Diabetes, which is excessive glucose in your blood, leads to serious health problems if left untreated.You should follow the American Diabetes Association screening guidelines to get tested for diabetes at the earliest possible time.If you have diabetes, this Cheat Sheet is a handy reference to screening guidelines, rules for living with diabetes, and continuing your diabetes care to better control the disease.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) updates its guidelines for standards of medical care annually. These are the 2022 guidelines for screening: People with symptoms of thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss are tested immediately. Starting at age 35, all people without risk factors should be tested for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes every three years if tests are normal.

How often you test is determined by the kind of diabetes you have, the kind of treatment you're using, and the level of stability of your blood glucose. If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and you're taking before-meal insulin, you need to test before each meal and at bedtime. The reason for this frequent testing is that you're constantly using this information to make adjustments in your insulin dose.

You can make a number of changes to your physical and mental health to stay healthy and avoid the long-term complications of diabetes. Here’s a list of the changes you should aim for to help you manage your diabetes: Eat as well as you can. Keep as active as you can. Keep informed and updated. Take your medication regularly.

Insulin shots aren’'t the only drug treatment for diabetes. If your doctor prescribes oral drugs for your diabetes, use this chart to look up the medication names and dosage amounts. Then educate yourself on diabetes medications, their possible side effects, and drug interactions. ClassBrand NameGeneric NameAverage DoseRange Sulfonylureas Glucotrol glipizide 10 mg 2.

Diabetes doesn’t have to rule your life. Be proactive! Follow these guidelines for controlling your diabetes, and your problems should be few and far between: Major monitoring: Make sure your doctor orders the key tests at the right times. Devout dieting: Work with a dietitian to develop a great eating plan.

Managing diabetes requires regular doctor visits that include standard monitoring of various diabetic factors. Following are guidelines for your diabetes care — like when to see your doctor, what should happen at each visit, when to have lab tests done, and how often to self-monitor blood glucose. Consistent diabetes management is key; if test results show any change from your history, then you and your doctor can address them before any problem worsens.

The Internet hosts more information about diabetes than anyone can digest. Here you can find the best sites to check. You should be able to get answers online to just about any questions that you have, but you must be cautious about the source of the advice. Don’t make any major changes in your diabetes care without checking with your physician.

The following is a partial list of the many things you can do to prevent diabetes. Don’t try to do everything at once. Get used to one or two changes. Then add a couple more and so forth. The results will be both gratifying and very healthy. Serve your meal on a small plate. You can actually trick yourself into thinking that it’s a lot more food because the plate is so full.