Diabetes mellitus is a complex set of conditions that involves complicated treatment. It means sticking to a diet with a lot of limitations, monitoring your glucose levels, recognizing the symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, taking care of your feet, regularly exercising, and making any other necessary lifestyle changes.
More often than not, it also involves regularly taking certain medications to keep your blood sugar at a proper level. However, nobody is perfect and it is not unheard of for a person to miss a dose.
Ask yourself why it is happening
Healthy habits are difficult to incorporate into your life. In fact, it’s almost as difficult to develop good habits as it is to unlearn bad ones. This might be because you have a busy schedule, or perhaps you are a little forgetful. However, it is fully possible for there to be other underlying reasons why you could be neglecting your health.
It might be because you are a little apprehensive about the financial costs of this medication, or that you’ve convinced yourself that you are somehow better. What many doctors will warn you about, however, is that the costs of the devastation diabetes can bring a human person’s life can definitely outweigh the costs of the preventive medications you need to take.
What are the consequences of missing diabetes medication?
One of the first things to worry about is the spiking and dipping of your blood sugar levels. A dip in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can result in lethargy and low energy, potentially even causing fainting spells. High blood sugar (hyperglycemia), on the other hand, can lead to serious complications both in the short or long term.
Some of the more serious effects of untreated or unmedicated diabetes are as follows:
- Damage to blood vessels in the heart, brain, and legs
- Damage to the small blood vessels throughout the body, causing damage to the eyes, kidneys, and feet.
In many severe cases, it is not unheard of for people to need amputation of the legs and feet.
What can I do?
The easiest way to develop a new habit is to piggyback it on existing ones. For example, for any medications that you need to take three times daily, it might be better to take it during mealtimes. That way, it will latch onto your memories as part of your consumption routines.
Some people try to set alarms at specific times of the day to remind them to take the medication, but you can take it to the next level by downloading a pill management app like MedManage. Not only can MedManage alert you of when you need to take your medications, it can connect you directly to your pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns.
This pill management app can also take this a step further by gathering important data about your health. It can keep logs of your medication routine and condition. This data can be analyzed by health professionals so they can determine whether adjustments need to be made in your treatment.
Final thoughts
Diabetes can be difficult to deal with, but it can be made easier by sticking to your routines and regularly observing your own condition. There is no reason that you can’t live a meaningful and enjoyable life, but there are definitely some changes to your lifestyle that you have to make.
If you’re looking for a pill management app to manage your diabetes treatment, send us at My Medication Log a message. Ours is a beautifully-designed app designed for health consumers that want to stay connected to their health and family.