carmen33
Posts: 7312
Group Leader
Send a PM
Give a Hug
|
If you've just been diagnosed with diabetes, it's important to start learning how to manage your condition. Learning that you have diabetes can be an overwhelming experience. You're likely to have dozens of questions about how to manage this new responsibility. A diabetes educator can help by answering your questions, teaching you how to check your blood sugar, showing you how to inject insulin, or providing a schedule for taking pills. The educator can also teach you the warning signs of low and high blood glucose levels plus tips for making successful lifestyle changes. Follow-up visits are important, too. See an educator when you make major lifestyle changes or if you have problems with diabetes management. An educator can help you adjust your meal plan and medication if you start exercising, for example. Or he or she could help you make changes if you develop other health problems, or if you're going through a major life event, or retiring. Even if everything is going smoothly, an educator can teach you the latest developments in diabetes care. Education, in general, can make you much healthier. Most diabetes educators are nurses or dietitians, but any health care professional with an interest in diabetes management may become trained as a certified diabetes educator (CDE). You should be able to find one in your town or in a larger community nearby. (Go to American Association of Diabetes Educators to find an educator. |
