The Big ‘D’ and The Little ‘d’

August 2nd, 2008

The Big D of course is ‘Diabetes’. The Little d is ‘diet’. Is there any doubt in your mind in the relationship between the two?? ANY at all?

Not just in a causal way either. Study after study shows that being overweight or worse obesity is one of the major causes of Diabetes. Check it out.

Then once you have it, if you don’t keep your weight under control and lose weight you will lose control of the Diabetes. Trust me you don’t want that to happen.

Beginning in your mid to late thirties start monitoring your blood sugars, diet and weight-a great first step in avoiding the “Big D’.

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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Ten-Wrap It Up

May 31st, 2008

Well it has been a three month odyssey into the personal trials and tribulations of relating to you this disease affectionately known as the “BIG D”. My hopes at the outset were to share the bad news of getting the disease and the many downsides of it to scare the hell out of you. Then to share the good news of what you can do to control it and not let it ruin your life.

We have covered: the early warning signs of the disease; what to do when you find out you have it; the complications of the “BIG D”; how to look for a good doctor for your team and how to get control of this terrible disease to avoid the worst of the complications.

Additionally I have shared some personal observations and feelings. This is a very difficult disease to deal with and maybe part of my therapy is the sharing. Not everyone can do that.

There are tons of resources available on any topic you can imagine related to Diabetes except venting and communing with those in the same boat. It is because of the scarcity of this kind of resource that Manny Hernandez founded www.tudiabetes.com. This valuable resource fills that void.

The sight has been in existence since March of 2007. “Today, Tu Diabetes is an Online Community where the members help each other out, educate ourselves and share the steps we take every day to stay healthy while living with this very serious condition.”

“One of the members, Scott Johnson a dlife columnist, has said about the community: ‘It’s like ‘MySpace’ on insulin…”. In Tu Diabetes, we write blog posts, exchange ideas in discussion forums, share photos of ourselves and our loved ones and videos that we find useful and informative.’ ”

I encourage you all who are reading this to join and get to know the thousands from all over the world who are in the same boat-there’s room for you too.

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

 

 

 

Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Nine-What Now?

April 16th, 2008

Okay. You have found out that you are a diabetic. You now know what the nasty things are that can ruin your life as result of having the big D otherwise known as the long term complications. You have found a doctor for your team. Now what do you do?

I heard a quote this morning from world famous health guru Jack LaLanne who is 93 now and still preaching the healthy lifestyle. Not verbatim but the gist of it was “Dying is easy. You have to work at getting healthy and staying healthy.”Â

That just about says it all. You can do nothing and suffer the consequences of the long term complications: heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, high blood pressure, possible amputation of limbs, etc. and a generally lousy quality of life. Or you can get off your butt and quit feeling sorry for yourself and get to work.

I can attest to the fact that it is not easy. As a matter of fact in my 16 year experience it is the hardest thing you will do-fighting the disease not just on the physical side but the mental part as well.

Just last week I was so frustrated from a lack of progress on my efforts to lose weight I started to second guess the wisdom of it all. “Why should I forego many of the things I love?” I asked myself. Pasta, buttered popcorn, sweets, wine, the list goes on?

It isn’t easy. On top of that it is almost always frustrating because the lifestyle that got you to this point, the one that caused the Big D in the first place, has to be given up. Diabetes is called a lifestyle disease. Your lifestyle created the problem for you.Â

YOU HAVE TO CHANGE. If you don’t, it will kill you long before your time.

So my friends get some moral support from your family and healthcare team get off your duff and get after it. You can’t beat it but you can control it to make your life enjoyable.

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

To find out more about Diabetes check the link below.

 This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETESNot sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.

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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Eight-Doc Shopping

April 13th, 2008

You may already have a good doc who tells you those magic words “you have diabetes.” Those words will change your life as long as you live. It is absolutely critical to find a doc who knows the ins and outs of the disease. Why? Your life and quality of life depend on it.

Your doctor, perhaps a nutritionist, and family members will form the nucleus of your team-the team you need for information, guidance and most of all support in what may be the struggle of your life.

If you have a good doc already-rock on. Here’s the down and dirty of the how’s and why’s of finding the right doc to be on your team.

Your doc may be great-he can be on your team too. You need a specialist in my opinion. Someone who knows what diabetes can do to you and how to avoid the worst of it. Not everyone falls into that category. Docs can’t know everything can they?

