Besides TuDiabetes, where you go online for type 2 diabetes information, news and community?
Do you follow any type 2 diabetes bloggers or Twitter users that you find particularly helpful? What pages do you follow on Facebook?
I know it’s a broad question, but the idea is to expose people to more resources, so let’s share…
I mostly use the #dsma (Diabetes Social Media Advocacy) though twitter to connect me with other diabetics, but many on it seem to be type 1 not type 2 and most seem to be from the US and not Canada (a handful are canadian that i know of). Other then that’s I use the ADA forums on occasion, not helpful since its all american based but some of the info is useful in general terms. I’ve yet to find a fully Canadian based DOC but I keep looking.
For information and news I go to Diabetes in Control, Health Central, Endocrine Today, The New England Journal of Medicine, British Medical Journal, Nature Health, Ivanhoe, PloS One, and a number of BioMed Central publications. Then again, I have no qualms about slogging through the technobabble to find what might be new and exciting.
I haven’t had chance to keep up on much of this lately (too busy with life and keeping Twitter and e-mail under control), but for a while I was “translating” this into real-people-language over on Diabetes Detechnified. Timewise, I rather bit off more than I could chew and haven’t put enough effort into trying to retool the blog.
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/Jan-Chait/
this is one of the best type 2 blogs I read. I read more type 1 blogs than type 2 since I am on MDI
Great list of resources! Let’s keep 'em coming!!
I use Diabetes Daily on t he internet, or I do have a support system in our local diabetes group here. Answers, docs, CNP’s and CDEs It’s great. For such a small community, Aberdeen, has a great support system for diabetes and other health problems.
I follow my well honed instincts. Ever since my doctor let me down, I’ve become somewhat of a skeptic. Being a skeptic can be both good and bad. Good in that it encourages me to check out and analyze as many sources as I can. Bad in that it takes a lot of time and a lot of trial and error. My instincts have also told me to beware of those who make (a lot of) money from telling me that they’re interested in finding a cure, and would surely be out looking for a job if they actually did. Like the ADA, for example. My instincts also tell me that the best cure is prevention. My instincts further tell me that God did not intend for us to suffer in this life. My God given reasoning tells me that if I lived an active life and ate the foods that He intended for me to eat, much like my distant ancestors who knew nothing of type two diabetes, that I could mitigate my diabetes symptoms. Symptoms that were brought on by following the Standard American Diet (SAD, for short) and lifestyle. A lifestyle that encourages… no, rewards convenience. A lifestyle that is sedentary. By emulating those distant ancestors and leading an active lifestyle, eating Mother Nature’s foods, and saying no to convenience, I’ve managed to lower my insulin resistance, improve my insulin production, and stop taking meds… Hopefully forever.
Here are just a few of my resources:
Dr. John McDougall
Dr. Joel Fuhrman
T. Colin Campbell
Patrick Quillin
David Mendosa
And most of all… Common Sense (not that it is all that common anymore)
If one is truly interested in mitigating or eliminating their type two diabetes symptoms, and they are willing to do what it takes which includes moderate daily exercise, I can absolutely assure them of success by following the suggestions of the authorities that I’ve provided. This is not rocket science… it’s common sense. At least sense that was, once upon a time, common.
If I have a particular question… I just google it! Many answers that way! Usually latest updates are also available, I find the medical community, especially Dr’s are just a tad behind the times and new information.
Well done Craig.
I too have come off all my meds now and have become borderline diabetic from a full blown one 
I search everywhere for information on Diabetes. As a type 2 I find that I have to really scrutinize the information that is out there. What I have also found out is you need to find out what works for YOU! Many times the recipes I see have either hidden sugars (such as mannitol, etc.) or contains too many carbs. I always adjust the recipes by using Calorie Count (http://caloriecount.about.com/). Always read the ingredient list and the counts for each, it makes a huge difference. I have also found out that most grains, including oats I cannot eat as well as beans. So what works for one person, may not work for another. The center where I go is not very helpful but my PCP has been very supportive and provides me with the tools I need to maintain good health. I do like Dr.Bernstein’s book and he helped me get on the low-carb track although I do not adhere to it as strictly as he does but try to keep them under 60 per day. I do enjoy raw foods and vegan recipes but do not strictly adhere to either. I do what works for me.
Greetings Craig
I really connected with what you had to say. I aspire to get off the med’s (Metformin) and looking to get more support in this area. I find the clinic I go to use the “institutional” model which has never worked for me. My doctor also let me down and if I had known this disease was lurking, I would have taken immediate action.
I wasn’t your typical Type 2 as I led a very active lifestyle and teach yoga and pilates. I went through several periods of heavy stress loosing 4 members of my family over 14 years, my siblings, younger than I. It took a toll on me and right after my father died in 2008 I was diagnosed. It fell on me like a ton of bricks as a death sentence as I was the “next one to go.” It took a while and depression set in but I was able to get past it and am in a pretty good place now although I need to think of Diabetes differently as it plagues me sometimes. I have worked hard and the exercise piece is easy, something I have done my entire life. My diet is okay, I started with Dr. Bernstein’s to vegetarian/raw/vegan, unable to embrace them all fully and completely but pieces of each which I am melding into some sort of cookbook (healthbook) for myself. I want to learn more about people who have had successes with lifestyle changes and what they do. We are too often set up for being “failures” in this country with our support on big Pharma but I believe there is a better way, nature’s way.
