Living with Type 2 Diabetes Jenna Gibson

Mellitus
 Educate patients and families with
newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
mellitus how to properly manage
their diabetes symptoms.

Purpose This material can be learned or

reinforced for those non
compliant with their treatment
regimen.
Target Audience

• Adult patients with newly

diagnosed type 2 diabetes
• Adult patients with frequent
complications from their diabetes
• Adult patients who are frequency
hospitalized related to their
diabetes
• Adults who are suffering from
microvascular or macrovascular
effects due to poorly managed
diabetes
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Goals

• The patient will identify the cause of type 2 diabetes

• The patient will learn to identify signs and symptoms of their diabetes
• The patient will understand that the disease is greatly affected by body weight, diet, and
exercise
• The patient will have an understanding of a healthy diet beneficial to the treatment of
diabetes, including a diet low in; fried food, sugar, salt, fat
• The patient will verbalize the importance of blood glucose monitoring
• The patient will explain when it is important to seek medical attention related to their
diabetes
Objectives
Determine the
Explain the different
appropriate patient Educate on risk factors
symptoms associated
population to educate and when to get tested
with the disease through
on type 2 diabetes for diabetes
verbalization
mellitus

Educate the patient on

Evaluate that the patient
the appropriate Inform the patient on
knows when to seek
treatment regimens that how to manage their
medical care for their
may be initiated once diabetes at home
condition
they are diagnosed
 What is Type 2 Diabetes?
• Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your
body turns food into energy. (CDC)
• In type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin well and
cannot keep blood sugar at normal levels.
• Developed of many years and usually diagnosed in adults
over the age of 45
• Beginning to be seen in more children and teens
• Diabetes can cause other problems such as heart disease,
vision problems, and kidney disease
• “More than 37 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in
10), and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

diabetes”
Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

• Insulin is a hormone made by

the pancreas that lets blood
sugar into the cell for the body to
use as energy
• In diabetes cells do not respond
normally to insulin; insulin
resistance
• Exact cause is unknown

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Diagnosing Diabetes
• A1C test- measures your average blood sugar over the last 3
months
• Below 5.7%: normal
• 5.7-6.4%: prediabetes
• 6.5% or higher: diabetes

• Fasting blood sugar test- measures blood sugar after fasting

overnight
• Less than 99 mg/dL: normal
• 100-125 mg/dL: prediabetes
• 126 or higher: diabetes

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Risk Factors

• Obesity
• Family history
• Age 45 and older
• Physically active less than 3
times a week
• History of gestational diabetes
• African American, Hispanic,
American Indian or Alaska
Native person
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
Symptoms of Diabetes

• Develop over years and can often

go unnoticed
• May have no symptoms at all
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Increased urination
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Numb or tingling hands/feet
• More infections than usual
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
 How to Care for
Yourself at Home
• Diabetic diet: low sugar, low fat, low salt, low
carbohydrates
• Being active: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity
exercise a week
• Medications: take medications as prescribed by
your doctor
• Check your blood sugar regularly
• Monitor your feet, skin, and eyes to catch
problems early
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of high or
low blood sugar and how to treat it
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Checking Blood Sugars
• Ask your doctor how often to check your sugar
• Know what your target blood sugar levels should be
• Keep blood sugar as close to target levels as possible
• Target range:
• Before meal 80-130 mg/dL
• Two hours after starting a meal: Less than 180 mg/dL
• When to check your sugar:
• When you first wake up, before you eat or drink anything.
• Before a meal.
• Two hours after a meal.
• At bedtime

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

 How to
Check Your
Blood Sugar
 Treating Low
Blood Sugar
• If blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dL
do one of the following
• Take four glucose tablets
• Drink four ounces of fruit juice
• Drink four ounces of regular (not
diet) soda
• Eat four pieces of hard candy

• Wait 15 minutes and check blood

sugar again
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 When to seek
help!!
• If you have trouble breathing
• You cannot keep any liquids down for
more than 4 hours
• Your blood sugar is lower than 60 mg/dl
• You are too sick to eat or cannot keep
food down for more than 24 hours
• You feel sleepy or cannot think clearly
• Your temperature is over 101 degrees F
for more than 24 hours

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

 You got this

• Learn to manage your diabetes

• Many people with type 2 diabetes
are able to enjoy long lives
• Have a good support system
• Take control of your health
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
 References
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, June 10). Diabetes.
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/index.html
• McCance, K.L. & Huether, S.E. (2018). Pathophysiology: The biological
basis for disease in adults and children. (8th Ed.). Mosby.
• Rosenthal, L. D. & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s
pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician
assistants (2nd ed.). Elsevier.