Taking care of your diabetes.
For many years I have struggled how I might inspire some of my friends with diabetes to take better care of themselves. I can really say that when the blood sugar monitor became available to me, that I could do my very best to get and keep control of my diabetes, that is to say that while I couldn’t always meet with success, in the majority of situations I was able to win the battle. Although some are able to successfully keep control, some are not. In response to the daily demands of diabetes, they have all but given up, at least for some time until something happened to them that made them suddenly realize that giving up was very damaging to their health.
They have come to appreciate just how difficult it is to apply good self-care, day after day after day indeed for the rest of their lives.
Of course I traveled the same way at times but couldn’t afford to ever give up, it simply would make me too sick to do so.
We can easily get overwhelmed trying to balance the many demands of diabetes, including the many times of monitoring, medication , diet and exercise.
For that reason, to help those who were giving up I did write the letter called, " Rules or Guide Liness for the Diabetic", which found great appreciation with people who had to face diabetes all of a sudden. Health care is often limited, diabetes education may be unavailable. Support of loved ones may be non-existent. Add to that the stresses of daily life and it is no surprise that many people react by getting angry, depressed, frustrated or discouraged about having diabetes.
Doctors have mistakenly ignored an enormous source of expertise namely the diabetic him/herselves. They have to learn that in treating diabetes there must be a partnership with the patient of at least 50-50 to achieve success. In particular those who gave up and than suddenly returned to really taking care of their disease, they must find out why the sudden change? I believe my letter of the Rules or Guideliness for the Diabetic was one of those sources that helped them do that. Won’t post it unless asked for by at least two people don’t want to bore you to death by posting it too often! So what happened to change your perspective, that made you suddenly realize that diabetes care was worth your effort? For some it was the onset of complications, and they will say, "I should have started with my care long time ego. But better late than never! There are many reasons why people suddenly take better care of themselves than before. For me the change came with the possession of my first blood-sugar monitor!
What did it for you? Let’s hear about you!?!?
JB. 5-5-10
I know for myself I didn’t really start taking care of myself till I was told that things had failed and that insulin was now my only choice in the matter … I had been sailing along, eating as I always had eaten (diabetic based diet for 20 plus years) yet over night I went from diet and working out with minor help from a drug to being almost insulin dependent (and I mean over night, I went into the ER ended up in the OR, short order later I was told that I now needed insulin).
Its taken me a good year since I was put in insulin to get some control over things, like what I eat vs how much I do need to take (were still trying to figure the right number out, but I think I’ve found the right balance but its still early yet), vs working out and how it now effects my levels - I use to be able to hit the gym for 4 hours solid - spinning class, treadmill and elliptical plus weight training and I might see a couple points drop, but now I can go from mmol 8 {144} and 30 min into a work out I’ll be sitting at mmol 3 {54}. I can’t even do a spinning class now because I go low before the half way mark is reached (even eating a carb-protein rich item before working out doesn’t help keep my levels from dropping fast), and I don’t always know that I am going low till either my dog goes nuts on me (pawing, whining, nudging me, etc) or hubby notices something is wrong. Have a similor deal with going high, I don’t know I am till hubby tells me to test to my dog starts in on me.
Thanks for your reply!
JB.
Very true what you say. Some People just can’t find the motivation to help themselves. They need help. There is some help out there but never enough. Ihe blood glucose meter was definitely a Good advance and then the Human Insulins. People have to keep practicing their treatment(diet, exercise, testing, medication, etc) until it is routine for them. Then it feels weird or wrong, if they are not doing it properly and as often.
As I mentioned before, I fell off the Diabetes wagon about 12 years ago however. I was so busy, I just didn’t have the time to truly look after my Diabetes properly and everything else. I ended up getting Neuropathy starting in my left foot. That scared me. After I was dxd. with Neuropathy, I turned things around and reversed the damage that had been done(Numbess of the toe and part of my sole plus stabbing pain on the top of my foot when I was lying down). I was Proud of myself for accomplishing that and I still have all the feeling in my feet with no pain. Okay, I do have Rheumatoid Arthritis pain in all the joints but not Neuropathy thank goodness.
Good topic Johnben. I liked your Rules or Guidelines of Diabetic also.