Diabetes

Managing your Diabetes - Balanced Diet

To manage your blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy weight. Both are important when you have diabetes.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/your-lifestyle-diabetes-and-food

Managing your Diabetes - Managing Stress

If you’re feeling stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This should give you an energy boost for a ‘fight or flight’ response. But the hormones actually make it harder for insulin to work properly (known as insulin resistance) and as energy can’t get into your cells, your blood sugar levels rise.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/emotions/stress

Managing your Diabetes - Being Physically Active

As exercise is good for diabetes, it is good to stay active.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Managing-your-diabetes/Exercise

Annual eye screening

Diabetes can lead to eye damage called retinopathy. Everyone living with diabetes over the age of 12 will get an invite to a regular eye screening, if you have not received an invitation please contact your GP Practice who will refer you. Retinopathy doesn’t show any symptoms in the early stage but can be spotted and treated early by having your regular eye screening.

For more information please visit https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/diabetic-eye-screening

Children and diabetes

Most children are affected by type 1 diabetes and will be cared for by the local hospital specialist team. Type 2 diabetes occurs more commonly in adults, but type 2 diabetes in children is on the rise, fuelled by the obesity epidemic.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/your-child-and-diabetes

Local support groups

Diabetes UK has active support groups working locally all over the United Kingdom. Groups typically meet once a month, but they often also take part in many other activities such as fundraising, campaigning and raising awareness. Find your local support group on the Diabetes UK website: Diabetes UK: Local Support Groups, or why not set up your own if there is no group in your area?

Signs and Symptoms

If you’re worried you, your child or someone you know has diabetes, visit the Diabetes UK website to find out what the signs and symptoms of diabetes are.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/diabetes-symptoms

Annual health check

When you have diabetes, you’re entitled to certain checks, tests and services every year to help you get the care you need. You’ll know this as your annual review

Website: Diabetes UK: Your 15 diabetes healthcare essentials

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar (glucose) that develops during pregnancy and usually disappears after giving birth. It can happen at any stage of pregnancy, but is more common in the second or third trimester.

Website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes.

Mental wellbeing services

Living with Diabetes can be demanding and overwhelming. It can place an additional burden on our already busy lives due to, managing medication, testing, diet and the longer term complications around having Diabetes. Research tells us that one in three people with Diabetes can experience symptoms of depression and anxiety that can make managing Diabetes more difficult.

Website: www.healthysurrey.org.uk/mental-wellbeing/adults/local-services

Technology and diabetes

There are lots of different types of diabetes technology, like insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGM for short). When you hear your healthcare professional talking about diabetes technology, they’ll usually be referring to tech that helps you take insulin or tech to check your blood sugar levels.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/diabetes-technology/what-is-diabetes-technology.

15 healthcare essentials for diabetes for good diabetes care and prevention of diabetes complications

Foot care is one of the 15 healthcare essentials for people living with diabetes find out about the others on the diabetes website.

How to take care of my feet to prevent foot problems?

We strongly recommend to check your feet on a daily basis. Whether you’re about to put your socks on, or you’re taking them off before bed, have a good look. Any changes, and you should see a healthcare professional straight away. This is how we can prevent major foot problems and amputations. Have a look at the Diabetes UK website on how to check your feet.

Podiatry - Royal Surrey County Hospital

You can get referred by your GP or health care professional, you can also self-refer by using the form seen on the website.

Website: www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/podiatry-and-foot-health-services

What to do when you have a foot problem?

Know who to call when you have problems with your feet. Note down the phone numbers of your local services such as your GP out of hours service Surrey Heartlands wide.

Attend your annual foot check

A trained professional should check your bare feet once a year. It’s a good chance to check anything you might have spotted with them yourself. But don’t wait a whole year to ask them. If you notice a problem – get it seen as soon as you can.

Website: www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/feet/what-can-i-expect-at-my-annual-foot-check

Know the signs of serious foot problems when you have diabetes

Diabetes UK have lots of information about how to recognise serious foot problems.  You can also order their free leaflet 10 steps to prevent foot problems.

Smoking negatively impacts your feet

You can find more information on how to take care of your feet on the following websites:

• NHS How to look after your feet if you have diabetes
• Diabetes UK How to look after your feet
• College of Podiatry A Patient’s Story video

Why are people with diabetes more at risk for foot problems?

Visit the Diabetes UK website to hear from a diabetic patient about foot problems and to read more on why people with diabetes are more likely to develop foot problems.