Some folks may feel uncomfortable following these suggestions and it may seem unusual but trust me it is no different than shopping for anything else. You are the consumer-it is solely your responsibility to get the best you can get.

Endocrinology is the general area that covers diabetes. It is such a broad area though you still need someone who specializes in Diabetes.

Generally people ask friends, relatives, anyone they know who might already have diabetes for a name of a doc they use. That is a start. The phone book may yield some names.

Make up a list of simple questions on experience with the disease, how long they have been practicing, how they treat obesity, how they treat complications, etc. and start making some phone calls.

More than likely you won’t speak to the doc himself but make sure you at least speak with his nurse. You will get some useful information from the calls so you can make an informed decision on choosing a key member of your Diabetes team.

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

To find out more about Diabetes check the link below.

This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETES

Â

Not sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.
Â

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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Seven-How to be a Control Freak

March 27th, 2008

Well we have talked about why you need to be a control freak when you have Diabetes. I hope you are convinced in the importance of control. If not re-read part five and pay attention the nasty things that can either kill you or ruin your quality of life for the rest of your life-that’ll make believer out of you.

How to you get that control? I am so glad you asked. Let’s look at 4 concepts that will at least get you started.

MONITOR. Your blood sugars and other critical factors like Ha1c need to be monitored on a regular basis. Get a physical on a yearly basis including a diabetic eye exam. Only thru seeing how well you are doing do you get an idea if anything needs to be tweaked in your program. As they say ‘if you don’t know where you’ve been you can’t figure out where to go.’

LOOSE WEIGHT. Since weight gain was one of the factors that got you into the club of diabetics, weight loss will not get you out-it will get you control-exactly what you want. As little as 5% and as much as 10% should be your goal. You’d be amazed what that will do for you.

EXERCISE. If you exercise 20-30 minutes a day 5 days a week not only will it help you lose weight but also it helps to act as a natural blood sugar controller. As an extra added bonus you’ll just feel better too.

DIET. Your diet, as you know it, has to change. It is at least partially responsible for getting you where you are now. IT HAS TO GO. Less carbs, more protein, more fresh vegetables, more water will form the basis of the diet. If you can’t figure it out for your self there are plenty of online resources and if that fails hire a dietician.

In any event these four ideas will get you going to gain control of your new found disease. Get started today!!

This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETES

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Not sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.
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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Six-Why Control Freak?

March 23rd, 2008

Okay so the verdict is in. You have been officially diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. What do you do? One of the very first things you need to do is to develop a game plan to gain control of this insidious disease. You need to become a CONTROL FREAK.

Why you ask? The disease at this stage doesn’t seem all that threatening.
“I feel fine. My weight and blood pressure are up a little but so what? That’s normal at my age. I have noticed I have become less active too.” All are comments you are likely to hear from someone who has just found out they are the latest victim. The normal tendency is to ignore the disease. That, my friends, is a BIG MISTAKE.

The reasons for getting control early on are numerous. The basic one is ‘quality of life’. If you have any desire at all to have a decent quality of life thru your later years then you need to learn how to become a control freak.

Diabetes has been linked to heart disease and stroke, male impotence, loss of limbs, loss of eyesight, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, kidney disease, nerve damage especially in the extremities of hands and feet, infections and other illnesses.

In short it WILL KILL YOU. As sure as you are sitting there reading this, if you don’t act Diabetes will kill you in umpteen different ways. Is that motivation enough?

If not, then it will ruin your quality of life to a point where you require either hospitalization or make an invalid out of you. How’s that sound? I am not trying to scare you-oops yes I am! It is devastating to get the complications from the ‘BIG D.’

So get control early and stay in control. It will prolong your life and make your quality of life much better than the alternative.

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETES

Â

Not sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.
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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Five-Doc Shopping

March 18th, 2008

You may already have a good doc who tells you those magic words “you have diabetes.” Those words will change your life as long as you live. It is absolutely critical to find a doc who knows the ins and outs of the disease. Why? Your life and quality of life depend on it.

Your doctor, perhaps a nutritionist, and family members will form the nucleus of your team-the team you need for information, guidance and most of all support in what may be the struggle of your life.

If you have a good doc already-rock on. Here’s the down and dirty of the how’s and why’s of finding the right doc to be on your team.Â

Your doc may be great-he can be on your team too. You need a specialist in my opinion. Someone who knows what diabetes can do to you and how to avoid the worst of it. Not everyone falls into that category. Docs can’t know everything can they?Â

Some folks may feel uncomfortable following these suggestions and it may seem unusual but trust me it is no different than shopping for anything else. You are the consumer-it is solely your responsibility to get the best you can get.

