I Have Diabetes; Now What? – Guidelines For Newly Diagnosed Diabetes Patients

There was a time when it was considered not unusual to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at fifty. The poor lifestyle choices, processed diet and nearly thirty years of work-life stress were expected to impact us by that age. These days, people are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at forty and with every passing year, the bar is lowered further, with the millennials now being diagnosed in their thirties and even their twenties! While a Diabetes Type 2 diagnosis can be overwhelming, it’s important to know that you aren’t alone. Try to think of this diagnosis as the first step towards learning how to control your blood sugar levels and take charge of your life. Our guidelines for newly diagnosed diabetics will help you navigate your way through all the lifestyle and diet changes you need to make, gain a better understanding of your disease, educate yourself on how to manage it, and how to find the right support you need.
I Have Diabetes, Now What ?
A new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is sure to take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. It is completely natural to feel low after your diagnosis. Emotions run amok as you face the reality of future complications like heart disease, kidney failure and vision related problems, all while you grieve for lost health.
Diabetes can be a tough condition to accept, so feelings of anger, shock, resentment, betrayal, shame and denial are completely normal. Studies show that it is not uncommon for newly diagnosed diabetics to go through a period of depression. But you can learn to deal with the emotions that come up with a diabete Continue reading

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Do You Have Double Diabetes?

Amy Campbell, CDE, is a registered dietitian and the author of several books about diabetes, including 16 Myths of a Diabetic Diet and Staying Healthy with Diabetes: Nutrition and Meal Planning.
When we think about having diabetes, we often think of a person as having type 1 or type 2 diabetes. We might even know someone who has had gestational diabetes, which is diabetes that appears during pregnancy. And prediabetes, while technically not diabetes, is a term we hear more and more about these days as well, given that 86 million people in the United States have it. But “double diabetes”? What the heck is that?
What is it?
Admittedly, the term “double diabetes” was new to me, but it has been around since 1991. Back then, researchers observed that some people with type 1 diabetes who had a family history of type 2 diabetes were more likely to be overweight and struggle to achieve glycemic control, despite taking higher doses of insulin.
Double diabetes is when someone who has type 1 diabetes develops insulin resistance, a key feature of type 2 diabetes. A person who has double diabetes does not morph into having type 2; he or she will always have type 1 diabetes. The person just happens to have some degree of insulin resistance too.
Metabolic syndrome
Insulin resistance is closely linked with metabolic syndrome, and it’s believed that people who have double diabetes also tend to have this condition. Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raise the chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. How do you know if you have metaboli Continue reading

Dinner ideas for people with type 2 diabetes

Every 23 seconds, someone in the United States is diagnosed with diabetes. But although diabetes is widespread, public awareness and understanding of the disease can be limited.
The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 29 million Americans currently have diabetes, but a quarter of them do not know it. Another 86 million adults have prediabetes, with 90 percent of them being unaware.
Diabetes is a serious disease that can, if uncontrolled, lead to loss of eyesight, cardiovascular problems, kidney damage, and even amputation of lower limbs. The good news is, it can be managed and these serious health problems can be avoided.
Diet techniques for diabetes
The even better news is that diabetes can be managed through a combination of exercise, health care, and diet. Despite popular belief, a diet can be varied, tasty, and fulfilling.
The "diabetic plate"
Maintaining a consistent, well-balanced diet can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels under control.
Portion control is also important, which is where the "diabetic plate" comes in.
Endorsed by several organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, the "diabetic plate" can be very helpful when planning dinners.
Follow these simple steps:
Draw an imaginary line down the center of your plate.
Divide one half into two further sections, so that your plate is now divided into three.
Fill the biggest section with non-starchy vegetables, such as spinach, green beans, salsa, mushrooms, broccoli, or others.
Use proteins to fill one of the smaller sections. Good options are skinless Continue reading

Type 1 Diabetes – Starting out

Receiving a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis can be a scary and confusing time for a family. Coping with and managing the new condition can be both stressful and overwhelming. Finding a solution for carrying diabetic supplies shouldn’t be another worry. We at SPIbelt work closely with the diabetic community providing specialty belts for children and adults with Type 1 Diabetes. Our belts are discreet and contain a pass-through hole that helps when carrying Insulin pumps or continuous glucose monitors.
To help with families that recently received a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis for their child; we have brought together two amazing women from the SPIbelt community to share their stories and some advice for the newly diagnosed.
Faith, mother to Gavin, a 9 year old who was diagnosed when he was 3 years old, is a prominent member in the T1D community and on the board of Camp Bluebonnet, a program that SPIbelt has sponsored for the past four years.
The second woman, Gretchen, is best known as the blogger to Type One Type Happy and is a 2017 SPIbelt Ambassador. She was diagnosed in 2014 and has become heavily involved offering Life Coaching to the T1D community. Through the #T1DSPI program, we hope to eliminate one step in the process by providing a FREE Diabetic SPIbelt to help carry pumps or other diabetic supplies, and helping to share similar experiences.
“There is so much to learn when first diagnosed with diabetes. Learning is best done one step at a time and keeping the whole family involved with the learning process. This will make sure there is a common understanding of the cond Continue reading

At 40, a Surprising Diagnosis: Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults

He did everything right, but Manny Hernandez’s blood sugar levels wouldn’t settle down. Then tests showed he had LADA, a type of diabetes he’d never heard of.
The numbers just didn’t make sense.
Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2002, Manny Hernandez tackled it with everything he had. “I switched to a super-healthy, low-carb diet. I trained for my first half-marathon. I lost 25 pounds. I took my medication faithfully. I was the healthiest I’d ever been. But my blood sugar wouldn’t stay in an optimal range.”
Hernandez kept exercising, though more moderately, after running the Valley of the Sun Marathon in Phoenix, AZ, in early 2003. He tried “pretty much every metformin-based drug combination and dose on the market.” Yet his fasting blood sugar levels wouldn’t drop below 150. “Something wasn’t normal,” he says.
Perplexed, his family doctor sent him to an endocrinologist who measured levels of diabetes autoimmune antibodies and C-peptide (a substance that correlates with insulin levels) in his blood.
The results: Hernandez didn't have type 2 diabetes at all. He had LADA – Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. His immune system was slowly attacking his insulin-producing beta cells. And his insulin levels were low enough that he needed daily insulin shots.
Hernandez wasn’t alone. An estimated one in ten people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes actually have LADA. This form of diabetes is like slow-moving type 1. But it’s usually mistaken for type 2 because it happens in adulthood, and doesn’t require insulin right away. Like type 2s, people with Continue reading