your attention inward upon yourself, losing interest in the activities you used to enjoy. But you do not want to just be defined by your diabetes. Here are some tips for getting yourself out of this predicament.

Be diligent about following your doctor’s instructions about checking blood sugar and taking medications. Get the moderate exercise recommended. Take care of your feet. Do all of these things, but do not let them become and end in themselves nor your purpose in life. Aim higher.

Make taking care of your diabetes just a routine. Take up other efforts to make your life rich and meaningful. This could be joining a book club or becoming an expert chess player. It is true that having diabetes imposes some physical limitations on you, but there are so many rewarding activities not inhibited by diabetes. Just by turning outward and not letting diabetes take over your life, you increase the possibility of overcoming it.

Since type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight, losing that weight can free you from the disease, if it has not done too much damage to your body already. Focus not on your present limitations, but on the things you will be able to do when you lose weight, improve your immune system, and your body recovers the abilities it had before you developed diabetes. Many people have actually done this. Discuss this as a positive possibility with your doctor. Ask him to help you devise a realistic plan to reverse the disease and recover normal functioning.

Beyond just weight loss, you need to tone and strengthen your muscles. Yoga and tai chi offer disciplines to regain control of your body. Study foods carefully. Much research has been done on how diet affects you, and how you can use foods to bring you out of diabetes. Eating a poor diet probably contributed to your development of the disease. Learn how to reduce the effects of a poor diet and instead to eat in a way that reduces the hold diabetes has over you. Research shows the exact glycemic effect of various foods, and this information is readily available.

Find a cuisine that appeals to you and adapt it to your efforts to combat diabetes. Food can be very tasty as well as healthy. A cuisine that can readily be adapted to your special needs is Chinese food, with its use of many fresh vegetables and brown rice, very little sugar, and with modest amounts of meat. Low fat dairy can also be a good way to go.

So follow these suggestions and do not let diabetes take over your life. Take the measures necessary to lessen the effect diabetes has on your body, and then you can engage in richer and more varied activities in life.

What You Need To Ask Yourself When Diagnosed With Diabetes

Coping w/ Diabetes

Diabetes is certainly not a diagnosis that a person should ignore, and there are things that can be done on your end to better manage it and improve your quality of life. In some cases, people choose to follow a doctors orders for insulin with little concern for anything else, as it is seen as a lifelong issue they will not be able to get away from. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes and have the mentality mentioned above, this article is for you. It will address some questions you may ask yourself as to whether you are doing everything required on your end to manage the disease. It is recommended that you continue reading to learn more.

The first question you should ask yourself is if your weight is fairly healthy. Now, it is a fact that not everyone with diabetes is overweight or of poor health; however, a few extra pounds or more can make diabetes more difficult to manage. You should talk to your physician about whether your weight is at an acceptable number for promoting a better lifestyle with diabetes or if you could drop a few pounds. When you carry additional weight due to body fat or poor nutrition, your diabetes can actually flare up, causing blood sugar levels to bounce all over the place. It is wise to set a goal to lose weight if you are above the recommended weight for a person of your height and age.

Next, you need to ask yourself if you consider your diagnosis when choosing everything you eat. Unfortunately, the diet is often the hardest change to make when discovering or treating diabetes. Fried foods and foods high in sugars or carbs are all horrible for managing diabetes. You need to eat healthier by adding more green vegetables and fruits to your diet. These items contain nutrients and antioxidants to help reduce toxins in the blood and improve cholesterol levels. These foods, along with grilled or baked fish and poultry, are fantastic at doing just that. Your goal is to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

If exercise is not part of your daily life, it should be. By focusing on cardio workouts, you improve the respiratory system, heart health and induce the body to sweat out toxins in the blood. You do not need to run for miles or hit the stair stepper, as you can work out in your home. Walking the neighborhood or light jogs will be fine as well as walking up and down steps in your own home. By getting the heart pumping thanks to exercise, you can better control diabetes through blood sugar management. This will also allow you to drop any excess body weight and reduce body fat, which will improve your overall health.

Finally, you need to minimize any stress you may be dealing with. Stress throws your body off chemically and emotionally, causing diabetes to flare up. By reducing your stress through breathing techniques, you should be in a better place to manage the disease.

By asking yourself these questions and following the suggestions given, you should be able to manage diabetes much easier than before. While diabetes is difficult to manage and changes our lives, we certainly can do all we can to control it and improve our quality of life.