written by Jayne Lehmann (CDE)

 

Spring has sprung, and a sense of anticipation seems to fill the air with many of us taking a fresh look at the wardrobe and generally freshening things up with a spring clean. Credentialled Diabetes Educator Jayne Lehmann explores the idea of making the most of spring to also do a Diabetes Spring Clean!  

It is easy to get so used to having diabetes that you forget to do some of the diabetes care you enthusiastically managed when you were first diagnosed. Unhealthy habits start to sneak into your day and before you know it your blood glucose monitoring is not being done as often and it has become difficult to fit in with your regular activity. The longer you have diabetes the harder it can sometimes be to keep motivated to stay on track with your diabetes care.

 

 

Do you know if your diabetes is currently on track and under control?	No	Yes
Do you feel on top of your diabetes management at the moment?	No	Yes
Are you happy with your diabetes care and general health?	No	Yes
Have you sorted out all of the diabetes care issues you have wanted to?	No	Yes
Have you spent any time recently going over the way you look after your diabetes?	No	Yes

 

If you answered no to one or more of these questions then it's time for a Diabetes Spring Clean!

 

Much in the way you spring clean your wardrobe a Diabetes Spring Clean gives you the chance to check over your diabetes care to see what has been working and what will work better with a fresh approach.

You don’t have to spring clean everything at once. The list below will help you decide which aspect of diabetes care you would like to focus on first. The questions will guide you through your spring clean.  Then take a look at another area of diabetes care to spring clean. 

1.The food you eat

In order to spring clean your diet, write a food diary over three days using a piece of paper to write down when, what and how much you eat. Be honest because you are only tricking yourself if you leave things off the list!

Put some time aside to go over your list once completed to see if you:

•Choose low fat, high fibre, low glycaemic index foods
•Your meal sizes haven’t got too big
•Spread your carbohydrate over the day
•Snack when you don’t need to
•Eat more when stressed or upset
•Drink no more than 1-2 glasses of alcohol per day with no alcohol 2 days each week.

If you can’t work out if your diet is on track or need help to work on the issues you identify then make an appointment to see a dietitian.

2.Daily  Activity

Think about the activity you did over the last week.

 

•Did you do some extra activity each day e.g. walking, exercise bike, going to the gym?
•When you were active, did your heart rate and breathing speed up?
•Did you fit in 30 minutes of extra activity most days?
•Did you feel happy with your activity levels?
•Do you know what affect your activity had on your blood glucose levels?

Focus on the questions you answered no to and think of ways you could change things so in the future you can answer yes.  For example, if you answered no to the question “Did you do some extra activity each day”, think about how you can include extra activity each day. You could go for a walk each day, join an exercise group, take the stairs instead of the lift or get off the bus a stop earlier.

If you would like some extra help, make an appointment with your diabetes educator or exercise physiologist.

3.Managing stress

How have you been feeling lately? Has life been relatively easy or have you felt bogged down by life’s daily grind?  Do you often feel stressed or anxious?  Have you cried when things have got too much in the last week? 
These are all signs that stress has become a part of your life, making you feel unhappy and more than likely is also increasing your blood glucose levels. 

 

There are lots of things you can do to manage stress:

•Do some daily physical activity
•Join a yoga or meditation group
•Talk to your doctor, diabetes educator or psychologist
•Write in your diabetes log book when you are stressed to check the impact it has on your blood glucose levels.

4.Blood glucose monitoring

Take a look at your blood glucose meter to see what sort of shape it is in.  How old is it? How often do you use it?  Do you close the lid on your strips as soon as you get the strip out? Are you concerned about how your meter is working? Have you done a quality control test on your meter lately? 

 

If in doubt call the Accu-Chek Enquiry Line on 1800 251 816 for product assistance. 

 

There is no point checking your blood glucose levels unless you know what the results mean and what changes can be done to keep them on track.

One method of getting a snap-shot of where your levels are at is to monitor and record your blood glucose levels for three days, testing both before meals and 2 hours after each meal. Write your blood glucose levels in your diabetes log book or on a piece of paper that has six columns; one for each of the times you test your glucose level. Look down the column of each time to see where your blood glucose levels sit. If you have any levels below 4mmol/L or more than one in the ‘High’ range, contact your doctor or diabetes educator for some help to spring clean your blood glucose levels.  

*If your doctor or diabetes educator gave you different numbers (or target range) to keep your blood glucose levels between then use those numbers instead.

 

Do you know how your diabetes tablets work? Are you taking them at the right time? Do you sometimes forget to take your tablets?  Are you at risk of, or having, low blood glucose levels (hypoglycaemia) from the diabetes tablets you take? 

 

It is important to take your diabetes tablets at the time your doctor prescribed.  If your blood glucose levels are in the high range then your doctor will be able to talk to you about getting back on track. You may also find your diabetes educator or pharmacist helpful as well.

7.Insulin treatment

If you take insulin for your diabetes then use the following questions to spring clean your insulin care:

Your doctor or diabetes educator can help you to solve anything you need some help with related to your insulin.

 

Spring clean your diabetes to clear out the unhelpful things you have been doing and replace them with more positive and helpful habits to keep you on top of your diabetes care.