Sugar Balance
Monitor your cholesterol levels - You should check your cholesterol Sugar Balance Review levels once a year. People with diabetes have a greater risk of heart disease this means monitoring the risk factors of heart disease such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol needs to be done regularly. There are now a range of home cholesterol kits which allow you to take control and check your cholesterol yourself. Accu-chek have the Accutrend plus which measures blood cholesterol but is expensive the cheaper option is to use a self check testing kit. The target total cholesterol level is to aim for below 5 mmol/L but your doctor may have a different target for you. There is good evidence that an even lower cholesterol may be better.
Check your urine protein - You should check for protein in your urine once a year usually as a part of your annual diabetic check up. Protein in the urine can be a sign of kidney problems (diabetic nephropathy) and a positive result needs to be discussed with your doctor. You can check your urine protein at home using a urine dip stick such as Albustix.
Have an eye test - one of the possible complications of diabetes is a loss of sight through diabetic retinopathy. Having an eye check once a year will help detect any problems with the health of your eyes and sight. Early detection is the key for any successful action.
Check your feet - examine and check your feet regularly. You should make a point of doing this as problems with your feet can go undetected. Our feet spend the bulk of the day covered in socks and footwear. We rarely see our feet and if we don't look we won't know. If your are experiencing a complication of diabetes such as a loss of your pain senses you may not realise when you have cut or injured your feet. Early detection is key and costs nothing to check.
