Finding out that you have type 2 diabetes can be shocking, and living with it will be different from what you were used to. It means that you no longer have the luxury of eating whatever you would like. Managing your disease will require learning a lot about diet, nutrition and your own body. You are also going to have to get into the habit of testing your blood glucose levels as often as your doctor recommends. Smokers with diabetes should definitely think about quitting to prevent further complications. Most importantly, making an effort to lose weight can drastically reduce the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

But on the upside, there are millions of people successfully managing their condition. Living with diabetes is far from a death sentence, as long as you stick to the plan worked out by you, your doctor and a dietitian. In fact, many people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and work diligently to take control of their health find themselves feeling better than they ever did. And many who take their diet and exercise seriously end up going off medication altogether.

Diabetes is caused by your body’s failure to produce insulin or use it as the body should. Insulin is a compound that allows the sugar in your blood to become energy your cells can use. If your cells reject the sugar, or glucose, due to lack of insulin, over time the glucose builds up in your blood and damages your blood vessels, eyes and nerves. It can cause poor circulation, stroke and kidney failure. Controlling your diabetes means that you monitor your blood glucose levels to keep them at the right level all the time.

This is where the blood glucose testing comes in. By self-administering the test throughout the day, you can begin to see how your body reacts to the food you eat and the amount of exercise you get. As you get to know your body better, you can adjust your food intake and activity levels to hit your ideal blood glucose level. Taking these steps prevents your blood sugar from swinging too low causing hypoglycemia, or climbing too high and causing hyperglycemia.

If you are living with diabetes, you will probably have a hypoglycemic episode at some point regardless of how well you are taking care of yourself. Low blood sugar might cause you to get dizzy or disoriented. You could suddenly become very pale and start to sweat. You might even suddenly break down and cry for no reason, or even worse, have a seizure. Any and all of these are symptoms of hypoglycemia. Should this happen, you will need to raise your blood sugar quickly. A few teaspoons of sugar in a cup of fruit juice might do the trick, as will glucose tablets or even just candy. You should carry some form of sugar with you at all times.

Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar levels, might be caused because you ate the wrong foods or did not get enough activity. Hyperglycemia can also stem from high levels of stress. Your blood glucose reading will be higher than it should be. Also, you may become very thirsty or need to urinate frequently. High blood glucose levels can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as ketoacidosis, where your body starts to break down fat because it has no sugar. This leads to abnormal levels of ketones in your blood which your body is unable to get rid of. If you start to throw up or have a hard time breathing, contact your doctor.