Healthy at Heart CONTROL. Reduce Your CV Risk. What Is Diabetes? How Can You Control It? Issue 1

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1 Issue 1 Healthy at Heart Reduce Your CV Risk CONTROL What Is Diabetes? How Can You Control It? Blood sugar targets, tips to help you control your blood sugar, and more inside Healthy at Heart is an educational program provided by Pfizer Inc.

2 2 Welcome CONTENTS 3 What Is Diabetes? 5 Making Sense of Your Numbers 7 Keeping in Check 7 Your Tests Explained: What Is an A1C? 8 Lifestyles: Diabetes Crossword Puzzle WELCOME Over the next 12 months, you will be getting many newsletters from Healthy at Heart Reduce Your CV Risk. They will help you manage your risks for heart disease. You also told us that you have diabetes. That is why you will also get newsletters and tip cards from the Diabetes Control Network. In each one, you ll learn about a different topic in diabetes care. Use them as your first source for information about diabetes care. This information, along with what your healthcare provider tells you, may help you control your diabetes. Remember: It is possible to control diabetes You do not have to give up a happy life to do it Learning about diabetes is an important step In this issue you will learn: About diabetes How blood sugar affects diabetes How to manage your blood sugar How to tell where you stand with your numbers About A1C PG. 2

3 MAIN FEATURE What Is Diabetes? When you have diabetes, your blood sugar gets too high. This is because your body has trouble with insulin. Insulin is a hormone that you make. You need insulin to be able to use sugar. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood to the cells. When your blood sugar is too high, it can cause problems: Right away, your cells may be starved for energy Over time, you may have problems with your eyes, kidneys, nerves, or heart You can do it! Being diagnosed with diabetes can be hard. There are a lot of things you will have to do. But remember, you can be happy and healthy. Here are some tips to help you stay focused. Make a list of your reasons for staying healthy. Keep it with you and look at it from time to time. Make a plan and set goals. Whether it s to lose weight or get more exercise, a plan can help. Be sure your goals are specific so you ll know when you reach them. Reward yourself. Make sure you celebrate when you do something good or meet a goal. Buy some new music for a workout. Go to the movies. When you ve reached a big goal, take a trip. Have fun! How did I get diabetes? You may be wondering how you got diabetes. Well, you did not get diabetes from eating too much sugar. We do not always know the cause of diabetes. But we do know the risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and lack of exercise. And we do know that the tendency to get diabetes is something you may be born with. But just being born with the tendency is not enough. And you can do something about your risk factors! How does insulin affect my blood sugar? Everyone s blood has some sugar in it. Your body uses blood sugar for energy. And insulin helps keep blood sugar within a normal range. Without enough insulin, or if your body can t use the insulin that it makes, the cells in your body can t use the sugar properly. Then sugar can build up in your blood. That s what it means to have high blood sugar. PG. 3

4 MAIN FEATURE INSULIN ENERGY Insulin is key Normally, your body breaks down much of the food you eat into a sugar called glucose. The glucose is released into your bloodstream. Then, your pancreas (PAN-kree-us) makes the hormone called insulin. Its job is to unlock the cells of the body and allow glucose to enter the cells and provide the energy they need. Two types of diabetes: Your body doesn t make any insulin (type 1 diabetes) Your body doesn t make enough insulin and does not use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes) Of people with diabetes, 90% have type 2 diabetes. The 2 types of diabetes Look at the list below. Put a check by each thing that is true for you. Type 1 diabetes I am thin or of normal weight. Diet and exercise never fully controlled my blood sugars. Pills never controlled my blood sugars. I have taken insulin as long as I have had diabetes. I have had urine ketones or DKA in the past an uncontrollable form of high blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes I am heavy, especially around the middle. Diet and exercise helps control my blood sugars. Pills have helped control my blood sugars (even if I take insulin now). I have family members with diabetes. Which list has the most checks? That s probably the kind of diabetes you have. Check with your healthcare provider to be sure of your type. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. It used to be called juvenile diabetes. However, it can occur at any age. If you are over 45, your chances of getting type 2 diabetes are higher. But like type 1 diabetes, it can occur at any age. No matter what type of diabetes you have, diet and exercise are great ways to help manage your blood sugar. Talk to your healthcare provider about the right diet and exercise plan for you. PG. 4

