Motivational Monday: Let Nothing Stop You From Your Goals

It’s the first Monday of the new year, the perfect time to start implementing our health goals that we’ve set for ourselves.

Don’t give up if you don’t get it right at first. Keep trying and stay consistent.

Nothing can stop you from meeting your health goals!

📝 What health goals are you working on this week (emotional, physical, or mental)?

📝 What will you do to keep yourself accountable?

Until Next Time,

The Genetic Diabetic

My First Vlog: Know Your Role, Purpose and Why

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Hey everyone!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted! A lot has been going on, but I’m currently working on updating the blog and adding some new features.

One of the new features I’ve added includes the ability to add video so I can now do Vlogs in addition to blogs which I’m extremely excited about.

In this video, I discuss the roles of influencer, advocate and ambassador and why it’s important to know your role, purpose and why.

Click on the video above to view my first Vlog 😀 Feel free to leave a comment below of your thoughts.

Until Next Time,

The Genetic Diabetic

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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: Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is known by its unofficial name, type 1.5 diabetes. The body’s own immune system attacks and kills the beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. However, the process of destroying all beta cells takes longer in people with LADA than it does in people with type 1 diabetes.

As you lose the ability to make insulin, your body is unable to control your blood sugar levels. You may not need treatment for many months or years after diagnosis like those with type 1 diabetes.

LADA usually begins after you turn 30, and doctors sometimes misdiagnose it as type 2 diabetes.

In fact, up to 15% of people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes actually have LADA. Being misdiagnosed puts people at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and other long-term complications.

Furthermore, if the person does not know they have autoimmune diabetes, they will not be screened for other autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid or celiac disease, which are more common in people with LADA than those with type 2 diabetes.

LADA symptoms are similar to those of type 1 or 2 diabetes. Usually if you don’t get better within a few months of taking oral diabetes medications, your doctor might suspect LADA.

LADA is diagnosed with a blood test. Because LADA is an autoimmune disease, individuals with LADA usually test positive for at least one islet autoantibody (a protein produced by the immune system). Tests can be performed on your blood to check for autoantibodies to GAD, IA-2/ICA512, insulin, and ZnT8. These tests vary in cost depending on your insurance coverage.

As soon as oral treatments, exercise, and diet plans fail to control your blood sugar, speak with your healthcare provider about insulin therapy.

Sources: DiaTribe and EnM (Endocrinology and Metabolism)

Until Next Time,

The Genetic Diabetic

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Motivational Monday

Every member of this community is here because they or someone they know is battling diabetes.
Diabetes is a life-long condition that takes work for us to manage. What may work for us one day might not work the next. So many factors contribute to our numbers fluctuating. There’s always a chance that the condition will progress even if you do everything you can.

However, we still have three options for how to approach the way we handle this:

– Giving up and don’t do anything about this condition

– Giving in and doing the least we can to treat this condition

OR

– Giving our best and not only control our condition, but do our best to learn about diabetes and to try and discover ways to stop its progression by doing our best. Additionally, even when treatment fails, you don’t give up or give in.

This week’s Motivational Monday’s Message:

Don’t give up.

Don’t give in.

⭐️Give it all you’ve got⭐️

Until Next Time,

The Genetic Diabetic

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

Wellness Wednesday: Ways to Combat Diabetes Distress and Burnout to Prevent Depression

Yesterday, we’ve discussed diabetes distress and diabetes burnout. To recap:

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.

If diabetes distress and burnout are not taken care of, both could lead to depression.

There are ways to prevent diabetes distress and burnout before they cause serious long-term complications or lead to clinical depression.

  1. Observe your feelings. When you have diabetes, you can experience frustration, stress, and fatigue a lot more than usual. When you experience these feelings for a long period of time, you might need help managing your diabetes.
  2. Speak with your healthcare provider about your feelings. If you are experiencing any difficulties with your diabetes care, talk to your doctor, nurse, diabetes educator, psychologist, or social worker. They can help you with problem-solving your diabetes concerns. They may also suggest that you speak with other health care providers.
  3. Consult your healthcare provider if you are experiencing negative reactions from others. It is important not to feel that you must hide your diabetes from others; your health care provider can help you manage feelings of being judged by others.
  4. Find out if you can receive assistance with the costs of diabetes medicines and supplies. Your pharmacist and health care provider may be able to assist you with the cost of your medication if you are concerned about the cost. Additionally, look into community health centers to see if they offer programs to help people get insulin, medicines for diabetes, and supplies (test trips, syringes, etc.).
  5. Talk to your family and friends. Tell the people around you how you feel about having diabetes. Be honest about the problems you’re having. Just verbalizing how you feel can have a positive effect on reducing stress. However, in some cases, the people around you can add to it. Be clear about how and when you need their help.
  6. Allow your loved ones to help you manage diabetes. The people who are closest to you can help you to take your medicine, monitor your blood sugar levels, participate in physical activity with you, and prepare healthy meals. They can also learn more about diabetes and go with you to appointments. Provide your loved ones with ways to help you manage your diabetes that are useful to you.
  7. Speak to others who suffer from diabetes. It may help to talk with others who have diabetes. They can give you insight into how they manage their diabetes and what works for them. Other people with diabetes can help you feel less alone and overwhelmed. You can find diabetic support groups in your community or online by asking your healthcare provider.
  8. Focus on one thing at a time. Managing your diabetes can be overwhelming. If you are suffering from diabetes distress, make a list of every task that you have to do each day. Try to complete every task one at a time.
  9. Take it one step at a time. You don’t have to meet your fitness goals immediately. You may want to walk for 10 minutes, three times a day, five days a week, but you can do it by walking twice a day or every other day.
  10. Spend time doing what you enjoy. Take time to do something you enjoy; it might be talking to a friend, playing with your children, or working on a project you enjoy. Look for activities around your area that you can do with a friend.

When you address the source of your distress and burnout, you will be able to regain control of your diabetes management with the help and resources you need.

Please don’t wait to get help, you don’t have to suffer diabetes stress or burnout any longer.

Until Next Time,

The Genetic Diabetic