Things Only Someone With Diabetes Would Understand
Managing your diabetes should be a full time job with a nice hefty paycheck. From checking your blood sugar to counting carbs and everything in between, there are so many things that come with taking care of your diabetes. There are many people that dont understand what its like to live with diabetes on a day to day basis. Because of this certain thing that happen in your life or around you that only you would understand because of diabetes. Before we continue with this article, I wanted to let you know we have researched and compiled science-backed ways to stick to your diet and reverse your diabetes. Want to check out our insights? Download our free PDF Guide Power Foods to Eat here. These are the little things that allow you to find some humor in a life that is stressful every single day. If you have diabetes you will probably get a chuckle out of this article. A Papercut is the Perfect Opportunity to Test Yourself When you live a diabetic life, you know that there is no such thing as wasted blood. No matter how you cut yourself or drew a drop of blood, its always a wonderful chance to test your blood sugar. At Home A1C Testing Systems & Kits: Review You Have Thousands of Lancets and Only a Couple Test Strips Whens the last time you changed your lancet on your lancing device? This is probably the first time youve thought about it for a while, so youre welcome for the reminder. You never know when you will get a gusher from your finger, and because of this you avoid wearing white. The Phrase Im High Means Something Totally Different to You Its a funny occurrence when you are in public and someone over hears you saying your high . The looks you get are quite amusing, because if they only knew. You Can Look at a Plate of Food and Just Know the Carbs Some people would l Continue reading >>
5 Nightmares You Don't Know Until You're Diabetic
Hey, remember when everybody was freaking out about Ebola, because of an outbreak that killed more than 10,000 people? Well, diabetes kills 1.5 million people a year worldwide, more than 200,000 of them in the U.S. And you're probably never more than a few dozen feet away from someone who has it -- there are 30 million diabetics in the U.S. alone. In other words, for something most people consider too boring to even think about, the scale of the epidemic is mind-boggling. The U.S. alone spends an astonishing quarter of a trillion dollars a year fighting it. Or to put it another way, diabetes sucks a thousand bucks out of every single man, woman and child in America, every year. We previously debunked the myth that sugar causes diabetes, and when we talked to someone with one variety of the disease, we learned about the parts of the experience you never hear about. He says ... 5 The Disease And The Treatment Can Both Send You To The Emergency Room Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images Our diabetic, Zach, once woke up in the middle of the night starving, his legs feeling near-paralyzed. His memory of the incident is hazy, but the next thing he knew, he was on a kitchen chair wearing only his boxers with an empty jar of raspberry jam on the table -- he'd eaten nearly the entire thing with his bare hands like fucking Winnie the Pooh. Oh, bother. When he tested his blood sugar, it was 45 (the normal level is between 80 and 100). Anything below 70 is hypoglycemia, yet even after eating an entire jar of what is essentially pure sugar, his blood sugar level was still near emergency levels. If we're being completely honest, it's remarkable that he ever even woke up to eat that jam. By all rights he should've died in his bed. So this shit can get serious, is what we're saying. "Wait," Continue reading >>
10 Life-saving Things You Must Do If You Have Diabetes
Be first on line for your flu shot istock/loonger Any infection, including the flu, can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels and diabetes control, according to Joseph A. Aloi, MD, the section chief of endocrinology and metabolism at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "If you're living with diabetes, infections can lead to more complications, and if you are hospitalized, your hospital stay will be longer than people without diabetes, so the key is to prevent infections in the first place." Get your flu shot and get it early, he adds. Flu season in the United States can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Also talk to your doctor about shots for pneumonia and Hepatitis B prevention. "Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands," adds Davida F. Kruger, a nurse and diabetes expert at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and the author of The Diabetes Travel Guide. "If you want to stay healthy, carry hand sanitizer with you wherever you go in case you can't access a sink." (Find out how you're probably washing your hands all wrong.) IStock/gerenme See your eye doctor yearly for a comprehensive dilated eye exam. "If we catch eye changes early, we can prevent further damage," Dr. Aloi says. "Diabetes is still the leading cause of adult blindness and it is largely preventable." Unfortunately, this message doesn't seem to be getting through. Some 58 percent of people with diabetes did not have regular follow-up eye exams, according to research presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Chicago. These vision screens can catch diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina and often has no symptoms. Other diabetes-related eye diseases that can be spotted during Continue reading >>
Best And Worst Foods For Diabetes
