Diabetes Clinic
Whatever symptoms or the type of diabetes you are managing, our experienced team can help. From Pre-diabetes to Type 2 diabetes, we know what the best treatment for diabetic blood sugar management is.
Keep your diabetes or diabetes related conditions in check.
Living with diabetes means important lifestyle changes need to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels in your blood stable. If symptoms of diabetes are unchecked, high levels of glucose will eventually damage blood vessels and organs. However, working with our diabetes team early, you or your whānau can reduce the chance of associated:
- heart attack
- stroke
- erectile dysfunction
- kidney damage
- problems with your eyes, feet, gums
- nerve damage.
Fortunately, we know the best treatment for diabetes is to keep you living a healthy, active life. So, we work with you by focusing on improving your diet, exercise and medications to keep your blood sugar levels as normal as possible. Quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption will make a big difference. And we’re here to support that journey too.
Symptoms of diabetes to watch out for
- If you’re feeling thirstier, and much hungrier than normal
- Needing to go to the toilet more frequently
- Feeling tired or irritable and have blurred vision
This video has more information.
What is the best treatment for diabetes?
- To check if you have diabetes, a HbA1c blood test is needed
- Managing a healthy blood sugar level (BSL) is the most important aspect for diabetic care. We’ll make a plan for lifestyle adjustments and manage medication.
- Attending funded eye check appointments
- Scheduling routine kidney checks. Also, we’ll do regular blood tests and ensure no protein is present in your urine (microalbuminuria)
- Checking for heart risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Watching out for ‘Diabetic Foot’ which could be a sore that hasn’t healed quickly. Visit us promptly before a serious infection sets in.
What are the types of diabetes?
If like 20% of Kiwis, you’ve been diagnosed with pre-diabetes (tūraru mate huka) you might be wondering about the types of diabetes and how to stop it from progressing.
Pre-diabetes is when your blood sugars (glucose levels) are higher than normal.
People with pre-diabetes are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes (mate huka). You’ll need support regulating your blood sugars once you have this type of diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes (mate huka kai rongoā taiaki) is less common and is due to low levels of insulin production. Daily insulin injections are needed to regulate glucose.
Gestational diabetes (mate huka i te hapūtanga) can occur during pregnancy but normally goes away. It must be treated for mum and babies safety during pregnancy.
Our diabetes clinic can help with all diabetes symptoms. Alos, we’ll make a diabetes management plan around diet, exercise, and diabetes medication if required.