Endocrinology is the general area that covers diabetes. It is such a broad area though you still need someone who specializes in Diabetes.Â

Generally people ask friends, relatives, anyone they know who might already have diabetes for a name of a doc they use. That is a start. The phone book may yield some names.Â

Make up a list of simple questions on experience with the disease, how long they have been practicing, how they treat obesity, how they treat complications, etc. and start making some phone calls.

More than likely you won’t speak to the doc himself but make sure you at least speak with his nurse. You will get some useful information from the calls so you can make an informed decision on choosing a key member of your Diabetes team.Â

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

To find out more about Diabetes check the link below.
Â

This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETES

Â

Not sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.

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March 16th, 2008

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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Four-Control Freak

March 14th, 2008

Okay so the verdict is in. You have been officially diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. You may be in your late thirties to your mid 50’s, other wise healthy, family, good job, all that stuff. What do you do?

Let me take a small step back. The most important thing in this age bracket is early diagnosis. You can’t or won’t do anything if you don’t know about it-that’s where you start. But once you find out then what?

This is where, I think, a lot of folks, my self especially included, make a HUGE MISTAKE. They underestimate, thru ignorance or whatever the reason, the danger this disease poses. This is part of the insidiousness of the disease it sneaks up on you and doesn’t seem threatening.

So you are gaining weight and your cholesterol and blood pressure are on the rise-big deal. Isn’t that what happens when you get older? Most just don’t give Diabetes the attention at the onset it deserves.

I remember my doc (may he rest in pieces) when he told me. It was like no big deal. And so for me that only reinforced my preference to make no change in my lifestyle BIG MISTAKE #2.

After you are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes you can go down one of two roads. The first road-the one I took-is to do nothing. And because at the time it doesn’t seem so threatening it seems like that is okay. I am here to tell you it isn’t okay.

The second road which involves having a doc who knows what he’s talking about. After ’shopping’ for a doc, I found one who had a diabetic child-bingo he’s my guy. Maybe more on the ’shopping’ piece in a future article.

Once you find the right doc your next step is to become a “control freak.” It is only thru control that a good to even great quality of life can be achieved with the disease.

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

To find out more about Diabetes check the link below.This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETES

Â

Not sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.
Â

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Diabetes Information-Confessions of a Type 2 Diabetic-Part Three-The Pre Thing

March 11th, 2008

Before there was diabetes there is pre-diabetes. Pre diabetes has been described as a condition where your blood sugars are elevated but not enough to qualify you as a diabetic.

Years before I was officially diagnosed with Diabetes I had Syndrome X and sleep apnea both lead to slow weight gain, slow increases in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The key word here is slow.

In my humble and perverted way of thinking this is part of what makes Diabetes so diabolical-it sneaks up on you and before you know it BLAM you’ve got it. SLOWLY.

My lifestyle at the time consisted of sitting most of the day at a desk job working 10-14 hour days, eating poorly, not getting enough exercise, and slowly getting pre-diabetes. I was gaining weight and unbeknownst to me slowly starting to kill myself.

If I had a doc back then who knew what he was doing I would have had a fasting plasma glucose test (FPG). Normal fasting blood glucose is below 100 mg/dl. A person with pre-diabetes has a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl. If the blood glucose level rises to 126 mg/dl or above, a person has diabetes.

Once the cycle is started it is not that hard to stop if you stop it in time. Knowledge is the key. For me it started when I was about 45. I was Joe snackaholic and Chuckee couch potato. After a 12 hour day what better to do than crash and watch the tube with a couple of sodas and some chips.

I was a smoker and loved my adult beverages too which didn’t help.

Like just about anything, unless you know about it you are not likely to do anything. Being aware of the prevalence of the problem and the consequences of inaction are a necessary first step.

Studies show that an aggressive action plan at first onset of pre-diabetes can delay diabetes at the very worst and possibly sidestep the disease all together at the very best. Trust me that is what you want. What is involved?
EXERCISE AND WEIGHT LOSS are much easier to do in your 30’s and 40’s than later in life when it may be too late.

Don’t forget to leave me feedback. I welcome your comments.

 This website is devoted to educating patients of DIABETES

Not sure what is going on when you are not there? Get a

HIDDEN SPY CAMERA today and find out.
Get the very BEST SELF DEFENSE PRODUCTS to protect yourself and your family.
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