Tag: #diabetestreatment
Nine Things Newly Diagnosed People With Diabetes Should Do After Diagnosis
Remembering Grandma
It has been exactly 20 years today since my grandmother passed away. My grandmother was a fierce, intelligent woman who held our family together.
I was a teenager when my grandma’s health declined. She had congestive heart failure, diabetes, and was legally blind. As a teen, I did not understand the extent of her health problems nor how they related.
Now that I’m living with the same diabetes diagnosis, I understand what my grandma was going through, how diabetes and heart disease are linked and how those issues can potentially limit your life.
It’s my mission to share what I’ve learned with people with diabetes and their loved ones. There is a family history of diabetes on both sides, and I just want to do my part in changing the narrative.
On this day of remembrance, I want to encourage you to keep your health in check: learn more about your condition, maintain a healthy diabetes management routine, and if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. Don’t let diabetes limit your life.
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
If Not Now, When?
World Diabetes Day 2021 theme from the International Diabetes Federation
The availability of insulin and other elements of diabetes care remains out of reach for millions who need them. People with diabetes are at risk of severe and life-threatening complications, especially if they do not receive adequate support or treatment. Complications include:
🔸Heart Attack
🔸Stroke
🔸Kidney Failure
🔸Blindness
🔸Lower Limb Amputation
What can be done to improve access to diabetes care worldwide? It all starts with our lawmakers. We need to keep our state and federal lawmakers accountable in ensuring that our healthcare system:
🔹Provide basic health care at a reasonable cost to people with diabetes
🔹Develop policies to improve prevention of type 2 diabetes
🔹Enhance screening to ensure timely diagnosis and prevent complications resulting from diabetes
🔹Develop mechanisms to engage people with diabetes in the development of diabetes policies
As we’re voting for newly elected officials today, make sure the candidate you’re voting for is willing to support health equity for all.
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetes
Wellness Wednesday: Diabetes and Dehydration
Dehydration can be very dangerous for people living with diabetes
The risk of dehydration increases for individuals with diabetes since high blood glucose levels decrease hydration in the body.
Drinking water helps keep your hydration and blood sugar levels in check. Besides fighting dehydration, it can also help remove excess glucose.
People with diabetes should drink plenty of fluids – 1.6 liters (L) or 6.5 cups a day for women; and 2 L or 8.5 glasses of water per day for men.
In addition to water, there are a number of other drinks that are also effective for preventing dehydration and increasing fluid intake. Examples include caffeine-free herbal teas, sugar-free sparkling water, almond milk, and sugar-free coffee.
Drinking sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices, and sweetened drinks is not recommended since they contain a lot of sugar and will increase your blood sugar levels.
What does your water/liquid intake look like?
A. 8 or more cups
B. 6-7 cups
C. 5-4 cups
D. 3 or less
What is your drink of choice?
Share your answers below in the comments!
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
Talk About It Tuesday: Diabetes Distress and Burnout
This week, we’re discussing Diabetes Distress & Burnout.
Diabetes distress occurs when someone feels overwhelmed by the daily demands of managing diabetes.
Diabetes burnout occurs when a person becomes tired of managing their condition, and then ignores it for a while, or even permanently.
Here are the signs to watch for:
🔹 Feeling angry and frustrated about diabetes management 🔹 Worried about not taking good care of your diabetes but unmotivated to change things. 🔹 Being hesitant to go to appointments or check your blood sugars regularly 🔹 Making unhealthy foods choices. 🔹 Feeling alone and isolated
Both diabetes distress and burnout can lead to depression if left untreated.
Let’s talk about it: Have you ever experienced diabetes distress or burnout?
Please share your experience and how you managed to get back on track with your diabetes management plan.
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
Quick Tip Thursday: Encourage Yourself
As you begin this diabetes journey, you may find it hard to remain motivated. Set your health goals and then set written or digital reminders for them. Display inspirational quotes throughout your home or add motivational images as a screensaver. And finally, reward yourself for small successes by offering yourself an incentive of your choosing.
While it is vital to have a strong support system, that support system may not be available 24-7. Therefore, you need to keep yourself motivated during the times they are not around. You need to want success for yourself as much as your support system does.
You’re worth it.
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
Under Pressure
How I keep my composure while under stress.
Right now it’s 9:35 PM where I am. I’ve just finished taking a hot, relaxing bath after an extremely rough day.
Besides blogging, writing contributing articles and moderating, I am also a co-founder for a local nonprofit organization that helps young school-age entrepreneurs. In about a week from now, we will be hosting our biggest annual event: a youth entrepreneurship fair where youth from all over our state and surrounding states sell their products and services.
I absolutely love planning this annual youth event! I love seeing the excitement of the youth when they make a sale. The fun and amazement from the community when they hear the stories of how these youth entrepreneurs got started. It makes planning this event so rewarding.
Planning this year’s event is a little different than previous years, with the exception of last year’s event (which was online). Because of the pandemic, our event, which usually takes place in March, takes place this month, on July 17th.
Unfortunately, we’ve been hitting a lot more snags than usual. Many of our senior youth participants have canceled because of timing and schedule conflicts. It’s been harder to get media coverage for our event (which usually we had been able to get media coverage from all TV stations and radio). There has been a lot of miscommunication or no communication at all, from some families of the youth participants. Then there’s the health department requesting extra data and requiring us to implement extra procedures from kids who only plan to sell drinks and packaged sweet treats.
