Healthcare Team

Your total care is really quite a complicated process, it is important that you take advantage of the entire healthcare team that is available to help you manage your diabetes. The whole healthcare team includes, your doctor, a specialist, an endocrinologist or an internist, a diabetes nurse educator and a dietitian. Those are the most important people. However, there is also often a need for a number of special helpers. These include your pharmacist who can help clarify the pills you are taking and the medication you are taking. A foot care specialist, an ophthalmologist or an eye doctor, a social worker to help you cope with some of the social problems and perhaps even a psychologist because it is often difficult for you and your family to cope with this disease and sometimes it could actually become somewhat depressing. Therefore, depression sometimes needs professional help.

Your doctor will ensure that on examining you, he takes a full history for all of the aspects of diabetes and as well, aspects of any other illness that you might have at the same time. And this full history includes, a review of what your diet is, what type of exercise or physical activity you normally do and particularly what type of medicines you may be on and what medicines you may need in the future. Your doctor will also do a very careful check for the following things. First of all, he will check for your blood pressure and make sure that it meets the goal levels and he will check for the presence of any nerve damage, particularly in the feet. It always begins in the feet in diabetes. He will test for evidence of heart disease, such as chest pain, that is called angina, a history of heart disease or even moreover, more particular the circulation to your feet. The circulation to the feet is damaged in many patients with diabetes and it is important that be examined. And then finally, an eye exam by an ophthalmologist or by your own doctor is very important. The eye troubles in diabetes unfortunately do not give you symptoms most of the time. So, you have to have a regular eye exam at least every one to two years to make sure that there is no trouble at the back of the eye, which would not give you any symptoms but would be something you have to receive some treatment for.
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