May 11, 2017

Managing Your Type 2 Diabetes - P1

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.

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