General Diabets
What is the A1C goal to reduce most reduces the risk of longterm effects of diabetes?
Less than 7
What is the blood pressure goal for most people?
less than 140/90
How long do you have to take medications for high blood pressure or diabetes?
Most people have to take medication for their life to maintain good control and reduce their risk for longterm effects.
Some people are able to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with nutrition, activity, reduced stress. But because of the role of genes/heredity, even with great habits, most people will still need medications
How much exercise should you get a week?
150 minutes weekly
True or False: When you have diabetes you should not eat any carbs.
False! carbs are still a nutritious part of our diet but when you have diabetes you should reduce the amount of carbs you have at each meal
Name 2 emergency symptoms related to too high or too low sugars
Too high: nausea, vomiting, feeling confused, abdominal pain
Too low: feeling faint, feeling shaky, feeling dizzy
What is the blood pressure goal that most reduces the risk of longterm effects of high blood pressure?
less than 130/80
Name 3 common medications for diabetes
insulin, metformin, glipizide (or related), jardiance (or related), ozempic (or related)
Name 2 life habits/experience that INCREASE your blood pressure and blood sugar?
stress, poor sleep, poor nutrition, social isolation, not taking medications
Name of 2 foods that likely have a LOW glycemic index
Any leafy green or berry or legume
How often should you check your blood sugar?
It depends!
If you take only oral medications, you may not check at all or check only once daily
If you use insulin you will check 1-4 times daily
What are 2 emergency symptoms related to blood pressure being too high?
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Changes in vision
Name 3 common medications for high blood pressure
amlodipine, lisinopril (or related), hydrochlorothiazide, spironolactone, chlorthalidone, losartan
Can you take cough syrup if you have diabetes?
ideally no if there is real sugar in the cough syrup (since these medications have limited benefit so may not be worth the risk of increased blood sugar) BUT there is sugar free cough syrups
Name 3 stress management tools to reduce your blood pressure and blood sugar
good sleep, meditation, walking, moderate exercise, being in nature, laughing, being with people you love, etc.
Name 3 longterm effects of uncontrolled diabetes?
kidney damage, loss of vision
increased risk of heart attack/stroke
damage to nerves (especially in feet) and loss of limbs
chronic infections
Name one symptom of your blood pressure being too low?
When might your doctor recommend insulin?
When your A1C is above 10
When your A1C is still not at goal despite 2-3 oral medications
True or False: If I have diabetes, I can use sandals and go barefoot.
mostly False: you do you but, please take care of your feet (especially if you have neuropathy) so you do not get infections!
What range should your fasting (morning upon waking) glucose be in?
70-130
True or False: When I drink water my sugar goes down and I can take care of my diabetes.
False – water can filter but does not reduce total quantity of sugar
But it's still important to stay hydrated!
Name 3 longterm effects of uncontrolled high blood pressure?
kidney disease, loss of vision, heart failure, heart attack, stroke
What are the side effects of metformin? What happens to the side effects if you keep taking the medication?
abdominal discomfort, soft stools, nausea
the side effects should resolve with continued use
True or False: Insulin leads to dialysis
False.
Poor control of diabetes leads to kidney disease and sometimes can lead to dialysis
True or False: If my diabetes or high blood pressure worsen, it must be because I'm not doing enough.
False: often even when we do our best with food, medications, and exercise diabetes and high blood pressure can worsen due to factors outside our control such as aging and genetics.