Taking charge of managing your diabetes is very important. The first step in doing that is learning all you can about what it takes to help you help yourself and that starts with your doctor and the other members of your diabetes health care team.

Standards of Care

An effective new Standard of Care has been developed to treat your diabetes. Review thisStandard of Care with your doctor. It is called the Intensive Diabetes Self-Management System supported by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). If you are not receiving this Standard of Care, ask your doctor why not, and what you need to do to receive it.

You should receive an individual treatment plan that includes self-glucose monitoring, exercise and diet guidelines, and appropriate oral medications and/or insulin. For most people, your target A1c level should be 7 percent and under. To achieve this goal, you should be seen by a team headed by a physician trained and interested in the care of diabetes.

Every three months, your A1c, your feet, and your height, weight and blood pressure should be checked, along with a physical examination for complications of diabetes. At least once a year, you should have a diabetes education review, an eye exam, a lipid profile (cholesterol - HDL, LDL; triglycerides), kidney tests (creatinine, urine protein, microalbumin), a peripheral nerve test, and a treadmill test or EKG.