Healing At Home

Posted on: 1 March 2017

The idea of pricking your fingers and giving yourself shots throughout the day can be a scary one if you've just learned of your diabetes diagnosis. It can take some getting used to, but once you've got a good system for managing the medication and disease, your health can start to improve. With the helpful tips here, you're going to be able to better cope with your medication needs.

Get to Know Your Drugstore Pharmacist

Your doctor has likely already walked you through the process of checking levels of glucose at specific times of day. They have probably watched you calculate the needed insulin and observed your injection technique. However, once you get home, it's possible that you'll forget something. You can put a call into your doctor, but you can also get the help of the drugstore pharmacist that fills your insulin prescriptions. The pharmacist can help you select better equipment than you currently have; they might, for instance, suggest a glucometer with more sensitive test strips or one that holds more memory. They can also answer questions about how to best store the insulin you receive and how to best rotate injection sites.

Prepare for Emergencies

Even when you've become used to injecting yourself, a weather event, vehicle breakdown, or other emergency could cause you to have a problem if you haven't prepared properly. You might create a little pack for yourself to carry with you; the pack should contain all of your diabetes equipment so that if you need another dose of insulin or feel as if you might, you can handle the situation. However, it's important to keep an eye on any expiration dates so you can avoid being stuck with expired insulin or test strips that may be less effective. You'll also want to keep extra glucometer batteries around so you can always use that vital piece of equipment for monitoring glucose levels. You might even invest in more than one glucometer to keep in different spots.

Know How You'll Handle Waste

Even after you've got a routine down and can use all your medical equipment easily, you're going to have to know how you'll be disposing of things when you're done with them. For example, you'll be left with plenty of used lancets and needles. It's unwise and dangerous to place these sharp objects in your kitchen trash, so you need to know what to do with them. You might, for instance, use your laundry detergent bottles as a storage place until you can take them to a local hospital for disposal. You may need to ask medical waste companies if they will perform pickups for you.

Knowing you have diabetes and learning to feel confident about your ability to handle your medical equipment and supplies can allow you to feel better about living with the disease. Keep talking to your physician and pharmacist about how you're doing and ask for more suggestions that could prove helpful. For issues with diabetic nerve pain and mobility, a company like Lincoln Mobility can be a great help.