Managing your diabetes, making changes and fitting the demands of diabetes into your lifestyle can be challenging at times. Effective diabetes care can only be achieved through partnership between you and your diabetes healthcare team, who are there to support you to self-manage your diabetes. The most important person in the team is you – because the decisions made will affect you.
Taking control of and responsibility for your diabetes will enable you to manage your diabetes more effectively. Ask questions and request more information if you need to.
To take control of your diabetes
- obtain enough information to help you take as much control of your diabetes on a day-to-day basis as you can. The more you know about your own diabetes, the easier it will be to manage it
- you need to recognise your role in your health and take some personal responsibility for managing it day-to-day
- give accurate information about your health and how you are feeling
- put into everyday practice the goals you may have agreed in your care plan about
healthy eating, physical activity, taking your medication and monitoring your blood glucose levels
- examine your feet regularly between reviews, or if you are unable to, ask someone you know to check them for you
- know how to manage your diabetes and when to ask for help if you are ill, for example if you have diarrhoea and are vomiting
- know when, where and how to contact your diabetes healthcare team
- attend your appointments or rearrange them as soon as possible
- make a list of points to raise at your appointments. If you find it helpful, ask someone else to write them down for you or come with you to support you. Use the checklist at the end of this booklet
- carry some form of medical identification about your diabetes
- discuss with your diabetes healthcare team if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, so that pre- and postpregnancy advice can be organised with your obstetric team
- give feedback to your healthcare team about the treatment and care you have received
- treat NHS staff with respect.
Support from other people
As well as receiving support from your diabetes healthcare team, support from others is also important. Here are some suggestions:
- Talk about your feelings with your family and friends as they may be concerned about you and wish to help.
- Involve your family and friends in your understanding and care for your diabetes, as they may be able to help and support you on a daily basis.
- When you have an appointment with your healthcare team, ask someone to go with you, especially if they provide practical care for you, such as helping with your medication or meals.
- Get to know other people with diabetes. Sharing ideas, experiences and feelings with others, who also have or live with diabetes, can be reassuring and useful. You might like to join one of Diabetes UK’s voluntary groups or take part in a support weekend or log on to a discussion forum on the internet.