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.
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