- There are two main forms of diabetes Type 1 (early onset) and Type 2 (late onset) diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high.
- It can cause symptoms like excessive thirst, needing to pee a lot and tiredness. It can also increase your risk of getting serious problems with your eyes, heart and nerves.
- It’s a lifelong condition that can affect your everyday life. You may need to change your diet, take medicines and have regular check-ups.
- It’s caused by problems with a chemical in the body (hormone) called insulin. It’s often linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history of type 2 diabetes.
Your Annual Diabetic Review
It is very important to attend for your Diabetic review. You will be contacted in the month of your birthday. During the annual review the clinician will do a blood test, check blood pressure and check your feet. Please make sure you also bring an early morning urine specimen with you.
The Diabetic review is a 25 minute appointment either in the morning or afternoon on weekdays. If you cannot attend during these times we can book a blood test in the evening or weekends if needed. A follow-up call or a face to face appointment may be required if your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar is raised.
We maybe aware due to the Covid-19 pandemic patients have not had their annual checks. Now is the time to get these checks completed.
Please make sure you keep your contact details upto date. We often use mobile numbers as the preferred method of communication.
More Information about the Annual Diabetic Checks
This following section will help guide you on how to perform some of the physical checks yourself. We will give you the option of performing your annual review remotely with the support of your Diabetic Nurse. The ‘How to’ sections below provide links to YouTube videos. Please use this section to complete the annual diabetic review form online.
Blood Pressure Measurement: We would recommend measuring your blood pressure for the review in the morning and evening for at least 3 days. Please see the document below that explains home blood pressure monitoring.
Cholesterol Check: It is important your cholesterol is measured on an annual basis. You may require cholesterol lowering medication called Statins to maintain your cholesterol. Please see the clips below for more information.
Glucose self monitoring: If you are on insulin or certain blood sugar lowing medications you will need to monitor your blood sugar closely. The majority of people with diabetes do not need to do this. Please check the clip below.
Advice on Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates (carbs) are foods that become sugar when eaten. Please click on links below to see visuals of foods and their sugar content.
Eating a lower amount of carbs & more ‘green foods’ – vegetables that grow above the ground – can help with sugar control & weight loss.
Advice on sick day rules: It is very important you are aware of what to do if you are unwell and are taking certain medications for diabetes. Please see this extremely useful leaflets below. The first leaflet is for TYPE 2 diabetics. The second leaflet is for TYPE 1 diabetics.