Treatment Overview
Treatment for adults
Type 1 diabetes requires lifelong treatment to keep blood sugar levels within a target range. Treatment includes:
- Taking several insulin injections every day or using an insulin pump.
- Monitoring blood sugar levels several times a day using a home blood sugar meter.
- Eating a healthful diet that spreads carbohydrate throughout the day, to prevent high blood sugar levels after meals.
- Regular physical activity or exercise, because exercise helps the body to use insulin more efficiently. Exercise may also lower your risk for heart and blood vessel disease.
- Regular medical checkups to monitor and adjust treatment as needed. Screening tests and exams need to be done regularly to watch for signs of complications, such as eye, kidney, heart, blood vessel, and nerve diseases.
- Not smoking.
- Not drinking alcohol if the person is at risk for periods of low blood sugar.
A regular daily schedule makes managing blood sugar levels easier. Blood sugars are easier to predict and control when mealtimes, amounts of food, and exercise are similar every day.
Find the Right Shoes for Diabetes
For most people, a bad shoe day means a blistered heel or painful arch that goes away quickly. But for people with diabetes, poor footwear can trigger serious problems, such as foot ulcers, infections, and even amputation. Foot problems aren't inevitable, though. Ralph Guanci learned the hard way to pick his shoes with care and to stick with wearing them because they're good medicine for his feet. Guanci, 57, a businessman in Carlisle, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 25 years...
Read the Find the Right Shoes for Diabetes article > >
Some people-especially children, teenagers, and young adults-find out that they have type 1 diabetes when they are admitted to a hospital for diabetic ketoacidosis. If their symptoms are severe, they may need to be treated in an intensive care unit. Treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis includes fluids given through a vein (intravenous, or IV) to treat dehydration and to balance electrolytes, and insulin to lower the blood sugar level and stop the body from producing ketones.4
Treatment for children
Treatment for children includes all of the above measures to keep blood sugar levels within the child's target range. Treatment for children should also allow for normal growth and development. See the topics Type 1 Diabetes: Recently Diagnosed and Type 1 Diabetes: Children Living With the Disease.
When a small child has diabetes, the parents have the responsibility for blood sugar control. As the child grows, he or she can take more responsibility for diabetes care.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Diabetes GuideIs This Normal? Get the Facts Fast!
Answer:
0-69
70-130
131+
Your level is currently
If the level is below 70 and you are experiencing symptoms such as shaking, sweating or difficulty thinking, you will need to raise the number immediately. A quick solution is to eat a few pieces of hard candy or 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey. Recheck your numbers again in 15 minutes to see if the number has gone up. If not, repeat the steps above or call your doctor.
People who experience hypoglycemia several times in a week should call their health care provider. It's important to monitor your levels each day so you can make sure your numbers are within the range. If you are pregnant always consult with your health care provider.
Congratulations on taking steps to manage your health.
However, it's important to continue to track your numbers so that you can make lifestyle changes if needed. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Your level is high if this reading was taken before eating. Aim for 70-130 before meals and less than 180 two hours after meals.
Even if your number is high, it's not too late for you to take control of your health and lower your blood sugar.
One of the first steps is to monitor your levels each day. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Did You Know Your Lifestyle Choices
Affect Your Blood Sugar?
Use the Blood Glucose Tracker to monitor
how well you manage your blood sugar over time.
This tool is not intended for women who are pregnant.
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