Diet changes, blood sugar checks, and doctor's visits: A diabetes diagnosis can introduce big changes to your life. We understand these changes may seem like a lot all at once. At the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Health (CDEH), we want to show you how great life can be when living with diabetes.
Our team of compassionate experts is committed to seeing you healthy and happy at every visit. We’ll provide a range of support and resources to help you cope with a diabetes diagnosis. Learning healthy habits have helped many people with diabetes thrive in their everyday life — and you can, too.
What, how much, and when you eat can affect your blood sugar levels in different ways. That’s why it’s so important for people with diabetes to educate themselves on healthy food habits.
We can help. Our registered dietitians can help you develop a personalized meal plan that you will enjoy eating and find easy to manage — whether you’re at work, home, or out and about. Our team can also talk you through your specific challenges and provide general guidance to overcome common diabetes pitfalls, including how to:
Read more about diabetes and weight loss at AHN.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your physician will want you to check your blood sugar levels with a glucometer. By doing so, you’ll know how food, exercise, and medicine affect your blood sugar. You’ll also be able to recognize your triggers (foods that can spike your blood sugar) and how to select a healthy alternative or make up for them with medication.
Monitoring your blood sugar levels helps you prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which can cause life-threatening complications. Learn more about what hypoglycemia is.
If you have type 1 diabetes, monitoring your blood sugar can also help you make decisions about:
Being active offers a number of health benefits. Exercise reduces stress and lowers your risk for diabetes-related health complications. People with diabetes have many options — from light walking to joining a sports league — when it comes to fitting physical activity into their life.
Exercise can affect people with diabetes differently. It depends on what type of diabetes you have and other factors that may affect your health. You should always talk to your doctor, or a member of the AHN Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Health, before starting any vigorous physical activity.
Our team can help you figure out what type of exercise is best for you and how exercise can help you. When in doubt, adding regular walking to your daily routine is a good way to start until you can talk to your medical team.
Learn more about exercising with type 1 diabetes or exercising with type 2 diabetes.
It’s completely normal for the changes that come with a diabetes diagnosis to affect your emotional health. At the CDEH, we have a behavioral health specialist that helps people living with diabetes learn healthy ways to cope with common emotional challenges, including:
Find out more about psychiatry, behavioral, and mental health at AHN.
At the CDEH, our goal is to give you the education and support you need to live an active, full life with diabetes. People choose us for diabetes care because of our:
Call (412) DOCTORS (412) 362-8677 or request an appointment to learn more about AHN diabetes services.
