How to avoid diabetes complications

If you have diabetes, it is important to know all of the complications that can develop if you don’t keep your blood sugar in check. Diabetes can damage blood vessels in your body, affecting your eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, brain and legs.

Knowing when there is a problem with your body is the first step toward fixing it. There are things you can do to lessen your chances of having kidney, eye, heart, nerve and brain problems down the road.

• Do a daily check of your feet for cuts, sores, blisters and wounds
• Do light exercise such as walking for 30 minutes most days of the week
• Eat a healthy diet full of vegetables, low-fat milk and meats that are not fried
• Take your diabetes medicines and check your blood sugar, as prescribed
• Check your Hemoglobin A1c based on the recommendation from your health care provider
• Know your blood pressure reading every time you go see your health care provider so you can know if it’s too high or too low
• At your annual appointment, get your cholesterol and kidneys checked
• Get your eyes checked once a year
• Go to the dentist for a regular checkup twice a year
• Stop smoking

Talk to your health care provider about setting goals for important numbers such as your Hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and cholesterol. If your numbers are higher than the goal, your risk of having additional health issues is higher. Work with your health care provider to lower your numbers and reach your goal. This will keep your body healthy.

To learn more about diabetes, go to www.parklandhospital.com/diabtesfacts.