Today, I was really under pressure and at my breaking point. Between following up with parents who I have not heard from since the pandemic contacting us two weeks before the event, the last minute cancellations, the health department breathing down our backs, following up with the TV and newspaper stations, making sure my kids are not killing each other and trying to work on blogging and posting, I was angry, frustrated and depleted. Every ounce of me wanted to explicitly express how I felt at that moment.
Needless to say, it has been rough experience for me and my colleagues.
Instead of losing my cool, I’ve stopped everything I was doing, changed into some walking gear and walked. I didn’t care what was happening at the moment. I knew that I needed to pause in order to keep my composure. Fifteen minutes later, I returned home and resumed work with a sound mind. I was able to solve all of the issues that I could with kindness and patience.
A brisk walk is one of the newest ways that I’ve been managing my stress. Besides exercise and diet, managing stress is a huge component of diabetes management. All of us have experienced various forms of stress, including personal, interpersonal and environmental.
For those of us living with diabetes, stress can make it more difficult to manage our condition. Stress disrupts our daily routines and causes fluctuations in our blood sugar levels. Stress increases our blood pressure and raises heart rate, resulting in rising blood sugar levels.
If you find yourself in a stressful situation or environment, remember, everything doesn’t require a response. Try these healthy strategies to help manage stress:
– Pause and rest
Stop everything you’re doing and take a break. Check out my previous post about my thoughts on this here: http://geneticdiabetic.home.blog/2021/06/29/pause-and-rest/
– Continue to take care of yourself
Continue to eat nourishing foods that boosts your energy. Take your medication and vitamins as directed.
– Get moving
Take a walk or run around the neighborhood or park. Dance or lift weighs. Staying active helps relieves stress by increasing your endorphins.
– Do relaxation exercises
Deep breathing signals your brain to calm down and relax.
– Meditation and prayer
Feeding your soul really helps with managing stress. Find out what I do to feed my soul here: http://geneticdiabetic.home.blog/2021/06/05/feeding-your-soul/
– Talk it out
Talk to a trusted family member or friend. You can also join a support group or seek professional help.
– Have a good laugh!
Laughter is an awesome stress reliever and it’s good for the soul!
– Have a good cry
There is a lot of healing that takes place when you shed a few tears.
The next time you find yourself enormously under pressure, put these strategies into action! I encourage you to do what I like to call the PURE method:
– Pause what you’re doing
– Use your stress management strategies
– Regain your composure
– Establish a new game plan to help relieve the stress in your situation
Unfortunately, stress cannot be avoided. However, how we cope and respond to the stressors make a huge impact when it comes to managing diabetes and our overall health.
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
Superwoman, Surrender Your Cape!
Why a lack of self-care can be detrimental for the woman who does it all
Healthline recently surveyed over 1500 Americans with type 2 diabetes about their day-to-day experiences of living with their condition. The results were published in their latest article, called “The State of Type 2 Diabetes.” Participants were asked how they managed their conditions, if they can afford health care and lifestyle changes and how their diagnosis change their perceptions of themselves and their future.
According to the results, many Americans are having difficulty coping with the demands of managing diabetes along with careers and families. In addition, the survey results also concluded that 70% of the women that responded are more likely than men to put the needs of others before themselves despite living with a chronic illness, and face more challenges with balancing self-care with other responsibilities.
Ladies, does this sound familiar?
This is the definition of the Superwoman syndrome. This happens when a woman stretches herself too thin and neglects herself because she’s trying to do it all.
I tend to visualize this concept as if we’re eating at a buffet. Imagine yourself piling food that you like on your plate. Now you already have enough food on your plate. However, you want an extra piece of chicken. You can’t fit anything else on that plate. Instead of getting the extra piece of chicken after you’ve finished your meal, you decided to get chicken anyway and placing it on top of your full plate. As a result, your plate is overflowing, making a mess.
As women and caretakers, we already have a lot on our proverbial plates. We have homes to manage, families to take care of, businesses to run, and/or jobs to do. When we don’t take the time to properly care for ourselves, our plates will overflow, causing stress, exhaustion, burnouts and breakdowns. Stressful situations and environments are major risk factors for many illnesses, including type 2 diabetes. If you’re already diagnosed with diabetes, then the additional stressful demands of playing superwoman will make it extremely difficult to manage our conditions, causing us to experience more health complications.
Ladies, we need to surrender our capes and take better care of ourselves!
If we want to continue to live a healthy life while managing diabetes, then we have to learn to prioritize our health because nobody else will do it for you. Surrendering our capes is not a sign of weakness, but of great strength. When we surrender, we are implying that we can no longer go on like business as usual. We give up the notion that we can do all and be all for everyone. Surrendering gives us a sense of peace and relief. Surrendering our capes is not a form of selfishness but an act of love and respect for ourselves. It doesn’t mean that we stop caring for people and helping others. We’re properly caring for the bodies and minds that we’ve been given so we can be a blessing to others. Don’t allow anyone to make you feel guilty for prioritizing yourself by taking care of your health first.
Superwoman,
Make that doctor’s appointment.
Get your A1C checked.
Have your eyes and feet checked.
Meet with that dietitian.
Go talk to that therapist.
Attend that support group meeting.
Prioritize and set your boundaries.
Ask for help.
Learn to say NO!
Superwoman, free yourself, surrender your cape and put your health first!
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic