Treatment and Management of Diabetes Mellitus

General

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus then the aim of your management of the disease will be to ensure your blood sugar level stays as close to normal as possible – not too high, not too low.

If you have Type 1 then your body produces no insulin and so has no natural way of regulating your blood sugar; so for Type 1 you will need insulin injections.

If you have Type 2 then you don't produce enough insulin or your body can't can't use it all properly, and a carefully-managed diet will help you to manage your diabetes; however, Type 2 tends to get worse as you get older and you may find that you need medication and possibly insulin eventually.

Give up smoking!

Exercise: One of the core elements of your diabetes management should be regular physical activity. But don't go at it too hard: exercise that increases your rate of breathing but still enables you to talk comfortably is about right – and aim for about thirty minutes a day of this.

Diabetes Types 1 and 2

Diabetes Mellitus Types 1 and 2 are usually managed by doing exercise and carefully-calculated diet, self-testing of blood sugar levels, and insulin injections (even for some people with Type 2).

You have to check your blood sugar levels fairly regularly, and the usual method is a simple finger prick test – the result should normally be 4 to 7 mmol/l (72 to 126 mg/dl) before meals, less than 10 mmol/l (180 mg/dl) after meals.

If you are overweight, you should try to lose weight as part of managing your diabetes. A good weight loss rate is 0.5kg to 1.0kg (1lbs-2lbs) a week – don't try more – it will be hard to stick to.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is usually managed by a carefully-calculated diet; in some cases insulin or other drugs may be necessary.

Pre-Diabetes

With Pre-diabetes you will usually have to lose some weight – perhaps 5% to 10% of your body weight – with diet and exercise; any weight loss can make a big difference to your Pre-diabetes.

Insulin Injections

If you need to inject yourself with insulin, you may use a syringe or an injector pen... read more

Other Medicine

Tablets are available for some Type 2 diabetics. These tablets are not insulin (if you took insulin as a tablet your body would digest it before it could start to work); instead they work by either persuading your pancreas to produce more insulin, or to help your body use more effectively the insulin it has.

With Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, insulin is not necessarily the only medicine you take (but if you have to take insulin, you have to take it) -- since you have increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems, your doctor may also recommend you take one or more other medicines to control your blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels, to prevent stroke, and prevent kidney disease.

You should also have a flu vaccination every year.

The Future

Doctors are considering alternatives treatments for diabetes, including pancreas transplants, artificial pancreas, and beta cell transplants.

Losing Weight

Diabetes is often associated with being overweight and obesity, so losing some weight is often something you will have to do to control your diabetes. However, if you follow the healthy diet guidelines and exercise guidelines given on this site then you may find that your weight comes down automatically. Your healthcare professional will be able to give you advice on your ideal weight range.

Exercise

Don't worry! You don't have to visit the gym – you just have to keep active. Watching your diet, taking your diabetes medication, and physical activity are essential parts of your management of your diabetes. "Physical Activity" means exerting yourself for a short period so that you have to breathe heavily but not so much so that you cannot talk.