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People often get devastated when they hear that they have type 1 diabetes, and it’s easy to see why. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease that will affect virtually every aspect of your life and require constant treatment. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t live a semi-normal life with it. The first part of coping with diabetes is learning about the disease and how it acts on the body. You can then make decisions that will help you manage it better. Let’s take a look at a few things you should know if you’ve just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Checking Your Blood Sugar Will Become Part of Your Life
One of the things you have to be ready for right now is the reality that your blood sugar will need to be monitored at all times. You may have to prick yourself every day multiple times or use more convenient alternatives like blood glucose meters. You will then have to self-administer insulin or use a pump to do it.
If you’re concerned about that part, then we suggest you check out this article on measuring blood glucose by Making Diabetes Easier. They explain the different methods that you can use for measuring blood glucose, and how to do it correctly. They also explain the dangers of having too high or too low blood sugar as a diabetic.
You Will Need to Check what You Eat as Well
You probably know that Type 1 diabetes will affect your food choices. Contrary to what many people think, however, you won’t be prohibited from eating certain foods. But you will be advised to stick to foods that don’t trigger a strong blood sugar spike.
So, start learning how to read labels right now if you want to make your diabetes as manageable as possible. You’ll need to pay special attention to carbs in particular. You should also be ready to incorporate healthier foods into your diet and increase your uptake of low sugar foods, high fibre foods, and vegetables.
Physical Exercise is Important but be Careful
All people who suffer from type 1 diabetes will be advised to stay active to steady blood sugar levels and make their condition more manageable. But you also have to know that there are dangers associated with intense exercise for diabetics and you have to be aware of those if you don’t want to suffer an incident.
Low blood sugar is the biggest risk here. You’ll have to check your blood sugar levels before, after, and even during exercise in some cases.
You should also always have an emergency kit with you if you’re not using an automatic pump with a sensor. Your kit should comprise insulin, water, and high sugar fruit drinks or glucose tablets. Insulin should be administered if your blood sugar is too high and sugary foods if your blood sugar gets dangerously low.
Hearing that you have to live your life with Type 1 diabetes can be tough but know that it’s not a life sentence. There are ways that you can cope with the disease, so learn as much as you can on how to manage it and build a solid support group around you.