Your food choices matter a lot when you've got diabetes. Some are better than others. Nothing is completely off limits. Even items that you might think of as “the worst" could be occasional treats -- in tiny amounts. But they won’t help you nutrition-wise, and it’s easiest to manage your diabetes if you mainly stick to the “best” options. Starches Your body needs carbs. But you want to choose wisely. Use this list as a guide. Best Choices Whole grains, such as brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, or amaranth Baked sweet potato Items made with whole grains and no (or very little) added sugar Worst Choices Processed grains, such as white rice or white flour Cereals with little whole grains and lots of sugar White bread French fries Fried white-flour tortillas Vegetables Load up! You’ll get fiber and very little fat or salt (unless you add them). Remember, potatoes and corn count as carbs. Best Choices Fresh veggies, eaten raw or lightly steamed, roasted, or grilled Plain frozen vegetables, lightly steamed Greens such as kale, spinach, and arugula. Iceberg lettuce is not as great, because it’s low in nutrients. Low sodium or unsalted canned vegetables Go for a variety of colors: dark greens, red or orange (think of carrots or red peppers), whites (onions) and even purple (eggplants). The 2015 U.S. guidelines recommend 2.5 cups of veggies per day. Worst Choices Canned vegetables with lots of added sodium Veggies cooked with lots of added butter, cheese, or sauce Pickles, if you need to limit sodium -- otherwise, pickles are okay. Sauerkraut, for the same reason as pickles -- so, limit them if you have high blood pressure Fruits They give you carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Most are naturally low in fat and sodium. But they tend to have more carbs Continue reading >>
19 Things All Type 1 Diabetics Will Understand | Metro News
19 things only Type 1 diabetics willunderstand Alison Lynch Thursday 18 Jun 2015 4:59 pm Realising youve got low blood sugar just as the boss calls a meeting. Creeping down to the kitchen at 3am for a KitKat. Here are a few other things only we understand: 1. That question: Have you got bad diabetes? What does that even mean? Theres no such thing. Theres Type 1 and Type 2. 2. No, Im not fat. Thanks for pointing that out though. 3. Yes, I do have to inject myself and, no, its not the worst part. 4. In fact, quite a lot of the time, you dont even feel it. Which means you sometimes cant remember if youve given your injection already or not. Asks a friend 5. Except, there are those times when you inject into a muscle. Hurts like a motherf*cker. 6. Also, when you test your blood and get a spurter. Gross but strangely pleasurable at the same time. 7. Sugar in beer and wine doesnt count. Everyone knows that (everything in moderation though, doc). 8. Yes, I can eat that. In fact, I can eat desserts after my meal and, when I have low blood sugar, chocolate is an actual medical necessity. So, hand over that Crunchie. 9. That said, you rarely get to have chocolate when you actually want it. Eating Creme Eggs in bed at 3am is not unusual. 10. Or at 8am on the Tube. Dont judge me. 11. When your blood sugar is low in the cinema/during a meeting/on a night out. Really? Were going to do this now? 12. Having to explain why you didnt keep a blood diary at your yearly diabetic check up. Because I have a life. 13. It makes dinner on a first date really awkward. Ill just pop to the loo just as my food arrives to inject. Not weird at all. 15. Of course you sometimes give yourself a little extra shot of insulin so you can have that cupcake. Youre not made of stone. 16. When friends think its Continue reading >>
7 Scary Things That Can Happen When You Don't Treat Your Diabetes
Swallowing pills, checking your blood sugar all the time, or sticking yourself with needles full of insulin probably doesn't sound like your idea of a good time. But taking steps to keep your diabetes under control is your best shot at preventing a slew of frightening complications. If you don't take care of yourself, "diabetes complications typically start within 5 years; within 10 to 15 years, the majority of patients will progress to have multiple health issues," says Betul Hatipoglu, MD, an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic. Fortunately, eating a nutritious diet, exercising, and taking your medication may not only stop complications from progressing, but can also reverse them, she says. Need motivation to stick to your treatment plan? Here's what can happen when you slack off. With type 1 diabetes, your body stops producing insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar; with type 2 diabetes, your body can't properly use the insulin you do produce. In turn, your HDL (or "good") cholesterol lowers, and your levels of harmful blood fats called triglycerides rise. Insulin resistance also contributes to hardened, narrow arteries, which in turn increases your blood pressure. As a result, about 70% of people with either type of diabetes also have hypertension—a risk factor for stroke, heart disease, and trouble with thinking and memory. (Add these 13 power foods to your diet to help lower blood pressure naturally.) Failing to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol, either with diet and exercise alone or by adding medications, accelerates the rate at which all your other complications progress, says Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, chief medical officer at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. More than 4 million people with diabetes have some degree of retinopathy, or dam Continue reading >>
