Managing Your Diabetes

Diabetes care is complex. Health Net Federal Services, LLC (HNFS) wants to help you manage your diabetes to prevent any future complications and help you live healthy every day.

One of the most important steps you can take to control your diabetes is to regularly monitor your blood glucose levels. Everyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should have at least one hemoglobin or HbA1c blood test every year. According to the American Diabetes Association, every one percentage point drop in HbA1c levels (for example, from nine to eight percent) can lead to a 35 percent drop in the risk of diabetes-related complications.

In addition to blood glucose testing, it’s also important to be aware of your cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a form of fat that is carried through the body in two kinds of bundles, or lipoproteins. It's important to have healthy levels of both low density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol, and high density lipoproteins (HDL) or good cholesterol. For diabetics need to pay special attention to their LDL; high LDL levels can lead to a dangerous buildup of cholesterol in the arteries.

Lastly, people with diabetes are at increased risk for eye complications. Diabetic retinopathy (damage to the retina) is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. To help prevent this, diabetics should have a retinal eye exam each year. This test is usually performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. 

In addition to the tests described above—HbA1c, LDL and retinal eye exams—there may be other tests you need to help control and manage diabetes. Health Net Federal Services encourages you to consult with your doctor as to which ones are right for you.

Try HNFS' The Essentials of Diabetes Management recorded class. This class will teach you about the four cornerstones of diabetes self-management: monitoring, medication, nutrition, and physical activity. Visit our Teleclass Overview page for more information.