Diabetes and You

By Sandra Sturgis, R.N., BSN

Weary of hearing about diabetes?  You see it on the TV, you read about it in the newspaper and it’s on the radio.  Family and friends are constantly telling you what you should and should not eat.  As a diabetic, I sometimes wish it would just STOP!  I find myself “tuning out” anything that reminds me I haven’t taken the time to take care of my diabetes.

Then my common sense takes over and reminds me this is a life-long condition.  How demoralizing is that?  But it is a fact and I know I have to take care of myself today – especially if I want to see my children grow up, graduate and get married.

The challenge diabetes presents is that it can lull you into a false sense of security.  You can feel good today, next month, next year.  You may be able to forget about your diabetes for long periods of time.  You may start thinking the doctor made a mistake, or that diabetes isn’t as bad as others say.  That’s when it gets you, though.  Your diabetes has not gone away.  All the time you have not been taking care of it, it has been quietly stalking you.  The long-term affects of neglecting diabetes will take your life, or trigger serious complications you can expect to face along the way.

Typically with this disease, you can ignore symptoms and avoid lifestyle adjustments for about 10 years before complications surface.  The first sign something is going wrong will probably show up in your eyes or kidneys or hands and feet.  These areas of your body have small, microscopic blood vessels that become damaged from the sugar that has remained in your blood stream, which leads to the first stages of blindness, kidney disease, poor circulation and/or nerve damage.  Larger vessels of the body follow that same path, leading to heart attacks and strokes.

These consequences obviously are not to be taken lightly.  Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness along with non-traumatic amputations in the United States.  Hear attacks and strokes rank also high on that list.

These are the things that I think about daily.  Not only because that’s my job, diabetes is a disease I also live with.

There is good news, though.  All of the things I have talked about here can be prevented:

• Know your A1C number (a test that tracks your blood glucose over several months) and daily blood sugar levels is a start. 
• Seek out nutritious foods and be cognizant of how much you eat. 
• Take medications as directed.
• Exercise 30 minutes daily. 
• Get help if stress seems to be a distraction in your life. 
• Work with your whole healthcare team.

Decide that you are going to learn the behaviors you need to manage the disease yourself, and not rely so heavily on your physician. After all, your tax guy doesn’t balance your checkbook for you, does he?

Don’t you just hate hearing about your diabetes?  I do as well, but if I don’t want all the bad things that WILL happen to me because of it, I need to start listening and participating more in my care of the disease.

Want to learn more, or just need to talk?  Call me at (410) 968-3194, or send me an e-mail.  I understand where you’re coming from. 

Or, visit the various pages listed under the "Diabetes Management" section on this Web site for information on living well with the disease.