Jobs Diabetics Can Not Have
My question is, who has the right to say an insulin dependent diabetic will have poor control of their diabetes? Question is because I have recently found out my Type 1 diabetic son will not be able to join the military, become an astronaut, drive a tractor trailer, fly an airplane or become a police officer. My son may have 60 plus years of great control. He may have 60 years of poor control. But no one will know this until it happens. In every single job I listed above, you have drug addicts working in them positions. But they are disciplined when they have a positive drug test. So why can't the same be done with an insulin dependent diabetic. Who is to say they may have a low while on duty or while driving or flying? How can that be an assumption? Do these people truly believe every single insulin diabetic will have one or many lows in their diabetic lifetime while working? I can totally understand their reasoning, but who is to say they will have a low while on duty? I am not a physician, but a volunteer and a mom of a type 1 diabetic and the daughter of a type 2.I feel the same way you do, but my husband and I tell our daughter that she can be anything she wants to be.Who knows they might change the rules or better yet FIND A CURE!! You have to realize that if a person has a severe low in the military, as a pilot or in a big rig, it is not just there life at stake; they are risking the life of others.I do know that in the state I live before a diabetic teenager gets there drivers permit and license the doctor has to sign a statement that the person has been in good control for at least 6 months.I know several teens that have not been able to get there permits yet. I have also read about and, met diabetics that have had such severe lows that the local EMTs know her Continue reading >>
10 Things Not To Say To A Person With Diabetes
Every person with diabetes has one: a story of a diabetes-related comment they received that completely left them reeling. There are memes and videos dedicated to these comments. The wise folks at Behavioral Diabetes Institute even made pocket-sized etiquette cards you can hand out to try to save people from their own big mouths. And you’d think it would all be enough to maybe keep people from making hurtful, embarrassing, and woefully misinformed comments to people with diabetes – but from my own life experience, it’s not. So here it is: 10 Things Not to Ask of or Say To, About, or Around a Person with Diabetes. 10. “Gross.” Listen, I know. No one hates the invasive nature of diabetes more than people with diabetes themselves. The poking, the bleeding, the alcohol-swabbing, the insertion of metal objects into subcutaneous tissue. But we do it to survive, and when you call us out for disturbing your delicate sensibilities when we’re just trying to juice up for a slice at the local pizzeria, it’s not helping anyone. Maybe just look away, or go get another beer. Cheers! 9. “Are you well controlled?” I used to think it was just weird primary care physicians who asked this question, but a fellow person with diabetes actually posed this query to me at a barbeque a few weeks ago. First of all, “well controlled” is different for everyone. Second of all, none of your beeswax. And third of all, if I say “no,” what kind of question are you going to ask me next? Let’s talk about the weather, shall we? 8. “Aren’t you worried about having kids?” Yes! The price of higher education is insane! Bullying in schools! Sleepless nights and breastfeeding drama! Climate change and – oh, you’re talking about diabetes? Well, yeah. Probably every person with Continue reading >>
Things Only A Person With Diabetes Would Understand
Things Only a Person With Diabetes Would Understand Things Only a Person With Diabetes Would Understand I think the most frustrating part about Type 1 Diabetes is there is no breaks with it, you cant just turn it off when youre tired or when your sick of it. You cant just stop thinking about it because you cant be bothered for a day. You cant just do day-to-day things like eat foods, exercise, shower etc, without taking diabetes into consideration. You cant leave the house without double checking that you have all your supplies, its also trying to find the room for supplies in your bag, finding the time and space to fit spare cannulas, reservoirs, insulin, blood glucose meters, sugar, snacks etc. Its pulling out the meter out in public and getting oh whats that?, or doing an injection and getting comments like ah does that hurt? If I had to do that everyday I would die haha! Or getting told to go do your injection in the bathroom because its disturbing someones meal. Its the comments you receive like why dont you just go on a diet? , so you cant have sugar, you dont look overweight. Its remembering that not everyone will understand your disease, and trying not to get frustrated when they dont understand. Its frustrating because you can be fine one minute, and then passed out on the floor the next and the fear of falling asleep and not waking up again. Its the reminder that you will never live a full life if you dont look after your diabetes. Doctors say that I could die earlier than normal people. I may go blind, I may have limbs amputated, my kidneys may fail, plus hundreds of more complications. Its the feeling as if you have everything under control, and then it just flips in a matter of hours or even minutes. Its the frequent hospital visits and admissions. Its the Continue reading >>
11 Things Not To Say To Someone With Type 1 Diabetes
