Diabetes
Get empowered.
Even small lifestyle changes can help you manage your diabetes.
Could I Have Diabetes Without Knowing It?
People often have diabetes long before any symptoms appear. If you have these symptoms, be sure to get checked for diabetes:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Weight fluctuations
- Fatigue
Learn more about the steps our doctors take to diagnose diabetes.
Tools For Living With Diabetes
- Read Living with Diabetes: Step by Step
- Read Cultivating Health(R) Managing Diabetes
- Explore diabetes care classes
- Understand making healthier food choices
- Learn how to use your OneTouch Verio Flex meter (scroll down for video and user guides)
- Learn how to use your OneTouch Ultra 2 meter (scroll down for user guide)
- American Diabetes Association
- Centers for Disease for Disease Control and Prevention: Diabetes
- American Association of Diabetes Educators tip sheets (search for “handouts”)
Types Of Diabetes
Learn more about diabetes and how it can affect your body.
Outside Resources and Links
Am I At Risk For Diabetes?
Diabetes can affect anyone, at any age. There are risk factors that make it more likely for some people, including:
- Being overweight
- A family history of diabetes
- A history of gestational diabetes
If you think you may be at risk, making certain lifestyle changes can help.
Learn more about steps you can take to help prevent diabetes.
How Can I Manage Diabetes?
Check out Debbie’s diabetes story in the video “Three Things to Improve Your Diabetes.”
To keep your diabetes under control, it’s important to:
- Eat healthy
- Check out this meal-planning method
- Use Diabetes Food Hub to set goals, analyze foods, save recipes and menus, and more
- Please watch this fotonovela: Eat Well with Diabetes
- Watch this video about diabetes nutrition and healthy eating
- Get regular exercise
- Check your blood sugar
- Watch these videos about blood sugar emergencies for type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
- Watch this video about the importance of getting your hemoglobin A1c checked
- Take care of your body and your mind
- Please watch this fotonovela: Help for Diabetes-related Depression
You can also talk with your doctor about whether medicine might help. Some people with diabetes use insulin:
- Please watch this fotonovela: Insulin Keeps You Healthy
- Here’s a video about checking your blood sugar when using insulin
- Watch this video about injecting insulin
- Learn how to use a Humulin N KwikPen — English instructions Spanish instructions
- Watch this video about injecting insulin with a pen
Get a Diabetes Emergency Plan to help you prepare for natural disasters or other emergency situations.
Create An Action Plan
Managing your diabetes is a lot easier when you create an action plan around your eating habits, exercise, and any medication you may be taking — even if it’s for a different condition. The more you know, the easier it will be to stay healthy.
Watch this video to learn about creating an action plan that’s right for you.
If I Become Pregnant, Will It Affect My Diabetes? What About Gestational Diabetes?
It depends on the pregnancy. Some women can manage diabetes throughout their pregnancy with regular exercise and healthy food choices. Others may also need medication.
If you’re pregnant and managing diabetes, talk with your doctor to decide on the best treatment options for you.
Watch this video about diabetes and pregnancy.
How Can Kaiser Permanente Help Me?
We offer helpful information and resources to help keep you healthy.
Kaiser Permanente members can get advice, encouragement, and tools at no charge with online wellness programs that can help you make healthier lifestyle choices.
For digital mental health and wellness tools, check out this page. You also can call a health coach for subscriptions to SilverCloud, Woebot, or Thrive. There is no charge.
For Northwest Region members, the Diabetes Care Management program and Nutrition Diabetes Class can be helpful.
Your Prevention Plan
Staying well by preventing or delaying disease is possible with health screenings and immunizations. Prevention plans can be tailored to every member of your family.
Learn more about preventive care.