Living With Diabetes
The Diabetes Center at Northwest Texas Healthcare System is recognized by the American Diabetes Association.
Our multidisciplinary team believes education is the key to empowering a person living with diabetes and can help them better manage diabetes, avoid complications and achieve optimum health. Managing and living with diabetes can be complex and challenging. Focusing on the following areas can help as you learn to better manage your diabetes:
- Healthy coping
- Healthy eating
- Being active
- Monitoring
- Taking medication
- Problem solving
- Reducing risks
Diabetes Support Group
Join us for our diabetes support group in partnership with the High Plains Food Bank.
Diabetes Education Program
Northwest Texas Health System offers Diabetes Education Programs.
Diabetes Care and Education Resources
The diabetes and education specialist team can help teach you how to manage your diabetes. Education classes are offered monthly with interactive lessons to encourage you and offer different ways of learning about your diabetes and how to manage life with diabetes.
Understanding Food and Diabetes With Our Dietitians
- A dietitian can help explain the basics of nutrition. Living with diabetes does not have to mean eating a difficult diet.
- A dietitian can explain how to manage a variety of foods you love.
- A dietitian can answer questions and concerns, and address myths about diabetes and food.
Coping and Problem Solving With Our Behavioral Health Team
- Learning to manage diabetes can be overwhelming physically and emotionally.
- Many emotions can arise when being initially diagnosed, or with the day-to-day stress of diabetes management.
- Finding ways to better understand your feelings about diabetes is an ongoing process and can improve your health outcomes.
Movement and Diabetes With Physical Therapy
- Being active is not just about losing weight. Movement has many health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, improving blood pressure, lowering stress and anxiety, and improving your mood.
- Movement can help manage your blood sugar levels.
Medications for Diabetes With Pharmacy
- There are several types of medications that are often recommended for people with diabetes. Pills, insulin injections, or other combinations may work together to lower blood sugar levels.
- Lowering blood sugar levels will reduce risk for complications.
Monitoring and Reducing Risks With Diabetes Educators
- Checking your blood sugar levels regularly gives you important data about your diabetes.
- A finger stick is a blood sugar amount at that moment, and an A1C is an average of three months of blood sugar.
- Each result is similar to viewing a map — it tells what is happening inside your body. This information guides you and your care team on how to manage and modify your treatment.
- Keeping blood sugar trends in range will reduce complications. Higher blood sugar over time will cause internal damage, some of which is irreversible.
Diabetes Educational Videos
Learn more about diabetes and how to manage it. Amanda Ast, MS, RD/LD, CDCES, Diabetes Education Program Coordinator at Northwest Texas Healthcare System, shares her knowledge and provides tools and information you can use.
Taking care of your diabetes is managed daily. Let our diabetes care and education team help you better manage your diabetes!