Manage a New Diabetes Diagnosis

When you receive a diabetes diagnosis, your medical care at OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center begins with a two-day education session to cover what you need to know to start administering insulin, counting carbohydrates, treating low and high blood sugar, and managing a day when you are ill and experience high blood sugar.

Education Session Schedule

Your educational session includes topics shown below. Plan enough time to cover all topics because you’ll need everything to make sure you gain the skills for good diabetes management.

DAY 1

Arrive fasting. Don’t eat or drink anything except water before you meet with your doctor.

8:00 – 9:00 Physical assessment and insulin dose with your endocrinologist (diabetes specialist); breakfast provided

9:00 – 12:00

• Medical description of diabetes in easy-to-understand terms
• Insulin injection techniques
• Multiple daily injections
• Urine ketone testing
• How to test blood sugars
• Nutrition – carbohydrate counting

DAY 2

Arrive fasting. Don’t eat or drink anything except water before you meet with your doctor.

8:00 – 9:00 Blood sugar test, insulin, meet with endocrinologist; bring your breakfast with you

9:00 – 12:00 Review Day 1 information

• Low blood sugar situations
• High blood sugar resolution and sick-day management
• Exercise
• School issues
• Nutrition – diabetes and heart disease
• Prescription medication

Follow-Up Visits

Your care team at Harold Hamm Diabetes Center stays with you for the long-term, starting with a series of follow-up meetings to review and adjust your treatment plan.

DAY 3 – First follow-up, 2 weeks after Day 2

Visit with nurse practitioner and diabetes educator. Review nutrition concepts and meal plan. Review insulin injection administration, management of high and low blood sugar, sick-day management, skin and dental care. Learn to adjust recipes to lower carbohydrate count.

DAY 4 – Second follow-up, 4 weeks after Day 3

Visit with nurse practitioner and diabetes educator. Discuss ongoing necessary diabetes care to avoid complications for the life of the disease. Discuss your responsibilities at each age to prepare for diabetes self-management. Assess nutrition to encourage heart-healthy eating pattern.

DAY 5 – Third follow-up, 4-6 weeks after Day 4

Visit with doctor and diabetes educator. Learn to recognize blood sugar patterns and adjust insulin doses and insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios as needed. Review meal plan.

Before You Meet with Your Diabetes Care Team

Prepare for meeting with your Diabetes Center care team by following these guidelines:

1. If recommended, take insulin as prescribed by the hospital or Diabetes Center until your first meeting with your care team.
2. Drink plenty of water to help flush ketones and sugar from the blood.
3. AVOID these foods until you meet with the diabetes educator or dietitian:

• Candy
• Fruit juice, sweetened or unsweetened
• Chewing gum
• Jams, jellies, marmalade, preserves
• Honey
• Regular soft drinks
• Sugar
• Sports drinks
• Sweetened beverages
• Regular syrup

4. Eat your meals as close as possible to the schedule below, which helps spread carbohydrate intake throughout the day, instead of eating most of them at once:

• 7:00 – 7:30 Breakfast
• 12:00 – 12:30 Lunch
• 3:00 – 3:30 Mid-afternoon snack of 15 grams (15g) carbohydrate
• 6:00 – 6:30 Dinner

15-gram Carbohydrate Snack Ideas

Try any of these items or combinations for your mid-afternoon snack:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup berries
• 3 peanut butter sandwich crackers
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 15 grapes + 1 string cheese
• 3 cups popcorn + 1 string cheese
• 1/2 large banana + 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 cup raw vegetables + 1/4 cup hummus
• 1 ounce low-fat tortilla chips + 2 Tbsp guacamole
• 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese + 3/4 cup blueberries
• 6 whole wheat crackers + 1 ounce cheese