The idea for this blog came from this article. I was not surprised at the diabetes diagnosis. I had
relatives on my mother's side of the family and knew that my brother
had type 2 diabetes. My brother had been able to manage his diabetes
with no medications, so I was surprised that I could not. After
three months, I was still in the 200's and occasionally could get
into the lower 100's.
The biggest shock was after having
angina surgery when a heart surgeon came to my room and called me a
liar for not telling them on admission that I had type 2 diabetes. I
admitted that I did not know and the surgeon called me a liar.
Finally to get him our of the room, I threw the bedpan at him. I
missed him because he ducked and it bounced off the wall and out onto
the tiled hall floor. This brought many nurses and the heart patient
in the adjoining bed asked the nurses to remove the loud mouth doctor
so he could sleep.
Shortly the head of the heart
department was there and was the surgeon that had operated on the
individual and he asked what was happening. The fellow told him that
I was being picked on for not knowing that I had diabetes by a doctor
and the doctor was rude and loud and had awaken him. The surgeon
apologized to me, called the head nurse to the room, and said that a
sign would be placed just outside the door that anyone entering this
room must get permission or trouble will happen to people ignoring
the sign. The nurse was asking many questions, finally the surgeon
stated everyone, and if she could not follow orders, he would find a
new head nurse. After she left the room, the fellow in the other bed
thanked the surgeon. The fellow then asked me if I objected and I
said no. I thanked him and the surgeon for coming to our room when
another surgeon could not be civil.
After I was discharged and at home, I
realized I had many things to do. Remembering every thing now is a
bit on the difficult side, but I will use the article as a guide,
#1. Build a
Support Team: “It takes a village to manage diabetes,” says
Linda Siminerio, RN, PhD, chair of the National Diabetes Education
Program. Along with your doctor or nurse practitioner, you can get
help from:
- Diabetes educators
- Dietitians or nutritionists
- Pharmacists
- Endocrinologists
- Podiatrists
- Dentists
- Psychologists or Therapists
Their services are often covered by
insurance.
#2. Get Involved:
Having a health care team is key, but you're the most important
member of it. “We want you to be informed and empowered,”
Siminerio says.
Take an active role in your care. Ask
questions. Learn what your medications do and how to take them
properly. Practice any other healthy habits your doctor recommends.
And know what your A1c levels are and what they mean.
#3. Lose Weight:
“Being overweight is one of the major drivers of the epidemic
of diabetes,” says Vivian Fonseca, MD, a professor of medicine and
pharmacology at Tulane University.
Fat can cling to muscle and important
organs like your liver and pancreas, which can lead to serious
complications.
The good news: You don’t have to
reach a certain target weight before seeing positive results.
“Any weight loss is beneficial,”
Fonseca says. “It doesn't mean you should stop after you lose a
few ounces, but it’s encouraging to know that even if you lose a
little bit of weight, it is helping your body. It reverses a lot of
those changes.”
It's extra-important to get rid of the
extra pounds around your middle. That’s why Siminerio suggests you
watch your waist.
“Folks that have the classic ‘apple
shape’ -- usually men in their 40s and 50s -- are at higher risk
for cardiovascular disease,” she says.
Keep your goals realistic for
long-lasting change. “Losing 1 pound a week is doable,” Fonseca
says.
No comments:
Post a Comment