Diabetes Management Program Queensland

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious, long-term condition that happens when you have too much glucose in your blood.

When you eat food containing carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, yogurt or fruit), your body breaks it down into a vital energy source: glucose. Once glucose starts to circulate through your bloodstream, your pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that enables the glucose to move out of your bloodstream and into your cells where it can be used to give your body energy.

Diabetes interrupts that process. Your pancreas may no longer produce any insulin at all or it might produce some but not enough to meet your body’s needs. Your body may also have a hard time using insulin effectively.

That means that glucose builds up in your blood. As time goes on, high blood glucose levels can damage your blood vessels and nerves. That can create complications that affect your heart, kidneys and eyesight and also lead to nerve damage in your feet.

What’s involved in managing diabetes at home?

Managing diabetes well so that your blood sugar stays within normal range most of the time can help to prevent some of those complications of diabetes.

Managing diabetes involves a complicated interrelationship between food, exercise and insulin injections or tablets. You need to measure your blood glucose regularly, work out how much carbohydrate is in your food and ensure that your medication keeps your blood glucose within normal range.

You also need to think about what kind of food you eat – sugary foods like jam and biscuits will raise your blood glucose very quickly whereas foods that contain healthier, wholegrain carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly so have less impact on your blood glucose.

It’s also recommended that you have regular screening tests to check that your eyes, feet, heart and kidneys are functioning well.

Diabetes management with Focused Health Care

As you can see, there’s a lot to think about. Researchers at Stanford University estimate that people with type 1 diabetes make an extra 180 decisions a day.

That’s a lot to manage on your own. Thankfully, we’re here to help.

Focused Health Care draws on the experience of a Diabetes Nurse Practitioner to develop a diabetes management plan for you.

Our staff then put this plan into action. We help you to:

• Understand your condition
• Monitor your blood glucose levels
• Manage your food
• Take the right medicines at the right time.

We’ll help you understand how to get your glucose strips through the National Diabetes Services Scheme. And our Registered Nurses will come to your home to deliver your insulin injections throughout the day.

Diabetes makes other health problems more likely and it can take you longer to recover. Because we’re run by Registered Nurses, we’re able to provide care for other problems when you need it, including helping you manage wounds and treat infections through our Registered Nursing services. We can also refer you to our network of trusted allied health professionals for diabetes-related services such as podiatry and optometry.

Focused Health Care’s Diabetes Management Programs in Brisbane North, Moreton Bay & Townsville gives you peace of mind about your diabetes. You know that you’re making the right choices to maintain your health without feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.