Do You Know This About Diabetes?

Many of the people I correspond with and those members of the support group I belong to know most of this information and many other points. Yet, many people are not familiar with some of this information while others ignore any information about diabetes until it is too late.

Most of the following can be found in reading this.

#1. About one quarter of people with diabetes, don’t know they have it. This is unfortunately true and approximately seven million people have no idea they have diabetes. I would urge people that think they have risk factors and relatives with diabetes to be checked regularly at their doctor's office.

#2. You can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by losing a moderate amount of weight. If you are overweight, consider losing about 10 percent of your body weight. Exercise is one lifestyle change that is not easy, but losing a few pounds by walking, swimming, or dancing almost every day can help in preventing diabetes. If you have risks, talk to your doctor and make sure he understands you are sincere in your desire to prevent diabetes.

#3. Insulin isn’t just for people with Type 1 diabetes. Right, approximately 30 to 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are using insulin. If you are moving from oral medications to insulin, this does not mean you have failed. Fact is, the sooner you start insulin, the better you will be able to manage your diabetes. A popular myth is that starting insulin means you are near to going blind or about to lose a foot. Doctors promote this because they don't know insulin and are afraid of hypoglycemia.

Insulin is the most effective treatment for diabetes and if you keep an open mind, you should be better able to manage your diabetes. If your doctor will not prescribe insulin or says you are failing on oral medications, then it is time to change doctors.

#4. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness in American adults. I wish this wasn't true for so many people. This happens because people with diabetes do not have a dilated eye exam every year or as often as your eye doctor recommends. It is not recommended to use the eye clinic at your local mall or retail store. If you have retinopathy or diabetic macular edema, there are effective treatments to prevent it from becoming worse.

#5. Bariatric (weight-loss) surgery is a highly effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes. I am not encouraged by this and have a difficult time even including this as there is so much they fail to tell you. Once you have the surgery, you have to eat such small amounts of food that many people cannot do this. When people are unable to lose weight and all others attempts have failed, bariatric surgery is certainly an option. There are definitely risks to this surgery and people with type 2 diabetes can only expect a remission for an undetermined amount of time and not a cure of their diabetes.

#6. An “artificial” pancreas should soon be available to help people with Type 1 diabetes more easily manage their condition. For people with type 2 diabetes, this is probably one device that will not be available to you. And if you are on Medicare, don't expect to receive one of these tools that type 1's will receive until they turn 65.

#7. Medical providers and the related professions advocate a 'one-size-fits-all' way of treatment. The harried doctors of today do not have time to individualize treatment and if something does not fit their thoughts, you will be told 'it is all in your head', or you will be referred to another doctor. Doctors are so afraid of hypoglycemia that they will accuse you of failing and threaten you with insulin to keep you on oral medications. These doctors are wrong in so many ways that you should be afraid of them. Insulin should never be a medication of last resort for excellent diabetes management.

I could really use a rant, but I will end this here before I say something I will regret later.