It is necessary to keep Type 1 diabetes under control in order to prevent major complications from arising in the future. The following steps are designed to help you be successful with your efforts:

Get positive

Get positive, and stay that way! Create a "sense of the positive" in your life, and keep it there. Create a positive feeling within your home, and your lifestyle that includes a positive attitude regarding your overall health and fitness. Emphasize the importance of receiving positive support from both your family and your friends. Teach yourself to see your way through any problems that you may encounter during the process of living with, and treating your diabetes.

Learn and understand

Learn and understand the value of your treatment needs. Learn the information and details necessary for successful diabetes treatment. These will include learning the correct way to test your blood glucose levels, and the correct way of interpreting the results. Learn the proper administering of your insulin when needed.

Habit

Get in the habit of scheduling all of your meals and physical activities ahead of time. This will allow you greater control of your time.

Start Making

Start making, and keeping detailed recordings with notations in a daily journal. Note how you feel during, and after periods of activity. Note how you feel after eating certain foods. Make note of your feelings regarding your general overall well-being during each day. In addition to helping you, this journal will help your doctor determine whether a change in treatment may be needed.

Consult

Consult with your doctor about what would be the best insulin schedule for you. Be sure to consider your work and personal schedule during this discussion. Different types of insulins work with different types of schedules and this consultation will help your doctor pick one that will best suit you.

* Speak with your doctor regarding the taking of regularly scheduled lab tests every three or four months. This is a great barometer of just how well your treatments are working, and whether or not any changes need to be made.

* Continually reassess your progress always looking to improve both your nutrition and your fitness levels. As someone with type 1 diabetes, the best prevention methods you can use will be the following of a first-rate nutritional diet plan along with a regular program of physical exercise.

By Carl DiNello

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