5 MAIN FEATURE Making Sense of Your Numbers Blood tests are an important part of taking care of your diabetes. Talk to your healthcare provider about when you should check your blood sugars. Some people test both before and after eating. That way, they get a good picture of how they are doing. Talk to your healthcare provider about what your goals should be. If you make your targets, you re on the right track to managing your diabetes. Here s an example of how to see if you re on the right track. Test your blood sugar frequently for 3 days: Right before each meal 2 hours after each meal At bedtime (if it s more than 3 hours after your last meal) It s important to track your numbers. Write your answers in the table (page 6). Also, make note of what you ve eaten and how much exercise you ve done. This will help your healthcare provider better understand your situation. Then take it to your healthcare provider. He or she will help you figure out your average blood sugar at each time. PG. 5

6 MAIN FEATURE Day Example Before breakfast 2 hours after breakfast Before lunch 2 hours after lunch Before dinner 2 hours after dinner Bedtime Target (mg/dl) 90 to to or less 90 to or less 90 to or less 140 or less Total 384 Average (total 3) 128 The American Diabetes Association recommends The American Diabetes Association says that checking blood sugar with a meter can be good for anyone with diabetes. But they recommend that you check your blood sugar regularly if you have diabetes and are: Taking insulin or diabetes pills On intensive insulin therapy Pregnant Having a hard time controlling your blood sugar levels Having severely low blood sugar levels or high blood sugar levels Having low blood sugar levels without the usual warning signs Talk to your healthcare provider about checking your blood sugar levels with a meter. Talk to your healthcare provider about the right diet and exercise plan for you. PG. 6

7 TEST TIME Keeping in Check If you have diabetes, there are many tests you will need to take. Sometimes it can be confusing to keep track of them. In each newsletter, you will get information about one of the tests you need. The following is a list of some of the more important ones. You can see how often you should have the tests. Talk to your healthcare provider about your tests. Test How often Goals* Blood sugar To be done at home as directed by healthcare provider Before a meal: 90 to 130 mg/dl After a meal: less than 180 mg/dl A1C Every 3 months Less than 7.0% Blood pressure Every routine diabetes visit Less than 130/80 mm Hg Cholesterol At least every year LDL: less than 100 mg/dl HDL: greater than 40 mg/dl Triglycerides: less than 150 mg/dl Microalbuminuria (my-crow-al-byoo-minyou-ree-ah) (urine test) Every year Normal reading: less than 30 µg/mg creatinine Eye exam Every year Prevent or delay diabetesrelated eye problems (retinopathy) Foot exam To be done at home and at every routine diabetes visit. Comprehensive exam every year Prevent foot ulceration and other serious foot problems * Based on American Diabetes Association recommendations. Talk to your healthcare provider about what goals are right for you. The target number for A1C may vary, depending on the type of test your healthcare provider s laboratory uses. Your Tests Explained: What Is an A1C? If you use a meter to check your blood sugar, the meter gives you your blood sugar level at that moment. An A1C is a blood sugar test with memory. It measures your overall blood sugar for the past 2 to 3 months. Your healthcare provider may do this test. It should be done about every 3 months. All blood tests have a normal range. A normal range is between the highest and the lowest healthy numbers for that test. The normal range for A1C is 4% to 6% in people who do not have diabetes. Look at the normal range printed on your report to see where you stand. And talk to your healthcare provider to see what range is right for you. Try to get your A1C as close to your goal as you can without having frequent low blood sugars. PG. 7

8 Diabetes Crossword Puzzle LIFESTYLES Now you know something about diabetes and what you can do to stay healthy. Here s a fun-filled crossword puzzle all about diabetes. Tackle it when you have some free time, like when you re waiting to see the doctor or on your commute Across 2. When your body does not make or cannot use insulin. 5. Keep in check. 6. The key to unlocking blood sugar. 7. Your blood sugar goals. Down 1. Makes insulin. 3. Your body s fuel. (2 words) 4. Along with diet, a great way to control blood sugar. Answers Down 1. pancreas 3. blood sugar 4. exercise 2. diabetes 5. control 6. insulin 7. targets Across NN Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA/March 2008