At any rate, I’ve gone on way too long but do thanks again for your post. It got me thinking and perhaps you might share some of your successful meals and what has worked well for you. Thanks so much.
I look at a variety of resources for Type 2 news. (And of course I come here for all the above!)
ADA - diabetes.org
PubMed - for abstracts and new articles on studies, trials, etc…
Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health/NIDDK - they often have population-wide studies and show changes in the American population over time; especially helpful if you want statistics of all sorts. (I’m unfortunately not too familiar with other nations, but I’m sure that many countries have these types of organization sites for big epidemiological studies.)
I just wanted to add a quick note about DiabetesSelfManagement.com, since I work there. Like s6954118, I really enjoy reading Jan’s blog. The website also updates with a Breaking News Blog which covers Type 2 and other subjects, such as a recent article about A1c being able to accurately identify prediabetes. There are also articles specifically about Type 2 that get newly posted, updated and fact checked.
I also subscribe to newsletters from different places which are helpful in highlighting things from drug recalls to free screening events and more, although I guess that’s not strictly a blog or anything. CVS and Walgreens should have free screenings and events going on now I believe.
I remember seeing this list compiled a while ago of Twitter users to follow, although it’s not limited to Type 2. Helpful list? A lot of users also posted more people to follow in the comments, so be sure to take a look at those too.
I’ll try to think of more as I dig through what I look at! Hopefully this was somewhat helpful to someone!
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/Jan-Chait/ is the only type 2 I read because I am MDI Levemir/novolog most of the other type 2 bloggers are diet/exercise and metform that does not help me. I read mostly Type 1 blogs. I depend on research that I do. I take all the information in and form my own opinions based on how my diabetes reacts to what I do.
I am different that any other person that I have read.
I have
arthritis
2 knee replacements 1 complete/ 1 partial
2 episodes of kidney stones (I only have one kidney)
prostrate scraped
High Blood pressure
asthma
High colrestol
type 2 diabetes( my father died recently of complications of type 2)
I am sure I have left something out
In St. Louis where I live there’s an organization called St. Louis Diabetes Coalition. It’s a partnership of two medical schools and a big hospital. The Diabetes Coalition has lots of programs and classes funded through foundation grants public and private. There is a sub-group of the St. Louis Diabetes Coalition called the Diabetes Network of St. Louis. I’m a volunteer class leader with the Diabetes Network. As a class leader I conduct six classes of diabetes education that includes goal setting and learning to work with your health care team. The classes consist of a Power Point slide presentation followed by group discussion and goal-setting or role-playing exercises. Another source of support are the support groups, usually free to the public, held at hospitals. A lot of hospitals around here have the group meetings monthly, and each month has a new topic presented by professionals. I find “in person” support to be very helpful. A group that can stay together over some period of time helps individuals feel accountable to each other for their self-management. Being a class leader helps me to stay up to date with my information and also to be a good example, with my diet and exercise habits, to the participants in my class.
I really like the Mayo Clinic’s website [ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/DS01121 ]. It’s a good, basic overview from a recognized authority.
That is awesome!!! Congrats.
To tell you the truth, I have had to cut back. I started out, last June, hopping on board here, reading every blog I could etc. piles of books, and it was great in that it helped me a lot feel less alone and got me informed.
But so much diabetes stuff started to get in the way of how I thought of myself. It was becoming too much of a part of my definition.
So I made a conscious decision to cut back. I now only do TuDiabetes and stuff linked from here. And no more than once a week. I have jumped back into my other activities, music, and work, and friends, and opportunities to laugh way too hard.
Diabetes is not going to steal my life.
I am glad I went through all of it, and I have met some great people, but I need now to balance my life a bit, and confine diabetes to a the category of an important avocation, not a reason for living.
This is a good question, since many of us are at a loss after being diagnosed. Physicians seem to have little or no information on the subject. I found that I was able to learn a lot from the Canadian Diabetis Association and the American Diabetis Association. Websites:
http://www.diabetes.ca/
http://www.diabetes.org/
You can check with your regional health centre if there are any seminars available. In my area there was a one day seminar, which spend the morning with a diabetic nurse and the afternoon with a dietician.
For those who can still control their type 2 diabetes with with exercise and diet, the Canada Food Guide and equivalent American handout are invaluable when planning your daily diet and food groups.
A search on the internet will also net you some good background reading and advice.
The bottom line is that there are many sources out there and it is easy to get overwhelmed. Read what you can and chose what works best for you.
Mary If you would be willing to share the powerpoint slides and exercise form the class you teach I would love to see them.
Thanks
Bryan