1. There is no "mild form" of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the body doesn't produce any insulin, while type 2 diabetes is when the body doesn't make enough insulin or the insulin it does make doesn't work properly. There's a myth that type 2 is the milder form – but it's false. "It is a commonly held belief that type 2 is the mild form and less serious than type 1 diabetes. This is in fact not true, as both type 1 and 2 diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as blindness, amputation, kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke, if not managed well. "Type 1 diabetes can be sudden onset, where a person may become quite unwell very quickly, whereas type 2 diabetes can go undetected for a number of years. Both types of diabetes need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid diabetes-related complications." – Deepa Khatri, clinical adviser, Diabetes UK 2. You don't get it from "eating too much sugar". "I didn't get it from eating too much sugar. There's nothing I can't eat or drink. And type 1 and type 2 are two completely different conditions. There's two types, I'm talking about type 1, the autoimmune condition. There's nothing I did to get it, there's nothing I could have done to prevent it, and it's not contagious. "No, it's not because I ate too much sugar as a kid, and yes, I can still eat that bit of cake. I can eat anything I want, and I can do pretty much what I want when I want to do it – my T1 doesn't hold me back in any way. It's a lot more than just taking a couple of insulin injections though – there's a lot more to it." – Connor McHarg 3. And it's a serious illness. "One of my major frustrations is that people tend not to view diabetes as a 'serious' illness and will go as far to say that it's self-inflicted due to certain lifestyle ch Continue reading >>
The Best And Worst Foods To Eat In A Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Following a type 2 diabetes diet doesn’t mean you have to give up all the things you love — you can still enjoy a wide range of foods and, in some cases, even help reverse type 2 diabetes. Indeed, creating a diet for diabetes is a balancing act: It includes a variety of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The trick is ultimately choosing the right combination of foods that will help keep your blood sugar level in your target range and avoid big swings that can cause diabetes symptoms — from the frequent urination and thirst of high blood sugar to the fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and mood changes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). The Basics of the Type 2 Diabetes Diet: What Should You Eat? To follow a healthy diet for type 2 diabetes, you must first understand how different foods affect your blood sugar. Carbohydrates, which are found to the largest degree in grains, bread, pasta, milk, sweets, fruit, and starchy vegetables, are broken down into glucose in the blood faster than other types of food, which raises blood sugar, potentially leading to hyperglycemia. Protein and fats do not directly impact blood sugar, but both should be consumed in moderation to keep calories down and weight in a healthy range. To hit your blood sugar level target, eat a variety of foods but monitor portions for foods with a high carbohydrate content, says Alison Massey, RD, CDE, the director of diabetes education at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “[Foods high in carbohydrates] have the most impact on blood sugar level. This is why some people with diabetes count their carbohydrates at meals and snacks,” she says. How Many Carbs Can You Eat If You Have Diabetes? According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), you can calculate Continue reading >>
9 Things Most People Dont Know About Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most widely misunderstood conditionsaround, which is surprising considering how widespread it is. Here are nine of the most common myths and misconceptions, and the truth behind each one. Eating too much sugar does not cause type 1 diabetes. 1. Type 1 diabetes isnt caused by eating sugar There are two main types of diabetes, helpfully called type 1 and type 2 . Type 1 is an autoimmune disease . It develops when the immune system attacks insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Without insulin , we cant regulate our blood sugar levels , and this can be very dangerous. We dont know exactly why the immune system kicks off like this, but we do know its not a lifestyle choice which is one of the most common misconceptions around. As far as we know, theres nothing you can do to prevent type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can have many causes, including genetics and aging. 2. But type 2 diabetes isnt necessarily caused by diet either. Then theres type 2 diabetes. This is the one people often associate with obesity . But theyre wrong to do so. This too is a myth. Type 2 diabetes can have a wide range of causes, including genetics and the natural rise of blood sugar that occurs as we get older. At least one in five people diagnosed with type 2 are a healthy weight. Age-related type 2 diabetes is completely different to other causes of type 2. 3. There could be as many as four types of diabetes. There are many types of diabetes. Along with the big two, theres MODY , LADA , gestational diabetes , and many more. Type 3 diabetes is a proposed term for Alzheimers disease, because there are a lot of links between Alzheimers and blood glucose levels in the brain . A recent study suggested that there should be a fourth type of diabetes . Type 4 diabetes would d Continue reading >>
Diabetes: What's True And False?
en espaolLa diabetes: Qu es cierto y qu es falso? If you're like most people with diabetes, you'll get all kinds of advice about it from friends and family or online. Some of this information is wrong. Here's the truth about some of the common things you might hear. Does eating too much sugar cause diabetes? No. Type 1 diabetes happens when cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed. This happens because something goes wrong with the body's immune system . It has nothing to do with how much sugar a person eats. Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. But there is one way that sugar can influence whether a person gets type 2 diabetes. Consuming too much sugar (or sugary foods and drinks) can make people put on weight. Gaining too much weight leads to type 2 diabetes in some people. Of course, eating too much sugar isn't the only cause of weight gain. Weight gain from eating too much of any food can make a person's chance of getting diabetes greater. Yes! You can have your cake and eat it too, just not the whole cake! Like everyone, people with diabetes should put the brakes on eating too many sweets. But you can still enjoy them sometimes. People with type 1 diabetes don't grow out of it. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin and won't make it again. People with type 1 diabetes will always need to take insulin, at least until scientists find a cure. People with type 2 diabetes will always have a tendency to get high blood sugar levels. But if they take steps to live a healthier life, it can sometimes lower their blood sugar. If people eat healthy foods and exercise enough to get their blood sugar levels back on track, doctors might say they can stop taking insulin or other medicines. Can you catch diabetes from a person who has it? No. Diabetes is not Continue reading >>
Top 29 Most Annoying Things To Say To People With Diabetes
Before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I didn’t know anything about the disease. I might have also said something thoughtless out of pure ignorance. That’s what I try to remind myself when a non-diabetic (or maybe even a diabetic) says something to me about diabetes that is rude, annoying, or even offensive. These comments often stem from a simple lack of knowledge, being misinformed by general media, sometimes thoughtlessness and lack of consideration, and sometimes even fear. While I try to remind myself to be patient with a person’s lack of knowledge around diabetes, and that I believe it’s important that I try to kindly educate and teach those people (so they don’t repeat the same comments to someone else), those comments can still get old, hurt your feelings, make you laugh, and frustrate you to no end. This list is about knowing you’re not alone, and you’re not the only one who has been on the receiving end of these comments. The top 29 most annoying things to say to people with any type of diabetes: My grandma had diabetes. She lost her leg, then she died. (Thank you, that’s inspiring!) You’ll die if you eat sugar, right? You have diabetes? You don’t look that fat. (Gee, thanks….) You take insulin? Oh, you must have the bad kind of diabetes. (Really? What’s the good kind?) Your child has diabetes? Did they get it because you fed them too much candy? Oh my god, you have to take shots every day? I’d die if I had to do that. (Well, I’d die if I didn’t.) Doesn’t that hurt? (Um, yeah, it’s a sharp object going into my body. Duh!) Well, that sounds better than something like leukemia. Oh my god, can you eat that? You can’t eat that! That’s the disease that causes you to lose your legs, right? I heard you can cure that with di Continue reading >>
Taking Care Of Your Diabetes Every Day
There are four things you need to do every day to lower high blood sugar: Eat healthy food Get regular exercise Take your diabetes medicine Test your blood sugar If you have diabetes, you should try to keep your blood sugar level as close as possible to that of someone who doesn’t have diabetes. This may not be possible or right for everyone. Check with your doctor about what the right range of blood sugar is for you. You will get plenty of help in learning how to do this from your health care team, which is made up of your doctor, nurses, and dietitian. Bring a family member or friend with you when you see your doctor. Ask lots of questions. Before you leave, be sure you understand everything you need to know about taking care of your diabetes. Eat Healthy Food The foods on your diabetes eating plan are the same ones that are good for everyone. Try to stick to things that are low in fat, salt, and sugar and high in fiber, like beans, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Eating right will help you: Reach and stay at a weight that is good for you Keep your blood sugar in a good range Prevent heart and blood vessel disease Ask your doctor for the name of a dietitian who can work with you on an eating plan for you and your family. Your dietitian can help you plan meals with foods that you and your family like and that are good for you. If You Use Insulin Give yourself an insulin shot. Eat about the same amount of food each day at about the same time. Don't skip meals, especially if you’ve already given yourself an insulin shot. Your blood sugar may go too low. If You Don't Use Insulin Follow your meal plan. Don't skip meals, especially if you take diabetes pills. Your blood sugar may go too low. Skipping a meal can make you eat too much at the next meal. It may be better to Continue reading >>
