What should I do if I am diagnosed with prediabetes?

What should I do if I am diagnosed with prediabetes?

You should take action. You should treat it with as much concern as you would if it was diagnosed as “type 2 diabetes.” To be tested for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, you’ll need to schedule a check-up with your primary care doctor and ask for these two blood tests: your fasting blood sugar and your HbA1c.

What’s the difference between prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes?

You’ve earned the “pre” in front of “diabetes” because while your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, they simply aren’t high enough to qualify for full-fledged type 2 diabetes. For some, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is “ reversible .”

How often should you exercise if you have prediabetes?

“ Physical activity is an essential part of the treatment plan for prediabetes, because it lowers blood glucose levels and decreases body fat,” Geil says. Ideally, you should exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

Is there still time to turn things around with diabetes?

There is still time to turn things around. “It’s an opportunity to initiate lifestyle changes or treatments, and potentially retard progression to diabetes or even prevent diabetes,” says Gregg Gerety, MD, chief of endocrinology at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, N.Y. Making these seven changes in your daily habits is a good way to start. 1.

What to do when you find out you have type 1 diabetes?

If you’ve just learned you have type 1 diabetes, know that you have an array of tools at your disposal to help you manage it. Finding ways to manage your blood sugar levels, your insulin intake, diet and exercise, and working with your diabetes care team, can help you feel healthier and help you stay on top of your condition.

Is it hard to find out you have diabetes?

Look—we know it can be hard to hear that you have diabetes. You probably feel overwhelmed and confused. You’re asking yourself, “What now?” Well, the good news is you have a community to fall back on. You don’t have to maneuver this by yourself. You have the support of countless others who have felt the same shock.

What does it mean to have type 1 diabetes?

If you have type 1 diabetes, it means that your pancreas does not produce insulin. It requires monitoring your blood sugar and administering multiple daily insulin injections with a pen, syringe, or a pump. If you’ve just learned you have type 1 diabetes, know that you have an array of tools at your disposal to help you manage it.

How many people are diagnosed with diabetes each year?

1.5 million people will be diagnosed with diabetes this year. We make sure that’s not the end of the story. Look—we know it can be hard to hear that you have diabetes. You probably feel overwhelmed and confused. You’re asking yourself, “What now?” Well, the good news is you have a community to fall back on.