Which is an appropriate teaching goal for a client who is newly diagnosed as having type two diabetes?

• To keep the blood sugar as normal as possible without serious high or low blood sugars
• To prevent tissue damage caused by too much sugar in the blood stream

People who don’t have diabetes keep their blood sugars between 60 – 100 mg/dl overnight and before meals, and less than 140 mg/dl after meals. Although the ultimate goal of diabetes management is to return the blood sugar to the natural or non-diabetic level, this may be difficult without excessive low blood sugars or hypoglycemia.

What are the blood sugar (glucose) targets for diabetes?

The ultimate treatment goal for Type 1 diabetes is to re-create normal (non-diabetic) or NEARLY normal blood sugar levels – without causing low blood sugars.

Good blood sugar control requires that you know and understand a few general numbers. The numbers measure how much glucose is in your blood at certain times of the day and represent what the American Diabetic Association believes are the best ranges to prevent complications.

The ADA (American Diabetes Association) Guidelines for blood glucose control are:

*Hemoglobin (A1c) is a measure of your average blood glucose control over the previous 3 months. Think of the A1c as a long-term blood glucose measure that changes very gradually.

Of course, these are general standards for everyone with diabetes – both type 1 as well as type 2. Ask your diabetes team for personalized goals and blood sugar (blood glucose) monitoring schedules.

For example:

When you have type 1 diabetes you are treated with insulin replacement therapy. The goal is to replace the insulin in the right amount and at the right time.  Sometimes, more insulin than needed is taken and this will cause hypoglycemia.

To minimize this risk, many providers will recommend that individuals treated with insulin target a pre-meal blood sugar (plasma glucose) of 90-130 mg/dl and post meal blood sugar (plasma glucose) of less than 180 mg/dl.

Also, if you are experiencing a lot of hypoglycemia or have hypoglycemic unawareness your provider may suggest you target higher blood sugar levels.

In contrast, pregnant women or women thinking about getting pregnant will have lower blood glucose targets.

To find out how your blood glucose specifically responds to your treatment plan, check your blood glucose at different times throughout the day. Good times to check include before meals and snacks, at bedtime and whenever you feel “low” or sense that your blood sugar may be off target. Blood sugar checks also are a good idea when you are sick or changing activity. The number of blood sugar checks a day depends upon your individual situation, but most people with type 1 diabetes need to check at least 4-6 times a day, individuals treated an insulin pump usually need to check more frequently.

GET SMART ABOUT YOUR BLOOD SUGAR. CHECK IT REGULARLY!

Find out about diabetes: the terminology, symptoms, diagnosis and goals of treatment. Learn how the body keeps the blood sugar in balance.

Types of Diabetes

There are many type of diabetes. Learn more about your type of diabetes or look at the classification table to see a comprehensive list.

• Type 1
• Type 2
• Gestational
• Other
• Classification table

Causes of Diabetes

Read more about how different types of diabetes develop: what are the risk factors, what is the process that leads to diabetes.

• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes

Treatment for type 1 diabetes

Insulin given by injection is the central treatment for type 1 diabetes. There are fast acting and long acting insulin formulations. It is important to understand when to use these different formulations and the concepts behind choosing the right insulin dose. There is one other injected medication for type 1 diabetes, Symlin, that may be given in addition to insulin.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes

The treatment for type 2 diabetes may be a simple as lifestyle changes (diet, exercise and weight management) with one or two pills to many different pills and/or insulin or other injected medications. Your medical team will help you decide the best choices for you.

Find out if the treatment is working

Blood sugar monitoring lets you know if the treatment plan is working and you are achieving the goals of therapy. And keeping a logbook helps everyone review and assess the results.

• Blood sugar targets
• Blood sugar monitoring
• Ketones
• Logbooks

Changing the diet

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is another important part of living with diabetes. The first think you need to understand is which foods have sugar and starch (carbohydrates).

• Basic nutrition
• What is a carbohydrate?
• Quick carbohydrate counting

When the blood sugar is uncontrolled

When your blood sugar is too high or too low, you need to understand the symptoms and what to do. Some situations require urgent medical attention.

• Low blood sugars
• High blood sugars

Diabetes FAQs

Everyone who has just been diagnosed with diabetes has some questions.

• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes

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Blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels