tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27015060158595606742024-03-12T17:04:06.183-05:00The Angry Type 2 DiabeticBecause sometimes... I'm NOT the sweetest peep.Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-54435107407162577012018-04-25T15:42:00.002-05:002018-04-25T15:42:27.886-05:00Hurricane Maria Happened... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGQFR0GarGbruwL2Q5Rd96mHIiaPKYJLih9vc8WtwUG_DQPZV1V1YLmYacBwRMsyfJUAa9gp_OU78F5y0WNc3tgtNSQF8k-sGQdBOi_HgUYT464eYt7HisNwf9uXpturn8cZGYDB8c3k/s1600/1958165_1374324562856218_3749348349523434619_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGQFR0GarGbruwL2Q5Rd96mHIiaPKYJLih9vc8WtwUG_DQPZV1V1YLmYacBwRMsyfJUAa9gp_OU78F5y0WNc3tgtNSQF8k-sGQdBOi_HgUYT464eYt7HisNwf9uXpturn8cZGYDB8c3k/s320/1958165_1374324562856218_3749348349523434619_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">And it has turned our lives upside down. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">My name is Liz Collazo, and I am a Puerto Rican living abroad, in Iowa. My entire family is still in Puerto Rico, including my dear old mother, who is 76. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Hurricane Maria has made living, and surviving the day to day demands of life, a challenge. Millions have lost their lives, and their livelihoods.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">We have been helping family in as much as possible, and were planning a surprise visit to see mom for Mother's Day -- whom I haven't seen in 11 years! 11 years is a very long time, between challenges, and bills. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">But my mom still needs help. As a physical and occupational therapist, she works what she can (she has lost most of her hours), along with her Social Security -- but my mom is no longer making the $1,400 a month she used to. I would like to be able to have a bit of money to not just help with her bills -- but also not be completely broke when we go see her in May. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The ticket is already bought... We just need help making ends meet for her. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Just because a hurricane hits your home, and takes most of your livelihood away, doesn't mean that the bills stop. This is very HARD for me to ask... but any help would be MUCH appreciated. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/help-me-help-my-mom-in-puerto-rico">HELP ME HELP MY MOM!</a></b></span></span>Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-79061303578473032452017-08-12T10:25:00.000-05:002017-08-12T10:30:27.586-05:00TV Commercials. The Ways we Judge... Lately I've been watching television a lot more than usual. I know I should turn off the CNN, but I just can't help it. The problem with watching TV is not the shows, or the news, it's the damn commercials. The insecurities, nonsense, or even disrespect which we are constantly fed.<br />
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Particularly, CNN has a few kinds of TV commercials which run over and over again, with little to no variety. Commercials for medications, for weight loss, for insurance, etc. And I resent every one of them.<br />
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I just HATE the underlining messages these commercials have -- or at the very least, the underlying assumptions, or inferences.<br />
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For one, I don't believe in diets. I believe in making choices which result in more balanced meals, and moving more -- and making baby steps toward loving new, and healthier things. I believe in eating with awareness of our hunger signals. These things are complex decisions we make, which result in lifelong changes. They feed the ACTUAL caloric needs of our body in response to our daily, and fluctuating, activity levels. Diets -- artificial ways of controlling caloric input -- do not. They make us feel deprived and unhappy that we cannot have our favorite foods, and then we give up and fail.<br />
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I also believe in LOVING my body where it is. Accepting myself. I believe that I can only love and accept change when I love and respect myself. We didn't overeat and gain weight because we're out of control slobs. We ate as a way to LOVE ourselves. To soothe ourselves, to entertain ourselves... To show ourselves happiness. But when we understand why we were doing that, we are free to move on.<br />
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During my last abusive relationship, I fed myself to an enormous excess -- but it was my escape. I wanted to be GONE from where I was, and have a bit of happiness every day. Once I started associating overeating, and eating nutritionally deficient foods, with abuse and self neglect... I let go of the constant desire to have them. I was NOT finding happiness in them, just grief. Some of those foods I will NEVER have again -- some others, I will only have on occasion, with friends or during celebrations... Where they belong. Not as every day, meals.<br />
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And so when I see a NutriSystem commercial telling me 'there's nothing to love about love handles, so just lose 'em!' I resent that. I resent it A LOT. I love my body, with its curves, and bulges, its love handles. Its softness, and feel. I especially LOVE the most the parts that I had learned to hate the most. Those are the parts of my body that need my unconditional love the most. My body has been there for me for a long time, and it's time for me to be there for it.<br />
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Of course, I also hate their diabetes medication commercials. I wish these people would consult people with diabetes when they make these commercials, because, damn!<br />
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What I get from TV medication commercials is that people with OTHER illnesses deserve understanding for the sacrifices of managing their condition, but not people with diabetes. So, if I were to have psoriasis, the Humira commercial tells me that 'It's not easy... it's a long distance run and you have the determination to keep going.' Awesome! I feel very happy for people with Psoriasis that they now have more options, and understanding folks to back them up.<br />
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But the Glucerna shake TV commercial tells me that managing blood sugar is not a marathon, that it's a series of smart choices. Uhum. Yeah. So, if you have high blood sugar, it's your own damn fault, you hear? Go make smart choices!<br />
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And I DO make better choices, Glucerna. For example, I choose to drink Muscle Milk instead, which has 9 carbohydrates per serving instead of you know, 23... like you. Because I have diabetes. And if I want to have something to replace a meal, I am also going to choose Muscle Milk. Because 210 calories is better than 180. Sorry, but not sorry. How about if you want me to consider you, YOU make better choices? Even a Power Crunch bar, sold at Walmart, is a better choice! And it tastes delicious!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVky0lBjLWeiaVdgKJUpwe2cxEpJXmQ4bFdIgaGRDUMVS-goar2Jfh63S5w3akXufaMp750MANS5fCn2uyPdR2kD4iZid1V7HiGe9Yg6F4aYSNKIGF3RM1gU3Ts1luP4rT_hVBHMH0xY/s1600/Capture%252B_2017-08-12-10-16-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVky0lBjLWeiaVdgKJUpwe2cxEpJXmQ4bFdIgaGRDUMVS-goar2Jfh63S5w3akXufaMp750MANS5fCn2uyPdR2kD4iZid1V7HiGe9Yg6F4aYSNKIGF3RM1gU3Ts1luP4rT_hVBHMH0xY/s320/Capture%252B_2017-08-12-10-16-35.png" width="244" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">But seriously, Glucerna, have you ever had diabetes and been on your period? Or gotten the flu or a bad cold? Or broken a bone, or gotten a gastric virus? Or... ran a few miles? Or needed an operation? Because you'd know... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">MANAGING BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IS A MARATHON!!!!!!!! </span><br />
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<br />Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-15865734434819814522017-08-06T09:40:00.002-05:002017-08-06T09:47:32.009-05:00AADE 2017... I'd Like More Innovation, and Hold the Snake Oil, Please... The American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting is taking place this weekend, August 4th-August 7th, 2017. And I'm kind of excited, because they mentioned <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheType2Experience/">The Type Two Experience</a></i>, with whom I write and collaborate since its conception. Every time I see that we, as advocates, are having a positive influence onto the 'world' of doctors, medical professionals, or patient guidance organizations, my hope is renewed that what we do is worth it. That people are listening, or at the very least, paying attention when we share about our day to day experiences.<br />
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Of course, I am not present at this conference. It is a little challenging for me, financially, as I don't have as many means as some of my friends with diabetes. I get limited vacation days a few times a year, and my finances are just not there, to be able to pay for hotels and food and transportation, and all the things many of these conferences entail -- even with sponsorship.<br />
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But it would be exciting to be there, as all the latest innovations are featured, so participants get to see all the new gadgets and what the near future of diabetes is going to be.<br />
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I hear there was even talk about a new hybrid continuous glucose monitoring system and glucose meter, that is being marketed by <a href="http://www.freestylelibrepro.us/">Freestyle</a>, and would be much more affordable than a CGM. I am hopeful that, perhaps, insurance companies won't put many type 2 diabetics in the penalty box and not allow them to use this meter, if they are not on insulin. We ALL deserve to know what our glucose levels are like, to make better choices and management... and well, some of us get hypos from time to time, even if we aren't on insulin.<br />
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But as exciting as these things are to me, there is one thing that is definitely very troubling. And that is that these conferences do NOT take a stand against diabetes remedy peddlers, and opportunists. I hear the people over at Cinsulin had a table at this conference. Cinsulin is basically a homeopathic cinnamon remedy. The scientific evidence of cinnamon's effectiveness against high blood glucose is inconclusive, and tangential at best. On top of that, <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1800-studies-later-scientists-conclude-homeopathy-doesnt-work-180954534/">homeopathy is complete nonsense</a>, sold for a lot of money. They claim to have scientific studies on their side, but the scientific studies listed on their site are not studies done on THEIR supplement, but the very weak cinnamon studies which have shown some type of benefit, including a water soluble cinnamon form - which is not the same as what they're offering people on their site.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cinsulin.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.cinsulin.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/CinsulinBJ-Front.png" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" width="200" /></a>In fact, if these studies were applicable to their product, they would have the complete backing of the FDA -- and this product would be produced by big pharma, and not a supplement maker. As it stands, their website has to carry the typical disclaimer: <i>These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.</i><br />
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These conferences are for educators, for professionals, for medical SCIENCE, as a chance to educate the public and people with diabetes. They should NOT be a chance to allow more unproven remedies, and pseudoscience, to continue to confuse and obfuscate the discussion, and to take people with diabetes for all they're worth.<br />
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I really feel that diabetes organizations have a solid obligation to the diabetes community to take a stand against these groups, and to help us fight the proliferation of them and their exploitation of people with diabetes. We certainly do NOT need to be tricked into spending more money onto unproven remedies, and snake oil from people allowed to sell to us, carte-blanche, at diabetes conferences.<br />
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After all, it's about education and enlightenment, right?<br />
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Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-75437647435890620632015-11-08T11:37:00.000-06:002015-11-08T11:37:08.303-06:00Diabetes Awareness Should Begin with Medical Professionals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.repealhealthcareact.org/media/picture/51ed/578e/2017/a81e/3d00/005f/cover_Confused-Doctor.jpg?1374508942" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.repealhealthcareact.org/media/picture/51ed/578e/2017/a81e/3d00/005f/cover_Confused-Doctor.jpg?1374508942" height="123" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently, I’ve changed medical teams. The free clinic we had in town has closed shop, and I now must attend the local sliding scale fee clinic. Thanks to the <a href="https://type2diabetes.com/living-with-t2d/insurance/" style="border: 0px; color: #ee394e; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">Affordable Care Act</a>, I may receive affordable health insurance – but as I still have a lot of past medical bills – I am blackballed from attending the local major medical complex, which has a monopoly of care in town. This is a reality for many people living with chronic health conditions and in need of balancing <a href="https://type2diabetes.net/living/assistance-programs/" style="border: 0px; color: #ee394e; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">financial</a> obligations and supporting a spouse or a family. I don’t have children – but I support my spouse, who also has diabetes.</div>
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This means I really don’t have much of a choice in who I see to help <a href="https://type2diabetes.com/living/take-manage-diabetes/" style="border: 0px; color: #ee394e; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">manage</a> my diabetes, while I slowly chip away at those bills. It means I must deal with whatever else there is – and often that means people who have a limited health knowledge base, but the ego of a specialist. And I hate talking to those kinds of people. They can never be wrong about anything – and don’t you try to correct them. </div>
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<i>(Continued at <b><a href="https://type2diabetes.com/living/diabetes-awareness-should-begin-with-medical-professionals/">Type2Diabetes.Com</a></b>)</i></div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-62176902256557188102015-11-03T11:37:00.000-06:002015-11-03T17:02:43.529-06:00Diabetes Awareness Begins – What that Means for Me<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media01.bigblackbag.net/27360/portfolio_media/lwsm_prepare-500_118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media01.bigblackbag.net/27360/portfolio_media/lwsm_prepare-500_118.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;">Tracy Thomson</span><br style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><a href="http://www.tracythomson.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">www.tracythomson.com</a></span></td></tr>
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November is a bitter-sweet month for me. I am, at once, full of the spirit of advocacy and full of the knowing self-awareness that I have lived exactly six years with <a href="https://type2diabetes.com/what-is-t2d/" style="border: 0px; color: #ee394e; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">this disease</a>. I look over my own body, as if taking inventory of its various parts. For a woman with a lot of freckles, this can sometimes border on hypochondria and paranoia. Ultimately, I suppose… I am scared of what may come, but I am also thankful that I am still healthy to enjoy friends and family, festivities and the occasional piece of leftover <a href="https://type2diabetes.com/?p=8189" style="border: 0px; color: #ee394e; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">Halloween candy</a>.<br />
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November is also like one of those Halloween ghost stories, for me – the ones where people claim an apparition repeats the same ‘ritual’ over and over again. The one where she again, clamors for awareness of her condition, and then remembers how her happy moment came tumbling down by that other moment that changed her fate – that moment of diagnosis.</div>
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November 11<sup style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">th</sup> is my birthday.</div>
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November 14<sup style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">th</sup> is World Diabetes Awareness Day</div>
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November 17<sup style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: geometricPrecision;">th</sup> is my diagnosis day.</div>
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So why is diabetes advocacy so important to me?</div>
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(<a href="https://type2diabetes.com/living/diabetes-awareness-begins-what-that-means-for-me/">Continue on to Type2Diabetes.com to read the rest.</a>)</div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-41266092207035342982015-07-01T14:35:00.000-05:002015-07-01T14:44:54.036-05:00CrossFit Resorts to Bullying People with DiabetesSo recently, the people at CrossFit have started a new campaign insinuating sugar (and namely, Coca-Cola) kill people and give them diabetes. Their distasteful tweet went out to say...<br />
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"Make sure you pour some out for your dead homies."—Greg Glassman <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrossFit?src=hash">#CrossFit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sugarkills?src=hash">#Sugarkills</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CrossFitCEO">@CrossFitCEO</a> <a href="http://t.co/QnwXOe4BTQ">pic.twitter.com/QnwXOe4BTQ</a></div>
— CrossFit (@CrossFit) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrossFit/status/615539464232902656">June 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
This is the height of DISGUSTING morals and disrespect for a people with a poorly understood health condition, massive misinformation, and families and relatives who have passed away! As someone who lost her father to type 2 diabetes in 2003, I am deeply offended!<br />
<div>
<br />
I do not just appeal to you to write CrossFit, as these people are surely not going to give a DAMN about what we have to say -- but hit them in the pockets with a potential lawsuit by writing Coca-Cola. Together, we can fight back. This is my letter. Modify as you need to... You may submit yours at https://secure.coca-colacompany.com/ssldocs/mail/eQuery_product.shtml. (Copy and paste in your browser).<br />
<br />
"To Whom It May Concern,<br />
<br />
I am an advocate for people with diabetes. It has recently come to my attention, and the attention of many other advocates and persons with diabetes that a certain company calling itself "CrossFit" has appropriated part of Coca-Cola's logo and good name as a means to attack and tarnish the reputations of people with type 2 diabetes, as a part of their scare tactic campaign and dissemination of misinformation.<br />
<br />
As advocates, we work endlessly with other agencies such as the American Diabetes Association, JDRF, and the Joslin Diabetes Center to educate persons on the nature of diabetes, its various types, and any means of prevention possible. While we recognize that good nutrition is key to maintaining a healthy weight, we strongly denounce the tactics of this company. Consuming sugar in and of itself does NOT lead to any form of diabetes.<br />
<br />
This campaign is deeply offensive to people with diabetes, and our voices are being ignored by this company. We would like to appeal to Coca Cola and their good name, to help us stand against this company -- not only because this is hurtful for people with diabetes, but because it damages the good name and brand of Coca Cola and its affiliates.<br />
<br />
At this time, the "Crossfit" company is using parts of the Coca Cola logo, with an attached catchphrase of "open diabetes" which they claim is trademarked.<br />
<br />
The information is being spread all over Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and may be seen at these links:<br />
<br />
https://instagram.com/p/4hHG9htDUL/<br />
https://twitter.com/CrossFit/status/615539464232902656<br />
<br />
Thank you for your time, and we hope to hear from you soon.<br />
Lizmari M. Collazo<br />
<br />
Diabetes Advocate and Freelance Writer<br />
http://theangrytype2diabetic.blogspot.com/"</div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-77067360191159856672015-05-17T08:17:00.001-05:002015-05-17T08:58:47.681-05:00You're a Fat F@#! and You Give Diabetes a Bad Name! When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it took me some time to become aware of all the various resources that were out there for me. There were various mainstream informational websites, and a few personal blogs. I didn't even have an inkling that there were exclusive forums for people with diabetes, until I found a reference for one in a blog.<br />
<br />
So I joined the forum, excited to meet other people and see what it was all about. It opened my world to a whole new level of knowledge I had not been exposed to through the mainstream informational websites, and it made me consider so many questions related to day to day living with diabetes. At the time, I was struggling with other life challenges, as well: I had been struggling with underemployment, lack of medical coverage, and a lack of food, so the forum provided for me a place to come, get some encouragement, and escape reality for a little while.<br />
<br />
While I made many valuable friendships, and met folks who helped me realize that I'm not alone in my path with diabetes, I also met a lot of jaded and hurtful individuals. And I was very much not prepared for that. Sure -- there are always trolls and mean persons on every corner of the internet, but this was different: these were people who exclusively hated me and held me in contempt for having the 'wrong' type of diabetes. And that was something I could not understand.<br />
<br />
Now, I am well aware that I may not have the most easy going personality -- but this problem was beyond my having ever joined this forum. A simple search through their archives, and one could find thread upon thread of vitriolic, incredibly detestable hate-filled fests against persons with type 2 diabetes. On top of that, administration seemed to care little about monitoring this type of bullying, and called it "constructive dialogues that needed to be had." It was frankly, quite off-putting. The forum quickly became detrimental to my health, contributing to feelings of shame, self loathing, and depression. I felt myself addicted to it, as someone who's addicted to the person who has become their abuser. I was glad when I was finally banned -- a woman took to insulting me after an innocent reply to a post, and when I replied in self-defense mode, she conveniently deleted hers... It was hurtful, and I felt very much betrayed. I still do. But it was for the best. There were people who only pretended to be my friend, and after I was gone, completely stopped speaking to me. Just like junior high. The whole thing was gross.<br />
<br />
It wasn't all a loss, however. Some of the people who I had friended decided to find me and friend me on other social media outlets. They missed my insights and my writing, and encouraged me to blog; they were instrumental in me even starting this blog. Many of them are still my friends till this day. I value those friendships very much, and my life is richer for having them.<br />
<br />
But... after leaving that forum, I found that this terrible hatred, and vitriolic scene was not just a problem exclusive to them, but instead it was a part of a greater online diabetes culture. No matter what group, page, or discussion you joined, there would always be discussion about persons with type 2 diabetes being to blame, being fat and gross, having a 'different disease that is not mine and needs to be renamed so we're not associated with them because they gave it to themselves,' not having 'real diabetes,' not being important or deadly, and not to be considered as allies, but as people who have ruined things for 'the rest of us.' <br />
<br />
Frankly... I've never been hated so much by someone for just existing. Not even as a Latina woman, in a predominantly Caucasian state; not even as an obese woman by persons without diabetes!<br />
<br />
I quickly became very resentful of these people. I sought out many arguments purposefully, and tried to argue it out with as many of these haters as I could. In my mind, I saw them as immoral, awful people, who needed to be put in their place. I saw the culture of rampant discrimination, bullying and persecution, and I just had to get on my little crusade to fix it. I sought to try to force people to see that type 2 diabetes was very much misunderstood, and that they needed to see this for themselves as much as their own type of diabetes was misunderstood. I argued, and I got on my soapbox, and I ran myself ragged.<br />
<br />
Some folks were on my side and argued for me, and even wrote extensive blog posts... and some other folks were not. Some other folks were more lukewarm: they could sympathize with me, but they still wanted the 'comfort' of relating to others about how much they resented my own type. I felt like these folks wanted to eliminate us, like a kind of ethnic cleansing: obliterate us from existence, so they could get justice served for their own misfortunes. We are 'the punching bag' for their child, or their spouse, or their whoever having gotten their type of diabetes.<br />
<br />
It's become very challenging for me to not reserve a well of pure hatred for many, or most of these people. But slowly, and with time, I've come away to a different place when it comes to the conversation... I can't have anything but sympathy for these folks.<br />
<br />
You see, the feelings, hatred and vitriol -- though hurled at me and others living with type 2 diabetes -- have absolutely <i>NOTHING </i> to do with us... and everything to do with those who hurl them. They do not say a thing about us; they simply speak of unmet needs, of emotional trauma, of personal agony and challenge, of isolation and lack of recognition.<br />
<br />
None of this has anything to do with me. It has everything to do with:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The stress of living with a deadly chronic condition, and a lack of acknowledgement of this reality by friends, relatives, the media, and the medical community;</li>
<li>The frustration of living in a world rampant with ignorance about diabetes in general, but especially about any other type that isn't type 2;</li>
<li>The lack of psycho-social support and mental health available for people living with diabetes;</li>
<li>The often inevitable feelings of seeing oneself through the lens of a victim's narrative because it's <i>really</i> hard to rationalize to ourselves the WHY we (or our loved one) got such a sucky hand in life (a subject that could well fill another blog post, on its own);</li>
<li>The feelings of a need to 'make things right,' and avenge the lot in life we got (or our loved ones) by attacking others that society has told us 'gave it to themselves,' so that we can feel better that we were 'innocent' (as if those others were guilty, somehow) ;</li>
<li>The desperation of not being able to find healing for ourselves, or for our loved ones... often, the desperation of complications, or a lack of research and a cure;</li>
<li>Simply... the pent up agony and anxiety at not being recognized on almost any outlet, ever... even as rarer conditions get at least some moments in the limelight.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I have distanced myself a lot from many of these conversations, and forums. I went off to make my own diabetes support group where this type of vitriolic atmosphere is simply not tolerated. Where a culture of being one another's advocate is encouraged -- because we're all we've got. Outsiders are seldom interested in any diabetes, of any type. Period. It's up to us to educate ourselves as much as we pretend to educate others. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But just because I've surrounded myself with love, and support -- and rewired the conversation -- doesn't mean that the hate fest doesn't live on outside of my bubble. Oh, it does.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So a couple of nights ago, when I was misguidedly arguing with a friend over an idiotic political meme (as you do) and they lashed out at me, declaring that I was 'a fat fuck, who gave diabetes a bad name,' I didn't even blink. They proceeded to unfriend me, and thus ended a long friendship... But I knew the insult had nothing to do with me. I knew the person had waited long and hard to find an apt moment to hurl the insult at any person with type 2, and therefore, stab life right in the groin. I knew the person had been struggling long and hard with some pretty scary complications from diabetes... and needed something or someone out there, to pay for it; to be their punching bag. I knew they were writing their own victim's narrative. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Had they done all the right things, some might ask? I don't know. Does it matter? Do they 'deserve' their pain, somehow, if they had not? I think we've ALL done all the right things, and all the wrong things at one point, or another. At the end of the day, frankly, diabetes doesn't care whether you 'gave it to yourself,' or not. It has little empathy. In fact, it has none.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I simply don't get angry anymore. Instead, I love these people, and I let go.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once one understands the mechanics of what's at play, it's easy to let go and forgive. It has nothing to do with me, after all, and it never has. I respect the walk of my fellow friend, though it's not my own. It's not my duty to make these people feel better about their own type of diabetes by letting them belittle me... no. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But I understand, and thus I let go... For in unfortunate choices, or through hatred, and in pain, people are still human. They still deserve some dignity and some humanity. So you let people go, and you hope they find some healing. You hope their lashing out at you helped them, somehow. You hope they find their peace.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You let go of all the folks that do not build you up... so they can find whatever it is might build <i>them up. </i>We're all (though sometimes reluctantly so) in this together... So, off you go. </div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-5708648975261859792015-03-21T12:50:00.001-05:002015-03-22T20:29:40.719-05:00Guest Blog Post: The Perfect Storm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Disclaimer:</i> </b>The following is a guest post from a fellow reader of this blog, and a person living with type 2 diabetes as well as HIV. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are not necessarily my own, nor are they intended to diagnose, treat, or advise anyone's medical condition. Expression and platform for all experiences of living with diabetes are intended as a tool to generate awareness, increase our empathy and understanding and generate questions which we may take to our medical team. </span></blockquote>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Cause</span></u></b></h4>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What I’m about
to write might sound like a lost script from some soap opera or an episode of
Casualty or Holby City. Come to think of it the producers would kill for a
story line like this as it’s complicated enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The amount of
people I’ve spoken to about what I’ve been through whether it be friends of
those in the profession have all had similar reactions of disbelief and come to the same conclusion what I’ve been through shouldn’t have happened. It even led
to one consultant describing what I’ve been through as the perfect storm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Definition: A
perfect storm is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination
of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My name is
George Rodgers I’m 50 years old, I’m mixed race and I’m HIV. In 2000 I started
taking a combination therapy regime containing ddI. I was fine for four weeks
then started suffering agonising abdominal pain. I stopped my HIV drugs and two
days later the pain went away. But by that time the damage had been done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Blood tests had
made it clear I had had pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). As I
subsequently found, the ddI regime had turned someone with a family history of
diabetes into someone with the condition and quite a severe form at that. It’s
resulted in a long struggle (as late as July 2010) to find a HIV therapy that
didn’t make things worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There is a third
type of diabetes that exists, which is caused by toxic damage to the pancreas.
Although the most common cause is alcohol use, some drugs can also cause it,
including HIV drugs which is what happened to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I received
different reactions to my pancreatitis from my HIV consultant and a
diabetologist I subsequently saw. My HIV doctor said, “Your amylase is up by
25% and we normally only start worrying if they’re up 50%.” The diabetologists
reaction was “It’s a good job you stopped when you did or you would have been
dead”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I feel HIV
physicians are overly focused on HIV and not given my diabetes sufficient
attention. Repeated requests to be referred to a diabetes specialist have been
met with some reluctance both at St Thomas’ Hospital and at Queen Elizabeth
Hospital. I found out about the diabetic team at St Thomas via my GP and I had
to use blackmail to get an appointment to see the diabetic team at Queen
Elizabeth Hospital (more on that incident later).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The pancreatitis
had scared me from taking HIV drugs and I went on a treatment break for 18
months. My diabetes at that time was manageable with diet and exercise. When I
restarted, with a CD4 count of 150, I went on AZT/3TC (Combivir) and
nevirapine, chosen with diabetes in mind and did well for 18 months. Then
unfortunately in 2003 I became resistant to the nevirapine and got accused by
my consultant that I wasn’t taking my medication properly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After some
chopping and changing I was eventually kept on the Combivir and switched to a
boosted protease inhibitor Norvir, indinavir/ritonavir. My glucose levels
suddenly doubled to 12mmols/l. I felt really unwell, with high glucose levels
you feel kind of speedy. I got bad tempered and emotional, alternated between
feeling hyper and exhausted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When my sugar
levels shot up I went back to my HIV doctor. He said, “It can’t be the meds it
must be your diet” and didn’t propose any diabetes medications. Despite being
reassured 18 months earlier that if the anti-virals did start affecting my
diabetes there was something they could do about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once again I
found myself changing consultants and met with the same response despite both
my partner and me at the time and my CPN explaining in full the reason why I
was having problems with anti-virals. I even sent her a letter out lining the
issues I had. But I met with the same blinkered attitude that I’ve had all the
way through this from consultants. Doctor Lyons response was “I don’t see what
your problem is!”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Different
Hospital Same Attitude</span></u></b></h4>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once again I
found myself back at square one and after a long talk with my partner and
hammering home the point that if things go wrong this time I will not be held
responsible for my reaction. He convinced me to change hospitals and see the
same consultant that he was under at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I went to Queen
Elizabeth Hospital and met with the same kind of reaction despite the consultant
there knowing the problems I had at St Thomas Hospital. When I raised concerns
about the medication she was giving me and asked, “How is Kaletra
lopinavir/ritonavir going to affect my diabetes?” She totally blanked the
question telling me it was down to my GP to sort my diabetes out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Knowing full
well that my GP doesn’t know anything about HIV medication I had no choice but
to stay of medication. Not only that I wasn’t too sure how my G P’s reaction
would be to treating someone who is HIV as I had just transferred to a doctors
surgery that was closer to home. Not only that all this was starting to have an
effect on my relationship as my partner couldn’t understand why I was having
problems with Dr. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mitchell when
his treatment and care was going so well.</span></div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Fallout</span></u></b></h4>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The answer to
that is his medication didn’t trigger of pancreatitis and leave him with
diabetes type II. On several occasions he accused me of asking for too much and
even went as far as accusing me that I was giving the consultant enough time to
know me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The consultant
involved would have gotten to know me if she had had the decency to listen to
what I was saying and not be so blinkered in her attitude and listened to my
concerns. For 3 months I was telling her the concerns I was having about the
medication she was going to give me. I only asked what anybody else would ask
in that situation. Not only that she knew what I had been through at St Thomas’
because my partner had kept her informed, it wasn’t like I was going in as a
cold case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the end I
stopped seeing the consultant and I ended up moving out of my own home because
I couldn’t get my partner to understand why I was reluctant to go back on
anti-virals without my question being answered and precautions being put in
place. I was taking this stand just as much for his benefit as mine, I saw the
look on his face of sheer terror when I was doubled in agony when I got
pancreatitis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I moved back
home just before Christmas 2007 and I made an appointment for the both of us to
go and see a psychologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital as I needed my partner to
understand why I was so reluctant to go back on medication and why he needed to
back off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That went well,
he backed off and I ended up getting the therapy sessions which lasted three
weeks after I got a lecture in regards to the fact that I needed to be an A1
patient when it comes to taking anti-virals. My response to that was I’ll be an
A1 patient when I get an A1 doctor and never went back after that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was roughly
around this time that I went for hypnotherapy to try and get over how angry I
was with what happened at St Thomas’s. I was told that I should take the anger
down a level to just being annoyed and that doctors aren’t infallible they make
mistakes and it seemed to work until I hit the same brick wall when I was at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I did take one
piece of advice from that therapy session and that was to write down what I was
feeling or what I needed from my consultant and so in June 2008 I wrote a
letter to the consultant agreeing to go back on medication, by this time my CD4
was down to 29. I was given two choices I could start on a lower dose,
something I asked for two years previously when I first transferred to Queen
Elizabeth and was told no, or hit it hard by going on a higher dose.</span></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></u></b></h3>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Fights</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After a talk
with the adherence nurse specialist and feeling comfortable after being
reassured that if I had any problems with my medication I should hesitate to
ring the hospital I opted for the higher dose but after three days of being on
it I was suffering from some serious side effects. I rang the adherence nurse
specialist and the response I got was, “This doesn’t happen to other patients”
and had the phone put down on me. This was after explaining to her that I had
previously been diagnosed with pancreatitis. Once again I had no choice but to
stop medication. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The consultant’s
response was no better when I saw her a week later. I was accused that maybe it
could be psychological. There was nothing psychological about my sugar levels
going into double figures, my metabolism going ten to the dozen and being sick
two minutes after taking medication, I was bringing up bile and two minutes
after eating my breakfast I was really hungry again. But it fell on deaf ears
and so I ended up using blackmail and refused to go back on meds until I had
spoken to someone from the diabetic team. I did see the diabetologist there,
that’s was the very first time someone actually told me my diabetes was due to
drug induced pancreatitis. The diabetologist also informed my consultant that I
was right to be concerned the effects anti-virals have on my diabetes, as left
unchecked diabetes is just as deadly as HIV if left unchecked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Up until October
2009 I thought I was a so called unique case, I was even prepared to let go of
my anger as I was transferring my medical care back to St Thomas’ (a consultant
there had heard the problems I was having, he had read the article I did for
NAM and had agreed to see me). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then I broke out
in shingles that’s how stressed out I had been about the whole thing, the
doctor explained to me why I might be having trouble with certain medication
and it’s all down to my genetics and something called micro toxicity. Thinking
that this was something new I did a Google search and found out that this
information has been around as late as 1999. Along with articles on HIV related
diabetes: A Complex Interaction between liver damage body mass and genetics”
and was reported by NAM way back in 2004.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have had to go
through hell and back with no proper support to get to where I am now. Not only
has this had an effect on my health it also affected me on an emotional level
and it had an effect on my relationship with my partner as we split up after
eleven years. I don’t normally get violent but because of all the stress I was
under g it was having an effect on my adrenaline levels which as we found out
was having an effect on my sugar levels and because my partner was defending
the consultant I was seeing as he hadn’t had any problems with her we ended up arguing
and I got to the point that I actually went for him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The first time I
went for him was New Year’s Day 2010, we had had an argument the night before
over the TV, there was more to it than that but that was the final straw and on
New Year’s Day I just went for him. The only reason I stopped was because I was
going to hit him over the head with a chair and so I walked out the house. The
only trouble I was so pumped up that if anybody had said a cross words to me I
would have gone for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The second time
I went for him I nearly put his head through the bedroom floor and the only
reason I stopped was because he bit me and that’s when we realised something
was wrong. In the eleven years we had been together I had never got violent
towards him. This was no ordinary case of domestic violence it wasn’t until the
third time I went for him I managed to pick up a chair in one hand turn it
round and ended up pin his head against the wall. That’s when I ended up doing
a search on the Internet and I came across the effects of adrenaline on
diabetics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Adrenaline is a
chemical that is produced by the body when it thinks it is under attack that is
why you get adrenaline junkies because the rush can leave you feeling high.
Stress can also cause adrenaline to rise the only trouble is adrenaline cannot
tell the difference between a diabetic and a non-diabetic and that’s where the
problems start and what was even scarier about the whole none of the
professionals took any notice despite a community psychiatric nurse visiting
our home and she must have notice the damage that had been done. It wasn’t
until I rang the hospital and told my consultant at the time that I was getting
violent that anyone intervened but as usual it was too little too late and that
was when I made one of the toughest decisions of my life and after eleven years
of being together I called time on our relationship because I didn’t trust
myself when it came to my outbursts of anger.</span></div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How My Past
Helped Me Through</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I first
became HIV I ended up going for counselling. It wasn’t just about dealing with
HIV it also helped me get over my low self-esteem caused by what I went through
with my parents when I was younger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My adoptive
mother was warned about taking a mixed raced baby into a white family as there
could be problems. And oh boy were they right, I could understand being picked
on at school because of my colour but to have to go home and face it especially
off my younger brother and no one done anything about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the
questions I was asked was why didn’t I get angry at my parents for the way they
treated me and my response was no matter how bad things are you always respect
your elders and that’s how I saw doctors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was taught how
to do the circle in cognitive therapy, I tried applying it to the situation I
was in with doctors but it didn’t seem to work or so I thought because I found
myself comparing to what I was going through with what I went through when I
was younger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My birth mother
gave me up for adoption because she thought I would have a better life my
adoptive mother was given that trust to look out for me and she didn’t she
buried her head in the sand and I ended up suffering because of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The same thing
happened here I was told that I could trust Dr Bubu, I was also told I could
trust Dr Mitchell instead I got the exact opposite but instead of bottling
things up I fought back and in some strange way I found the strength to do that
by confronting my past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And as hard as
it was remembering what I went through when I was younger it helped me fight
back and I did it on my own</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And The Fight
Continues</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s like the
other day I received a Depression Scale form through the post because I’ve been
prescribed antidepressants. I ticked all the relevant boxes then after reading
through it I realised that all the questions asked how you are feeling yet
there wasn’t a question on why you feel that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The reason I’m
feeling the way I am isn’t because I’m depressed or the fact that I’m living
with two chronic illnesses I’m feeling this way because the NHS let me down and
put my life at risk. Not only that the damage that has been caused some of it
is irreversible. At times I feel like I’ve gone through a car crash, at least
if I had been in a car crash people could see the trauma that’s been caused and
I would get the support that I need to get my life back on track. Instead I’ve
had to do it on my own. Not only that the lack of consistency in my care
doesn’t help either, if I can’t get the ‘professionals’ to understand just
because we are diabetic we are still individuals and what works for one person
it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work for everyone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
‘professionals’ can’t even agree on what our sugar levels are at or what diet
we should be following. Here are two good examples. When I first become
diabetic I was told by my diabetic nurse that my sugar levels should be
slightly higher that someone who isn’t HIV because my body is working overtime
because of the anti-virals, I was also given this advice last year by one the
diabetic doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital. I tried telling this to one of the
consultants at the hospital and he wouldn’t have it despite the fact that I
become Mr Hyde when my sugar levels fall below 5 and as usual I got the same
old crap that it’s just my body adjusting to the lower levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Try telling that
to a policeman when I get arrested for thumping a complete stranger in the face
because their baby was crying. “Oh excuse me officer I was having a hypo!” I
haven’t actually done it but I came close to it the other day though when I was
on my way home from my friends’ house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was on the 188
everything was fine, was in a nice relaxed mood. Then someone got on the bus
with a baby and half way through the journey it started crying normally I would
just ignore it but the more it kept on crying the more agitated I got, then
someone started talking on the phone and the noise just seemed to have
intensified and I just wanted to tell everyone to shut the fuck up. When I got
home my sugar levels were 4.5, I wouldn’t have minded so much if hadn’t been
for the fact that for breakfast I had two slices of toast, two boiled eggs and
a bowl of cereal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The other
example is how the ‘professionals’ can’t seem to agree which diet to follow
either everyone in the profession has been saying we should be eating plenty of
carbohydrates, now the only problem with that is eating to many carbohydrates
as recommend by the NHS and the government would be like drinking six cans of
coke and the consequences of that leads to high sugar levels as I found out the
other day. Wanting something to snack on I decided to go for a healthy option
and brought a packet of those Ryvita Thins that they have been advertising on
the television recently. Not giving it a second thought I started eating them
as I was working on this before I knew it I had gone through a whole packet.
Half an hour later I felt drunk, I did my bloods and my sugar levels had shot
up to 17. I ended up falling asleep and my friend had to put me to bed as I was
so disorientated. It took me two days to get over that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now some in the
profession are saying we should be following a low card diet, which makes more
sense and though it makes more sense so yet again the goal post have been
changed.</span></div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Getting Family
and Friends to Understand</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the
questions on the form asks do have thoughts that you would be better off dead,
my answer is yes I do and it’s not because I feel depressed it’s because I’m
having to deal with an illness where the goal post are constantly changing and
I wouldn’t mind if it didn’t have to involve family and friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s bad enough
having to get your family and friends why you have bad mood swings the worst
one is when you find yourself becoming introverted and switching off from
everything despite explaining it to those close to you whether it be friends,
family or partners well in advance that you do get days like that they still
find it uncomfortable like they have done something wrong which becomes
frustrating for the diabetic as it ends up making them feeling bad.</span></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></u></b></h3>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">No Pressure Then</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Part of the
reason a someone with a chronic illness finds themselves wanting to switch of
is because the whole thing can leave you warn out and there is nothing you can
do about it because you don’t know when it is going to happen. So imagine what
it’s like living with two! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s like a
friend of mine he does shift work and he can’t understand why I’m so tired all
the time despite me trying to explain the reasons why. The reason I get tired
so much is because my internal organs are on constant overdrive and as much as
I try to live a normal live there are times through no fault of my own when
having two chronic illnesses to deal with is going to take its toll no matter
how good you are at managing things, the only trouble is you don’t know when
it’s going to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another problem
with all of this is the constant pressure we are under to get our sugar levels
below a certain figure we are under pressure to keep fit. I have come to
realise that I don’t have the same energy levels that I did when I was first
diagnosed with diabetes, it’s all right for someone to sit there and say “we
should be doing 30 minutes of exercise a day but it’s not always possible and
we shouldn’t end up feeling guilty because we aren’t well or the weather is to
hot or too cold.</span></div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Making A Change</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There’s a strong
sense of feeling that we are being treated like guinea pigs, HIV medication may
be keeping us alive but it’s causing other problems as well and there seems to
be no back up when situations like these arise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I can’t change
the past; once again I’ve got to live with the damage that has been done not
only on a physical level but on a psychological level as well, for the past
twelve years I’ve felt like I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster ride and
though I’m in a better place now, I have a very good consultant and a very good
diabetic nurse, (they both communicate with each other and take on board what I
say and I’m not expecting them to have all the answers)..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m also
beginning to realize that the one size fits all attitudes doesn’t only apply to
HIV it seems to apply to diabetes as well and that isn’t good for the patient
especially when they have two chronic illness to cope with. Some good has come
out of this in knowing that I wasn’t asking for too much and I have a letter
from an MP to back me up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Taking an Holistic Approach</span></u></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the last
decade the government and the NHS have been promoting a ‘patient-centred
approach’ to health care which encourages ‘expert patients’, previous
experience has shown that some healthcare professionals are unable or unwilling
to deal with patients that do their own research and come to consultations with
more information and questions than the ‘professionals’ can deal with. Rather
than collaborating with the patient and help them set up a link with the
different specialists we end up being bounced around from one doctor to another
and none of them have a clear understanding of all the patient’s conditions and
how they (and the medication that treats them) might impact upon each. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s no good
getting the healthcare professionals to take a more centred approach if the
various support services don’t take a more holistic approach to the service
users that access their services. Not everyone who wants counselling has issues
around family, sexuality or drug use and I’m a good example. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My issues centre
on what I’ve been through and the damage it’s caused some of it irreversible:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I
feel like I’ve been on a non-stop roller coaster ride these past twelve years.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">At
times I felt like I’ve been in a game of Russian roulette and I wasn’t the one
holding the gun.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I
feel like I’ve been robbed of something and that is time.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I
feel like Humpty Dumpty who’s fell of the wall and I’m having difficulty
putting the pieces back together again.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">And
on top of everything else there’s a sense of guilt.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">I was told being
on anti-virals was supposed to improve my life instead all I’ve seen is it do
so far is rip it apart.</span>Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-82182244814626484232014-08-14T23:21:00.000-05:002014-08-14T23:21:30.476-05:00The Diabetic Ice Cream Social 2014<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://theangrytype2diabetic.blogspot.com/p/the-diabetic-ice-cream-social.html">The
Diabetic Ice Cream Social</a> has been my baby for a few years now. It’s really
been everyone’s baby. It’s been a special thing for me to fight misconceptions,
and to spread a little bit of change in everyone’s mindsets as to what a person
with diabetes can and cannot eat – as well as what moderation looks like. The
idea that a person with diabetes gave themselves a disease is repulsive to me,
as well as the idea that foods are ‘bad’ or ‘off limits.’ As a person with an
eating disorder, as well as diabetes, I feel that moderation (and not
deprivation) are key to managing our daily lives with a modicum of enjoyment
and success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">So, in 2011,
when a local Indiana chef wrote a poorly educated column on type 2 diabetes, he
stopped my world. In his misguided crusade against people with type 2 diabetes,
he sought to attack the local Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana for holding
an ice cream fund raiser in order to help children with type 1 diabetes go to
diabetes camp. There isn’t just
something wrong with attacking children with type 1 diabetes trying to enjoy
life as any other child – there is also something wrong with someone who tries
to shame our food choices, and create food militancy. Food militancy is
something we don’t need in our body image obsessed society. Food militancy is
one of the triggers for disordered eating, and many of the common eating
disorders affecting our current society – including </span><a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/diabulimia-5"><span style="line-height: 115%;">diabulimia.</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Food
militancy is also creating a lot of shaming of people with type 2 diabetes and
this has got to stop. NO ONE gave themselves diabetes – not a type 1 and not a
type 2. People with diabetes are people who were predisposed to developing the
disease, for one reason or another. No one knows what triggers type 1, and
though obesity may trigger type 2, the fact is that millions of obese people
will never develop type 2 diabetes. We all struggle making the healthiest
choices for ourselves, and we all need to learn moderation… and we all suffer
from bad luck. Life just happens. The #1 risk factor for developing illness is <i>living.</i> Being alive. But one thing is
for sure: none of us need deprivation and shaming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">This is what
we seek to spread with the Diabetic Ice Cream Social. We seek to spread a
renewed view of the person with diabetes; a renewed perspective, as well as a
healthier attitude toward food. I have had some pushback from a few folks with
different perspectives – and that’s fine. I respect their life path for
managing their conditions. But at the same time, I have had thousands of
partners in this crusade – the crusade for freedom to make the best choices we
know we can make in order to manage diabetes, without fear or shame from
others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The Diabetic
Ice Cream Social is a celebration of life – and you may choose to celebrate it
any way you want. You can have an ice cream scoop in any way you please: make
it lactose free, fat free, sugar free, make it sorbet, make it wine. Make it
whatever you prefer – but make it a statement that says you love life, and you appreciate
living it, even with diabetes. Make it with family, with friends… or toast the
full moon. Make it your own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">This year,
2014, I am very busy with many life challenges and responsibilities – so I
won’t be able to lead the crusade as I always do. I won’t be too far from the
fray, though. I will be right here, having my scoop, and cheering it on. My
friends at <a href="http://blueheelsociety.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Blue Heel Society</a> have agreed to take on the Social for me…
perhaps for a year or so, we’ll see. But they are just as gung-ho about diabetes
awareness as I am, so please know this event will keep going. Give them your
full support, as I know I will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">This year,
while you have your favorite treat… have it will wearing your favorite pair of
blues: blue shoes, that is. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-64519822014684716952014-08-12T15:04:00.001-05:002014-08-12T15:06:43.363-05:00Facing the Trigger in the Eye -- Binge Eating Disorder Problems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoluq7oyhV1_JfAt9aILqcbvzZThBUmgh4tspZDL25WybDglhPHVqE5r9gE7iWv4ni87VuxjcMhzQV3_ROcS9nuuAy9gICDOIO5yuYX9u-vtX4wgt9zVY3j-iKx0jYBZGCdH1orHKTFZ8/s1600/1862113162_200079cc98_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoluq7oyhV1_JfAt9aILqcbvzZThBUmgh4tspZDL25WybDglhPHVqE5r9gE7iWv4ni87VuxjcMhzQV3_ROcS9nuuAy9gICDOIO5yuYX9u-vtX4wgt9zVY3j-iKx0jYBZGCdH1orHKTFZ8/s1600/1862113162_200079cc98_o.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 15.455999374389648px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Life has a funny sense of humor, sometimes... A funny way of testing our wits.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 15.455999374389648px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I have a lot of jobs. One of my jobs is for a local church, as their Administrative Assistant. This is a job in which I am transitioning, and their old Administrative Assistant trained me last week, and suggested if I had any questions at all, I could call her. She gives me her business card, and I take it. Later, I'm looking at it, and I find it a bit unusual, as she's labeled herself as a 'Certif<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ied Hypnotist and EFT Practitioner,' whatever EFT is. 'Call Your Power Back' it says, under the main header. Under her picture, she claims 'Empowerment and Nutritional Cleansing.' -- Now, this is where I give you guys the disclaimer that I am a skeptic, and I am not fond of new age methods and things. I really like science a lot. I don't believe in cleanses and other kinds of 'fasts' people do to get 'clean' or whatever --<b> <a href="http://www.skepdic.com/detox.html">because science doesn't back them up (they can also be dangerous).</a></b></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; line-height: 15.455999374389648px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
I flip the card over -- and what do you know... before and after pictures of people at the worst of their weight gain, and then ripped to no end with muscle, and 'in shape.' I feel the sudden judgmental thoughts going through me -- the sudden comparisons of 'I'm not as good as these people.' Then I'm reminded this person just wants to make a compelling case to get my dollars. I'm reminded that she has confessed to me that she has a lot of health issues herself, and from her appearance is not in what one could term as 'ripped' or in as 'excellent' shape as the people on the back of her business card, and that she's just another human being. I tell myself I have a binging problem, not a weight problem. That I need love, and not a carrot on a stick. I don't need to be Mrs. Olympia 2015.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br />
I will write her numbers down -- and just throw the card away.</div>
</div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-6034485524834819282014-08-09T08:47:00.002-05:002014-08-09T08:47:26.396-05:00Winner of the Level Life Sweepstakes! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKuE9Fj7-C_V_T2y8rwBwNPl1nzFX1lDA8Qf1iNSqvjSk6THoW9hlqefU9cQ44hEC5ZlvtcEUXQ2zlul0NWceJd_5SbZxP-1s8JlvedLZHf5S-ht_M7FDX4OWJs5GX6ah7xM1PTgSYWc/s1600/13-2291050_BloggerProgramBannerAds-125x125_V1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKuE9Fj7-C_V_T2y8rwBwNPl1nzFX1lDA8Qf1iNSqvjSk6THoW9hlqefU9cQ44hEC5ZlvtcEUXQ2zlul0NWceJd_5SbZxP-1s8JlvedLZHf5S-ht_M7FDX4OWJs5GX6ah7xM1PTgSYWc/s1600/13-2291050_BloggerProgramBannerAds-125x125_V1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Alright. It's been long overdue, but it's time to announce the winner of our Level Life sweepstakes. First, I want to thank everyone for their comments and their wonderful likes and follows. Even if you didn't win today, Level Life has a wonderful discount promo for any of its first time customers -- and I encourage everyone to try out this company. They are well worth it. <br />
<br />
But now, without further ado... The winner of our Level Life sweepstakes is...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span data-reactid=".jd.1:3:1:$comment697988456913985_700171720028992:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.$author" style="background-color: #fafbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12.288000106811523px;">Rachel Pullman Koltoff</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span data-reactid=".jd.1:3:1:$comment697988456913985_700171720028992:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0" style="background-color: #fafbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12.288000106811523px;"><br /></span></span>
So, Rachel, congratulations!!! You'll receive a package of Level Life products -- shakes and bars -- valued at $60. You'll enjoy their wonderful new flavors, and my favorite, the Caramel shake. :)<br />
<br />
Thanks to ALL who participated, and I hope you try out these shakes and bars, they are worth it. I am glad to try out new products here, on the blog, and give the most unvarnished review I can -- if they can handle it. lol :) I really enjoyed trying out these items, so it wasn't too difficult to give them a stellar recommendation.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, we might have more of these types of sweepstakes in the future!Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-84802852901846210832014-06-28T11:59:00.000-05:002014-06-28T12:00:07.123-05:00Win a FREE Level Life Premier Bundle!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">So,
recently I was given the chance to try out a ton of Level Life Products and tell you
folks what I thought about them. I've been offered other products to try and review before,
and I am careful about what I would recommend to anyone: there are many, many,
MANY products out there on the market claiming to understand the needs of
persons with diabetes, and selling all manner of things, particularly shakes
and meal replacement bars. I hate most of them, and tend to not endorse many. They tend to have a lot of sugar, or be a lot
higher in carbohydrates than I would personally want. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Enter Level Life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje94HpiPLHvAcEHlbjpmdC4eATVNI4JOFo5CXRTrF7Rfcz5rrTDg_es41NndK65TqOodhSwdtSvB9z9x6WkWE6h__xMnl2hdDxj1W5IU7ZaqHhX18wg4dH4Ksa_c5OzzC990eAI3B_PeI/s1600/13-2291050_BloggerProgramBannerAds-250X250_V2+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje94HpiPLHvAcEHlbjpmdC4eATVNI4JOFo5CXRTrF7Rfcz5rrTDg_es41NndK65TqOodhSwdtSvB9z9x6WkWE6h__xMnl2hdDxj1W5IU7ZaqHhX18wg4dH4Ksa_c5OzzC990eAI3B_PeI/s1600/13-2291050_BloggerProgramBannerAds-250X250_V2+(1).jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Level Life started out as a company that makes glucose products to help treat
hypoglycemia, in more delicious flavors than just chalky orange... So when
Level Life contacted me, stating they now had shakes and bars and the like, for me
try out, I perked up. You see, Level Life is a company that was founded by a
young man who lives with type 1 diabetes. A person with diabetes who couldn't
find what he needed out there -- and knew the rest of us probably couldn't,
either.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Finally, a diabetes management product by someone who gets
it!</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am always in the market for the best shake, or meal
replacement bar -- one with not a lot of carbs, that won't make me feel sick
later... and let me tell you, this is it. I lead a pretty fast paced life these days, since I have two jobs, and often have to squeeze a meal or a snack wherever I can get it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
These products are fantastic. The bars have around 140 calories, with 14 grams of carbohydrate per bar, and the shakes have around 170 calories, and 10 grams of carbohydrate per shake. They are rich in protein and fiber. I tended to feel satisfied for long stretches, and my blood glucose remained nice and level. Many of us do not want to exceed 140 mg/dL wherever possible, and most shakes and bars can quickly put me at 180 mg/dL. I tested regularly while trying these out, and I feel confident that I can trust Level Life to help me keep my blood glucose goals, and to keep a level lower than 140 most of the time. These products are also <b>gluten free</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>for those of you suffering from any form of gluten intolerance.<br />
<br />
I have to admit that I am pretty biased and my favorite flavor is the Rich Caramel Shake. I just grew up with too many vanilla, strawberry and chocolate diet products, or glucose management products... and well. Yuck. lol While ALL of these were actually <i>good</i> tasting compared to other products, I'll stick with Caramel. :-D Thanks. But if you miss strawberry flavored milk, though, you will like the Strawberry Creme shake. It's just yummy!<br />
<br />
Level Life has been very generous in their efforts to try to get the word out about their great product, and have given me the opportunity to give away a generous package to one of my lucky readers! You too could win a premier bundle of bars and shakes valued at $60.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
To enter, you just have to do three things:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://levelfoods.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKuE9Fj7-C_V_T2y8rwBwNPl1nzFX1lDA8Qf1iNSqvjSk6THoW9hlqefU9cQ44hEC5ZlvtcEUXQ2zlul0NWceJd_5SbZxP-1s8JlvedLZHf5S-ht_M7FDX4OWJs5GX6ah7xM1PTgSYWc/s1600/13-2291050_BloggerProgramBannerAds-125x125_V1.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://levelfoods.com/"><br /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Follow/subscribe to this blog;</li>
<li>Like us on Facebook; and</li>
<li>Leave a comment below about what you're looking for in a meal replacement bar, or what you like about Level Life if you've tried them in the past. </li>
</ul>
<br />
A winner will be chosen at random and will be announced Saturday, July 12th. Good luck!!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-6980628950433603922014-04-11T12:53:00.000-05:002014-04-11T15:30:37.715-05:00Keeping the Patient Dignity I've had type 2 diabetes for nearly 4 ½ years. Though not a very long period of time, it's still been very challenging...<br />
<div>
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<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AQs6VJjYv75sphYiPRaKGBGTTJevrMZU1qJbRToxhJPFBUD0HJe2PW5kVqfb20-JaSBXHGCGey27XjG3OJIpENd3rcZzQlj8btO6a5a6uCmak3P9xx-Yr7mek3xlvfn1UdbNq44Liyk/s1600/type+2++diabetes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AQs6VJjYv75sphYiPRaKGBGTTJevrMZU1qJbRToxhJPFBUD0HJe2PW5kVqfb20-JaSBXHGCGey27XjG3OJIpENd3rcZzQlj8btO6a5a6uCmak3P9xx-Yr7mek3xlvfn1UdbNq44Liyk/s1600/type+2++diabetes.jpg" height="149" width="320" /></a>I've lost weight, gained weight, lost weight; I've low carbed, extremely low carbed, and eaten intuitively; I've exercised myself to death, been a couch potato, and a simple walk around the block lover; I've quit soda, drank only water, and then gotten on diet soda, again... I've had highs and lows, and lows, and highs. I've been proud of myself, and disappointed in myself -- and I've learned just how HARD it is to change myself -- all willpower aside. I've even dealt with some very angry type 1 diabetics and some very unhealthy diabetes forums and communities.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All of these challenges aside, none of these compare to the one big challenge I've had to face while living with type 2 diabetes... keeping my dignity as a patient.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm no stranger to the discussion of keeping the patient dignity. I've challenged various prominent diabetes writers on their own biases and deliberate fact twisting, I've written various letters to television programs, to diabetes programs like <i>Take Care of Your Diabetes</i>, to celebrities like Conan O'Brien, and have even hosted an online Diabetes Ice Cream Social event to get people thinking differently (and been skewered for it). My most famous of these discussions on patient dignity, however, happened <b><a href="http://theangrytype2diabetic.blogspot.com/2012/10/finding-my-patient-voice-my-adventures.html">as an ePatient Scholarship recipient, when I attended Stanford University's Medical School, for their 2012 Medicine X conference.</a> (<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/project_syndicate/2012/11/obesity_crisis_how_to_treat_people_who_are_not_at_fault_for_being_fat.html">For that little escapade, I got editorialized by Esther Dyson as someone who was wanting to pass the buck for being fat.</a>) </b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
And therein lies the rub. We want to find people to punish and blame. We want to skewer people for "giving themselves" type 2 diabetes. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is not an abnormal thing. It's actually a part of human nature to want to find vindication for issues -- it's a form of 'negative altruism.' The problem is that the social dialogue that has been crafted in the media, and in part thanks to illness advocacy organizations like the ADA, various medical groups, and those who want to exploit the obesity and diabetes medical communities -- has been centered on discussing obesity and diabetes as though they were a crime against society (i.e., obesity and diabetes are going to bankrupt the economy, destroy the healthcare system, our children, bring governments to their knees, destroy third world countries, bring a second coming of Christ, etc.) So, people with either obesity or type 2 diabetes, are not seen as persons struggling to take<i> ownership</i> of their health issues -- but as people failing to take <i>accountability</i> for a crime against society. "Be accountable for your health," they say. Obesity and diabetes are not seen as <i>personal</i> struggles for <i>personal </i>health ownership -- but as a moral failing of the individual, a crime against society, and as a justification for social outcasting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is a HUGE undercurrent in the diabetes dialogue at large! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It colors the mindsets of many an educator, clinician, registered dietitian, media or TV personality, people trying to sell us goods and services, and of course... persons presenting new technology at a conference like Medicine X. It's a problem. It's a HUGE problem. And when one addresses such a problem, one is portrayed as though one were trying to pass the buck for being obese, or having diabetes. There's a certain self important arrogance about it all... If I point out your moral failing for having 'given yourself diabetes,' then I must be a more moral, and worthier, contributing citizen to the society at large. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, this blog post is not about whether or not one can 'give oneself' diabetes. That would be an entirely new blog post -- and I think I've spoken on that before... My overall view on whether one 'gave oneself' diabetes, however, is that it's <i>IRRELEVANT. </i>Yes, it's irrelevant. Once a person has diabetes, whether or not they 'gave' themselves diabetes is, quite frankly, irrelevant. One can analyze a person's decisions and life style choices till the cows come home... but once that person has AIDS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc... is it now time to start treating them without respect, or dignity? Should we spit on their faces, and socially mock them while at the same time claiming to try to help them?<i> "I'm going to help you, fatty, because you can't help yourself! You have no self control, and you can't stop eating!" </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think many misunderstand my words here, when I speak of patient dignity. Patient dignity is NOT a patient passing the buck; it is not a patient not taking ownership of their health... Dignity simply means treating someone with a certain basic level of respect for being a human being in the midst of a trying, and challenging situation -- whether of their own doing, or not. We are all human; none of us is above the struggle to make the best choices. Though this is another topic worthy of further exploration in a different blog post, the food choices many of us make day in, and day out, cannot be completely and genuinely labeled as 'mistakes,' for they are the product of our programming as children, as members of some particular society, and as mammals evolved (thanks to natural selection) to prefer more nutritionally dense foods, especially in order to better face periods of famine. While many have had the blessings of genetics, and a healthier food environment overall (familially and culturally), it takes enormous effort to change oneself as an individual, because it is not simply a product of will -- it is a product of reprograming, and reprogramming is HARD. You aren't just fighting your family's bad eating choices, you are also fighting millions of years of evolution! So it is thus, unfair to treat these issues as though they were black and white, and as a people's moral failings, or as a crime against society. <i><b>Also -- the person with type 2 diabetes is NOT accountable for their health to you -- so get over yourself.</b> </i>Type 2 diabetes has many different triggers (not causes), of which obesity is just one of them, and the others are not quite as uncommon as people want to think. The scientific and peer reviewed studies showing this are there -- but they seldom get public light, because they are NOT media-attention worthy. Sensationalism is simply what sells. </div>
<div>
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All of these things aside -- the overall goal of ANY health initiative by any group is to make positive change. But if we want to help a patient community to make positive changes toward a general health improvement, what we want to do is focus on that 'positive' word. Putting the word "skinny" in front of your company's marketing, cracking jokes about a community's obesity or bad eating habits, how they gave themselves diabetes, stereotyping, claiming diabetes can be cured (or blaming people for not curing themselves), turning them into a 'meme' or down talking to them is NOT going to make positive change. Instead, all it will create is an underculture of social pariahs who are not just <i>denied</i> services and tools, but who do not seek the necessary medical attention they need, the tools and education they deserve, or the new lease on life that they could have. <b><i>In other words, the culture we have NOW. </i></b></div>
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If you make it too embarrassing and shameful to have diabetes -- people aren't going to work toward not getting diabetes... <i><b>People are still going to get diabetes, and they are going to die in silence, from diabetes. </b></i></div>
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In the end, the person who'll end up costing more to a society is not the person with diabetes: it is the diabetes bully. </div>
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Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-17131673177912221732014-01-10T14:53:00.003-06:002014-01-10T17:30:16.192-06:00Diabetes and Anger -- Is There a Deeper Connection? <div class="tr_bq">
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Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about <b><a href="http://theangrytype2diabetic.blogspot.com/2012/04/are-diabetics-angry.html">diabetes and anger.</a> </b>In that post, I explored a lot of the day to day reasons why a person with diabetes might feel anger, and frustration. In fact, there are <i>many</i> reasons why a person with diabetes would, indeed, become angry. Those reasons can be varied, including anger at oneself for 'failing' to prevent the disease, to anger at family for not understanding or patrolling/policing the person with diabetes' behavior, etc. These are common types of anger: the anger that results from struggling to cope with a new and changing environment, for which we might have little control. (You can check out that blog post link, above, for a more in depth look at that topic.)</div>
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However, little did I realize that I was going to get such a huge response from the public -- but not about anger in this usual, common sense -- but anger in the chronic and mental health sense. Folks from all over the country have poured out their hearts to me in sheer frustration and worry over their loved ones, from sons to spouses, to friends. From lay people, to mental health professionals as well.<br />
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I must emphasize here, that I am NOT a mental health professional. I am not a medical expert of any kind, or a scientist. I am just a person with diabetes, with a blog. A person who loves learning every day, researching my own condition, and learning how to live and cope with it. Anything I say here is information you must take to your own clinician, or consult with your own mental health professional. It is also information that anyone can research on their own: never take my word for anything. Always be a skeptic.<br />
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Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's start with the ways in which diabetes can <i>clinically</i> affect our moods.<br />
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<b>Day to Day Blood Glucose Swings</b><br />
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When our blood sugars are not within normal or euglycemic boundaries (i.e., between 70-120 mg/dL, or 3.9-6.7 mmol/L), our mood and emotions will be altered. In some extreme cases, a person who, for example, experiences severe low blood sugar may become angry and even combative, or violent, or may seem 'drunk.' A person who experiences high blood sugar may experience sadness and depression, inability to concentrate, fatigue, etc. <b><a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/540778-sugars-effect-on-neurotransmitters/">The root of all these glucose related mood swings has to deal with their association with the neurotransmitters in our brains, and how those in turn, communicate messages to our nerve cells about mood, appetite, and even sleep.</a> </b>Dealing with these states of mind is challenging, and can be tiring for the person with diabetes, as well as bring on a short temper. To top it off,<b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2810194/"> having a negative disposition may also bring on bad blood glucose numbers</a></b>, creating a vicious cycle that feeds off itself.<br />
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<b>Chronic Mood Swings</b><br />
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The problem with being on this persistent 'roller coaster' of high and low blood glucose swings is that it can be bring about permanent, and chronic, mental health problems. Problems such as clinical depression, anxiety, anger, and a whole host of mental health conditions, like <b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22621171">bipolar disorder.</a></b><br />
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According to a study on <b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193776/">"Diabetes and Psychiatric Disorders,"</a></b> by the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, "Diabetes and psychiatric disorders share a bidirectional association -- both influencing each other in multiple ways." So much so, that apparently scientists back in the late 1800s found diabetes to be a disease which had been present in families with a pronounced history of mental health problems, so that<b> <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:WJc2HLfEuKMJ:www.the-scientist.com/%3Farticles.view/articleNo/33338/title/Metabolism-and-the-Brain/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us">insulin shock therapy was used as a treatment for mental health disorders even as shortly as insulin was isolated for the first time. </a> </b>(<b><a href="http://dana.org/News/Details.aspx?id=43285">Yes, insulin has a role in mental health, and even in the development of such diseases as Alzheimer's.</a></b>)<br />
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This study further points out that there are several ways in which both diabetes and mental health problems can show up:<br />
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<ul>
<li>As two parallel conditions, which developed independently of each other, with no apparent connection;</li>
<li>As a complication of the diabetes, or as a complication of the mental health problem: <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209132.php" style="font-weight: bold;">type 2 diabetes may lead to depression, as well as <b style="color: black;"></b></a><b style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209132.php">depression may lead to type 2 diabetes,</a></b> for example;</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/causes/hypoglycemia">As a product of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia (and ketoacidosis), such as the development of chronic anxiety</a>;</b></li>
<li>And as a result of taking various medications for treating mental health -- <b><a href="http://professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/file/CE/AntiPsych%20Meds/Patient%20Tool%20%231.pdf">many of these medications can lead to a triggering of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. </a></b></li>
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In my personal and anecdotal experience, I am a person who suffers from dysthymia. Dysthymia is a type of low grade, long term depression, which can subside and be in the background, for much of one's life. It is much milder than regular depression. However, in situations in which I have had an undiagnosed, and chronic health condition, such as hypothyroidism, or type 2 diabetes -- the imbalances in health provoked episodes of severe depression. The conditions influenced my depression and worsened it. In this way, uncontrolled diabetes can worsen or complicate a mental health condition that is already present, making overcoming of both conditions a challenge. </div>
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It could very well be that the sudden and deep mood changes many persons with diabetes have experienced were the result of these drastic, and long term changes in blood glucose influencing an already underlying mental health problem -- especially if the diabetes was left undiagnosed or untreated for an extended period of time. It is particularly difficult for a person with diabetes that is weighed down by these mood changes, to find the motivation and positive inclination to manage their health condition. Quality of life tends to be reduced, and so does optimism, which can lead to development of unsavory habits, such as uncontrolled diet, smoking and drinking -- habits which can exacerbate mental health problems and lack of control, to an already breaking point. </div>
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<b>How Do We Help? </b><br />
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In my previous blog post on anger, I noted several ways in which we could be of support to a person who was being burdened every day by the management of their diabetes. Being a good listener, helping a person cook meals, and being empathetic, are all proper ways in which we can deal with a loved one's chronic health condition. <b><a href="http://behavioraldiabetesinstitute.org/resources/audio-and-video-materials">The Behavioral Diabetes Institute provides resources for us to utilize when we are overcome by our day to day emotions when managing diabetes, and may feel burnt out, or depressed. </a></b><br />
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However, there are situations in which we need to be more proactive in identifying the mental state of our loved ones. Understand that, outside of a rare and severe hypoglycemic event, violent and aggressive behaviors are NOT standard complications of diabetes. These are not typical or normal behaviors for a person with diabetes. (Grouchiness is.) If a person you love is experiencing warning signs of serious mental health problems, you might need to have a conversation with them about visiting a mental health professional. This is an intimidating task, and there are suggestions out there, on <b><a href="http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/01/how-to-persuade-your-loved-one-to-seek-professional-help/">how to broach the subject. </a></b><br />
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The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a good <b><a href="http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDCH-MentalIllness-10AUG04_102671_7.pdf">Resource Guide for Families Dealing with Mental Illness.</a> </b>In it, they address what to do for 'crisis intervention,' when a person's behavior is particularly violent, or out of control:<br />
<blockquote>
If the individual with mental illness is in danger of physical injury, if his or her behavior is out of control or others are in danger, it is important to know what steps to take. Plan ahead by locating available sources for help: your emergency phone number (911), police or sheriff department number, Community Mental Health crisis or emergency number, name and phone number of a mental health professional, friends or neighbors who may be of help, and the nearest NAMI affiliate. Keep these numbers posted by the telephone. </blockquote>
Any behavior such as this, that falls outside of both a mental health disorder, or a severe hypoglycemic episode, is unjustified violence, and should never be tolerated. <i>Do not put up with it. </i><br />
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Mood swings can be a standard part of diabetes mellitus and its attendant blood glucose fluctuations. However, when chronically unregulated, these blood glucose fluctuations can bring about more serious mood disorders. These mood disorders are NOT a standard symptom of day to day diabetes management, and will usually not ameliorate on their own. If you are living with a person who has become unpredictable, or violent, due to a potential mental health disorder, please seek help from your local community mental health centers, a mental health professional, or from your family physician. Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-78613750789811098992014-01-08T11:20:00.000-06:002014-01-08T19:56:35.717-06:00... And Then My Father Died All Over AgainHis foot was black and woody; gnarled, like dirt covered ginger. I will never forget the terror in my mother's eyes as she fruitlessly tended to its bandaging, and yelled at him for letting things get to this point. It was a shocking state of affairs. My father was now blind, bedridden, undergoing dialysis, and at the verge of needing his foot amputated.<br />
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My old childhood home had changed from whatever it was in my memories and into a hospital. Dad's room was an intensive care unit; my sister's old room was storage for the massive amounts of dialysis fluid boxes he would be needing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwF8s1HVrZiHhk8KhEwwj5umjawvwVYRK-6D50HAbwuwK11vdva8-4mWyaJo5j33dJhjgTsbkR7mUSYTrxJEp8bt2No_IZ0DeMiWIJI6_9wgj5I2m5NR1NTLqIpo0rOwhH2T-6DbKx_pc/s1600/4844594227_03a86d76c6_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwF8s1HVrZiHhk8KhEwwj5umjawvwVYRK-6D50HAbwuwK11vdva8-4mWyaJo5j33dJhjgTsbkR7mUSYTrxJEp8bt2No_IZ0DeMiWIJI6_9wgj5I2m5NR1NTLqIpo0rOwhH2T-6DbKx_pc/s1600/4844594227_03a86d76c6_b.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>I knew that dad was struggling... but I didn't know the extent. I had been gone from home for far too long, I guess, where at least reality wouldn't have denied me the right to know the truth. My parents, however, were the kind of people that lie by omission -- never telling their youngest daughter whatever might have worried her, or troubled her; never keeping her up to date with issues such as this. It was their way of protecting me... but it was far less protective than the truth. On May 5th, 2003, dad passed away. I only got to spend one last weekend with him the previous March... where he couldn't see me, couldn't go on walks with me, and had the beginning stages of dementia.<br />
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For the longest time I was very angry at my dad. To be and feel desperate at the healing of the unhealable is one of the most impotent feelings a loved one can experience. You are overcome with anger at the selfishness of the 'uncompliant' diabetic, not thinking how this would impact family; not thinking of the burdens of family having to be nurses, diaper changers, dialysis providers, and well... at the other end of helplessly watching them rot.<br />
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It has taken me years to deal and cope with these feelings; to come to terms with acceptance and forgiveness, and understanding that although complications happen, they are not always due to our choices as people with diabetes. That sometimes, the long ride is just too much -- and the genetic deck is not stacked in our favor.<br />
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Except on December 20th, 2013...<br />
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A desperate message was posted in a large online community to which I belong by a young man seeking advise about his father's infected wound, how it was not healing, and asking about what all that needed to be done. Someone -- knowing about me and my advocacy -- gave him my name. Then the desperation began anew... this unreasonable feeling of 'how can I save this person's loved one?' What all can I do to turn back the hands of time? I answered as best I could... with all the information I knew.<br />
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But information is cold, and stiff. It doesn't change his lack of access to resources, to well educated medical professionals, to the state of the art facilities we enjoy here in the states. It doesn't change that he knew not much about neuropathy, how to care for poor circulation, how to effectively and diligently monitor blood glucose levels, let alone what healthy blood glucose levels were, that Indian food is not exactly diabetic friendly, and that years and years of this status quo would likely not be undone.<br />
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Every day, the young man messaged me. "What can be done?" Sometimes, a few times a day. I could see the desperation of his situation -- I could see in my mind's eye, the terror on his face. At some point, I had to say "I am sorry. I am not a medical professional. These are the best guidelines I can give you... and to urge you to seek a wound care specialist." I wish I could have done more. I felt like I was needing to save my own father all over again.<br />
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I heard little from the young man, after that... But I had my suspicions. My gut feelings. On December 31st, he wished me a Happy New Year, perhaps in the most somber of ways one could wish it. Just words on a page... not even capitalized. Then by January 5th, he finally mustered the courage to tell me that on the 2nd, his father passed away. And it all came back around, home for me...<br />
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I mustered an "I'm so sorry," in the best way that I knew how, never once telling him about my own pain. My own loss. "It's fine," he replied.<br />
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Perhaps not so, today... and that's just fine, as well. Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-56989747216694771632014-01-03T21:13:00.004-06:002014-01-03T21:21:21.119-06:00Do You Really Need a New Year's Resolution? Then Drink More Water... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xkbfLc6Qlgwilyni4ePOjsaCxhfu4haDV7lkbafBkvdtZXraApUVWvPU2jwjBarfCuIbWJj16sAouXzDFgb9IRcJHXTbT6Rib20PUq9DZL2ghNTONSFPfDI9XFbw6ywFVq5VWYIymg8/s1600/2351663768_ff6148a86b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xkbfLc6Qlgwilyni4ePOjsaCxhfu4haDV7lkbafBkvdtZXraApUVWvPU2jwjBarfCuIbWJj16sAouXzDFgb9IRcJHXTbT6Rib20PUq9DZL2ghNTONSFPfDI9XFbw6ywFVq5VWYIymg8/s200/2351663768_ff6148a86b_b.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
Ask the average person to drink more water, and they'll make a face at you or come up with an excuse: "Water's so boring... it doesn't taste like anything."<br />
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I think that we're so used to eating, and overeating, that we don't feel right if we don't have something of 'substance' in our mouths all the time. We use that as an excuse and then it becomes so easy to avoid water, and get carried away drinking things like carbonated sodas, sports drinks, smoothies, teas, and coffee, etc., all throughout the day. We don't notice how these other beverages -- while sometimes possessing some benefits -- may be more detrimental than helpful, when they start replacing water. Some of them are even addictive, so much so, that leaving them may cause headaches or even migraines due to their caffeine content. Others are quite high in calories and sugar.<br />
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Now, don't get me wrong -- I don't mean anyone should drink X amount of water a day. The idea that we ought to consume x or y amount of water a day, came from an outdated notion of 'averages.' Today's wisdom is that people are all different, and as such, they should drink <i>to thirst, </i>to better meet their individual needs. It is a silly idea to suddenly make oneself consume so much water a day, as some kind of achievement -- as I have seen many fellow friends give themselves this challenge. Overconsumption of water depletes minerals and electrolytes which are necessary for a well balanced and healthy body, plus... it makes you visit the potty a lot more often than you really want.<br />
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Now, all this being said... it is not a bad idea to start adding more water to our days, and to start listening to those physical thirst signals. Here is something to know: <b>The feeling of thirst is very similar to hunger. </b>If you are not having enough water in your day, and you are overeating -- it very well could be that you are not hungry at all, but simply thirsty. Try having a little bit of water, and wait to see if those 'hunger signals' are still there, or if they subside. </div>
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<b>Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning will help your body get a kick start. </b>Just like your body has spent the last 8 hours not eating, it has spent the last 8 hours not having water. The body needs to replenish fluids in order to perform its basic bodily functions, such as detoxing your system through urination, cell regeneration, and hormone production (which includes hormones which communicate hunger and satiety signals). </div>
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Once you slowly add more water to your life, you may start to see some of these benefits: </div>
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<li><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/dehydration-mood-worse-women_n_1216762.html">A Better Mood.</a> </b>Being dehydrated can make us moody, cranky, even depressed. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823142929.htm">Less Overeating.</a> </b>When you are well hydrated, there are less chances for you to confuse a thirst signal for a hunger signal, and will also feel your satiety signals more clearly. From personal anecdotal experience, I can say that when I have a diet soda with a meal, I will feel full and bloated on the carbonation, will then stop eating the meal thinking I am full, and then will start eating later out of feelings of hunger and lack of satisfaction. With water, I feel like I can fully enjoy a meal, and stop when satisfied.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.diabetes-book.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&id=5465">Better Glucose Levels.</a> </b>When we let ourselves get very dehydrated, our blood volume is decreased, and thus the concentration of glucose will increase. This can turn into a dangerous and vicious cycle -- especially if compounded with exercise, and higher blood glucose levels which also dehydrate the body even further. Water can help you sweat properly, release toxins, and keep a stable blood glucose level. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/water-and-younger-looking-skin_n_4191717.html">Younger Looking Skin.</a> </b>Simply put, when you're dehydrated, you look old and tired. Your cells don't have what they need to regenerate, or to have that healthy glow. Plus... you'll get dark circles under your eyes. Eww. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-puffy-ankles.htm">Less Swelling/Bloating.</a> </b>Swelling, bloating, puffiness... of the face, or of ankles, can all be defense mechanisms of the body to try to keep and retain fluids at all costs, because it's dehydrated. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/frequent-bowel-movements/basics/causes/SYM-20050720">Regularity.</a> </b>Water helps prevent constipation, and helps you flush out toxins. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/leg-cramps">Improved Muscle Health.</a> </b>Water can help our muscles and joints be more lubricated during exercise, as well as prevent them from cramping. After all, our muscles are mostly water.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://headaches.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Alternative-treatments/Dehydration-and-Headaches-Does-Dehydration-Cause-Headaches-.htm">Less Headaches. </a></b>One of the most common reasons for a headache is dehydration. Seriously. People just don't realize it. Do you know what a hangover is? DEHYDRATION. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643301002744">Refreshment. </a></b>When the outside temperature rises, drinking enough water can help our body feel refreshed, by keeping body temperature well regulated, through sweating. Drinking enough water can also help fend off heat stroke. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/957458.stm">Better Sex!!!!!</a> </b>Yeah. You read it right. You can't perform right, if you're dehydrated. From erectile dysfunction to just losing steam in the middle of the action. </li>
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So... as a baby step for being healthy, why not try having a a glass of water, just on its own, a few times a day? We can slowly wean ourselves from letting other types of beverages rule what we drink -- and soon the true refreshing nature of water becomes what we crave, without needing added flavors or additives, when we are truly <i>thirsty</i>. Trust me. It really does works. :) </div>
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So if you're truly<i> thirsty</i>... put DOWN the diet Coke. Go have some water. You owe it to yourself, and to your health. </div>
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Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-34659422776972360472014-01-01T19:02:00.000-06:002014-01-01T19:02:12.569-06:00Don't Fall for the New Year's Resolution Trap... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every new year, I rail a little bit against the concept of New Year's resolutions -- that time of the year when everyone is suddenly dieting, ending bad habits, testing every day, taking all their medicines on time, and having a near heart attack after trying to jog for two blocks.<br />
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It's not that I don't want to see people succeed, but I feel that this time of the year isn't really ideal for making such changes. For one, our challenge becomes this public stage: all friends and family become aware of these resolutions, and we're expected to 'perform' like a good little child for someone else's praise. Often they might even police our behavior. On top of this, most people don't really have a basic grasp on how to approach these really big changes. People want to eradicate all unwanted behaviors, or install new ones, in one fell swoop. Considering that humans are creatures of habit -- and often, habits which have many emotional underpinnings, this is the stupidest idea that has ever occurred to anyone. And corporations LOVE IT, and feed on it -- and then constantly bombard us with New Year's resolution ads because we're sheep like that. This creates an environment where food, and the pressure to succeed and be perfect, is ever present on the mind: eating certain foods, and avoiding the foods we <i>won't </i>allow ourselves to have, being the size of that one skinny model eating yogurt, living on only cereal or soup, etc. It's a recipe for disappointment, and we really set ourselves up for it. Honestly, I'm surprised major women's groups have not denounced some of these ads as unhealthy, and gotten them off the air. I mean, are these corporations really suggesting I should live on nothing but cereal, or soup, to get skinny in a short amount of time? This is the root of anorexia right here, folks.<br />
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Now, do I think we shouldn't reevaluate anything in our lives, ever? No. But my perspective has always been that we ought to do more than just change some 'actions,' and instead change the emotional bonds and attachments behind ingrained behaviors. That we should first tackle the "bigger picture," if you would. For example: If we're having a problem with weight, perhaps we ought to focus for a while on not overeating (and all the reasons and emotions behind that, and what it entails), rather than drastically changing the particular foods we eat; or, if we're having a problem with being inactive, perhaps we ought to focus on finding enjoyment in some physical activity, like taking a walk around the block after a meal, and noticing how our body craves the movement, rather than focusing on meeting certain time limits and endurance levels; etc. Changing how we focus our minds around these challenges will allow us to address the problems at their root causes, and allow us to make further progress in establishing disciplined habits. Once we are focused on just eating the amount of food our bodies need (ie, eating to satiety signals) -- and not more than that -- we can perhaps consider trying new foods. Once we see that we enjoy walking, perhaps we can step up the pace.<br /><br />So, really, when we look to make changes in our lives, we should be looking to slowly and completely change our state of mind, and not just some actions. Actions are simply the symptom of the deeper problem. The thing is... we can start this at any time of year -- we can start it whenever. And we don't have to let ANYONE know we're doing it. We can freely invite someone over to enjoy an evening walk after dinner, without ever having to let them know what we're doing. It is NOT about keeping ourselves accountable -- it is about finding enjoyment -- enjoying out body, the things it can do, and our lives.<br />
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So, in the New Year, resolve to give yourself the freedom to not resolve anything... but to give yourself and your actions, the love, respect, understanding, and attention which they deserve.<br /><br />Happy New Year.Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-78556036297194511142013-12-03T18:59:00.000-06:002013-12-03T19:08:12.969-06:00Don't Restrict Test Strips for People with Type 2 Diabetes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeyEt1G0N5fejEYWXxFwNURlqemp9CcVx9jnYx8xkJ4wAYDBmlkp90PDxbttdaQx72J_pUbXZ68Z_mphYScS22zJA0zOUmTVpswnOalrhp3bD7AL10K2vK2kwcJTO2ZtdLNgior8As-Y/s1600/Picnik+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeyEt1G0N5fejEYWXxFwNURlqemp9CcVx9jnYx8xkJ4wAYDBmlkp90PDxbttdaQx72J_pUbXZ68Z_mphYScS22zJA0zOUmTVpswnOalrhp3bD7AL10K2vK2kwcJTO2ZtdLNgior8As-Y/s400/Picnik+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fasting glucose at diagnosis, <br />
versus currently.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All around us there are people who are struggling or living with challenging health conditions or diseases. Some are very visual, and apparent, and some are not. For those with apparent health conditions or diseases, we feel an immediate sense of empathy. However, it is not so easy for us to empathize with those whose needs we cannot openly see. We may assume a person is exaggerating (they really don't have it that bad), is being 'wimpy' (they should just shut up and 'deal with it'), or is simply lying.<br />
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Type 2 diabetes is one of these misunderstood diseases; it is a hidden illness and people with hidden illnesses often end up being judged as if they had no needs, or should be restricted in needs. These attitudes often end up in discrimination, particularly from employers, health insurance companies, and some health care providers and agencies. The problem becomes compounded because type 2 diabetes is also a silent disease. It is a disease which can remain silent (not showing very many outward signs of its presence) for many years, even decades. Hence, many people will often ignore their condition because they feel fine and healthy, and the condition does not seem real to them. Because there is NOTHING telling them they are sick, they feel a certain sense of invincibility... until they get their blood glucose level tested with a finger prick. Persons with type 2 diabetes <i>must</i> check their blood glucose levels regularly if they are to be kept constantly aware that they a.) have a serious medical condition, and b.) that they need to adjust their food intake according to what their glucose levels are. A person with type 2 diabetes needs to be able to eat 'to their meter' in order to be able to manage their disease.<br />
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If the medical establishment (who are constantly preaching on the diabetes 'pandemic,' and how serious this matter is, and how the condition is costing our governments, worldwide, billions of dollars) had any inkling of the issue at hand, or indeed, if they believed their own warnings, they would realize that in order to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and to control the health of those with current type 2 diabetes diagnoses, we need...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Educated clinicians: </b>Clinicians who are not trivializing the condition to their patients, but which strive to understand the condition, its potential risks and dangers, and who are committed to empowering their patients and properly educating them as to what the condition is; and</li>
<li><b>Access to Proper Tools and Medicines: </b>Sufficient glucose testing strips to make appropriate nutritional decisions, from day to day, to help control glucose levels, as well as access to necessary medications -- including insulin. </li>
</ul>
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How do we expect to control already diagnosed type 2 diabetes, in patients, if we will not allow patients to have an adequate amount of testing strips? Yes -- a testing strip should not just be a tool that is used to avert immediate danger (an extreme high, or an extreme low level of glucose.) A test strip is also a rudder to help a patient know to make the best, and most appropriate meal decisions, because we never know just how much glucose we have in our bodies at any given time. You can't just tell us to go eat whole wheat, grains, and fruit, and call it a day. I am sorry, medical establishment... <i style="font-weight: bold;">Diabetes doesn't work that way. </i>I have the RIGHT to know what my blood glucose is doing, and to be able to make educated decisions on what to eat, as to to reduce the risk of the potential long term complications of high blood glucose. <i style="font-weight: bold;">It is my right, as a patient! </i>You preach about the costs of diabetes, but something tells me you really do not understand how the game works. You see -- no one complains about the high cost of performing 3,000 mile oil changes on their vehicles; instead, they understand that if these are not performed, instead of paying $19.95 for an oil change, they'll end up paying over $1,000 for a new engine. But clinicians and insurance companies are practically telling people with diabetes that they'd rather they pay $1,000 for a new engine, than $19.95 for an oil change. I mean, isn't it cheaper, long term, to pay for some strips than to, oh, I don't know... have to pay for someone's dialysis, new organs, eye procedures, or amputations? </div>
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Where is the common sense in the medical establishment, right now? I want to KNOW. I am <i style="font-weight: bold;">SICKENED</i> that people with type 2 diabetes who are on Medicaid in Oregon, right now, are close to being severely restricted on their glucose test strip usage. According to <b><a href="http://diatribe.org/issues/59/new-now-next/9">diaTribe</a></b>, </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.796875px;">Currently, the OHP provides 100 test strips every 90 days, but a new plan would severely restrict access to strips for type 2 patients unless they are newly diagnosed, take insulin, or meet a few other special requirements. For people not taking insulin – which covers the vast majority, about 70% of all type 2 patients – those with an A1c above 8.0% would be entitled to one test strip </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.796875px;">per week</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.796875px;">, while those with an A1c below 8.0% would not be provided with any test strips at all.</span></blockquote>
This is obscene!! One test strip a week tells NOTHING to a patient with type 2 diabetes! Tests need to be done in pairs so that we can <i>see</i> the cause and effect of things like meals, exercise, illness or periods, or even overnight sleep. Patients with type 2 diabetes are practically being PUNISHED for having good control, and being told that their health is not important enough to merit an educated management of their disease. Besides that, patients are supposed to work hard to keep an A1C which is at or below 6.5%. Telling a person that they will only get strips if they have higher A1C levels is not only not a good recommendation, but it is also unconscionable. It is the testing that keeps me at a lower A1C! I'm not psychic, for crying out loud. As of yet, there is no magical Glucose Level 8-Ball.<br />
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We need to stand together as a type 2 community against these kinds of things, or we will continue to be bullied by the medical establishment. If we are to stem the tide of unfortunate complications, and type 2 diabetes diagnoses, then we need to stand up for our rights as patients. We <i style="font-weight: bold;">DESERVE</i> education, quality treatment, tools, and medications, to manage our condition and lead healthy lives.<br />
<br />
Really... whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath?<br />
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<b><i>DO NO HARM. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<i>We have very little time... Please sign the petition, here: <b><a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/don-t-restrict-test-strips-for-people-with-diabetes">Don't Restrict Test Strips for People with Diabetes. </a> </b></i>Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-23389718386084996022013-11-28T10:20:00.000-06:002013-11-28T10:37:50.479-06:00Top Ten Tips For Managing the Holidays with Diabetes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfGu735YzcvImltN-TD64aCGXxUHQwTFo0v4z-XUgEbN569buCMv-N8Ul0R45NsW3Jjz7XyU-sutsyyGZsQ_pooH0MeNRw5V3d0VdO0aTLwd3b-dowr1RacrvNtMbbtLkA729ZDuColk/s1600/diabetic+thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfGu735YzcvImltN-TD64aCGXxUHQwTFo0v4z-XUgEbN569buCMv-N8Ul0R45NsW3Jjz7XyU-sutsyyGZsQ_pooH0MeNRw5V3d0VdO0aTLwd3b-dowr1RacrvNtMbbtLkA729ZDuColk/s400/diabetic+thanksgiving.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Holidays, to you and yours! As my turkey slowly cooks in the oven, I've decided to take a moment to write a little bit. I've had a few comments from fellow sweet peeps, lately, in regards to traversing the holiday food extravaganza that is approaching, and there's much understandable fear and trepidation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I wanted to take a moment to reassure my fellow readers, especially newcomers, that, yes...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>You Can Do This: </i></span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DO count your carbohydrates. </b>Think about your favorite foods for the holiday, and plot out your total carbohydrates through the day. For example, have some turkey and greens, if you prefer to have a small piece of pie later. Or... Have some turkey, some greens, and a small amount of mashed potatoes, if you're not much into pies. <b>But... </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DON'T practice deprivation. </b>Instead, practice moderation. Try eating just a tiny amount, of some of your favorites, instead of telling yourself you can't have anything. Besides, do you see the skinny people NOT eating anything? What do they do on a holiday like this? Some definitely pig out, and some others simply grab a few things, and taste here and there. <b>But... </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DON'T feel like you have to eat everything there, out of obligation. </b>Instead, you may find it helpful to plan ahead of time which two food favorites you HAVE to have, and when the day comes, pick one extra item you'd like to try. If you have more things you'd like to try, you can always get a doggy bag, and eat them later. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DO have some salad, leafy greens, and non-starchy veggies. </b>Veggies are full of fiber, and because of this, they don't just help us with sensations of fullness and satiety, but also help keep our blood glucose levels steady throughout digestion. In other words, fill up on the broccoli on the snack plate, as it passes by... it'll help you absorb carbs, and digest and deal with any extra fat. Raw is better. <b>But...</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DON'T assume all veggies will be good. </b>There are quite a few veggies out there that are high in their own natural sugars and starches. To help you navigate through the confusion, the American Diabetes Association has put together <b><a href="http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/non-starchy-vegetables.html">a list of non-starchy veggies, for your review.</a></b> Assume that any veggie dishes which are slathered in various sauces have extra added sugar before consuming them. When in doubt, ask the host. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/">DO make your own diabetes friendly dishes.</a> </b>Whether at home, or if going to a party, feel free to make one or two dishes which you know will be diabetic friendly -- whether that is a dish that is low carbohydrate, or a dish that is made with alternative sweeteners. Perhaps even have a favorite beverage with you, so that you can have something to 'nurse' through the day. This can be bringing your own diet tea, diet sodas, etc. <b>But... </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DON'T forget to have water. </b>Water is essential for your body. It helps control our eating signals of hunger, satiety and fullness. In many ways, water helps us appreciate the food we consume, and taste it better. When we taste food better, we can better focus on it, and we can better tell when we've had enough. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DO try to practice eating with awareness. </b>We go through life in such a hurry all the time, that we often eat incredibly quickly! Before we know it, the food is gone. Instead, really take some time to revel in the food you're about to consume. Notice its aroma, its colors, its textures, and flavors. Take each bite with slow, and deliberate delight. If you feel you need to put your fork down between bites, or have a sip of water, please do. Try to listen to when you're body has told you it's had enough, or even, if it is simply just satisfied. <b>But... </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DON'T feel guilty if you overeat. </b>It's a very food centered holiday. There is soooo much food, and people do tend to overeat, or indulge a little extra. It comes once a year, and we only live once. Focus instead on friends, family, loved ones, and being thankful. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DO make it a family tradition to go for a walk around the block when you're done. </b>A walk after eating a meal helps digestion, can bring time for conversation, and the focus AWAY from the table. If it's too cold outside, maybe it's time to break out the Wii Sports. </span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just remember, diabetes is NOT a life sentence because you 'messed up' being healthy, and active. It's simply a condition a few of us developed because we have the genes for it. Regardless of our past life choices, we can still live daily, healthful lives, and enjoy holidays and celebrations in moderation. So, kick back, and relax! </span><br />
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Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-36180063061201340012013-10-23T18:07:00.000-05:002013-10-23T18:13:30.321-05:00World Diabetes Day, and Four Years of Living with Diabetes <div class="" style="clear: both;">
Hello sweet peeps! It's about that time of the year again! Diabetes awareness month is fast approaching... and with it will come another year of living with diabetes, for me. November 17th will mark my four year anniversary of living with this insidious disease.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6UsTKJts-eZyhff2ewx1VMlNRJMQXwYZhEc-aEcOAJogmX7TZNTekvV-WKBo4G-sLCCUnTSeom2hL2Iy_aju2gn2LAcKMJnnBLkX_y8oB2NUrc4EzUWrr_s48IO8O89YvWL2QmjskWg/s1600/Diabetes+Leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6UsTKJts-eZyhff2ewx1VMlNRJMQXwYZhEc-aEcOAJogmX7TZNTekvV-WKBo4G-sLCCUnTSeom2hL2Iy_aju2gn2LAcKMJnnBLkX_y8oB2NUrc4EzUWrr_s48IO8O89YvWL2QmjskWg/s200/Diabetes+Leaf.jpg" width="200" /></a>What will you do for diabetes awareness month? Will you wear a diabetes awareness pin? Will you hand out fliers, or educational materials? Will you donate money to the cause, or participate in a walk? Will you help the <a href="http://www.idf.org/"><b>International Diabetes Federation</b></a> light up a building blue? There are so many things we could do. I was considering making little educational booklets for the recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic, being as there is often so little information given to patients. This might take me a little time, and expense... but it's a goal I have. </div>
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November is also a month in which I contemplate my life with diabetes: Where am I? Where am I going? Am I where I want to be? What have I learned about myself. </div>
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Through my four years of living with diabetes, I've gone through several approaches as to how to manage and cope. From stricter, to less so, to more of a balanced and moderate approach. I've had to sit down and think long and hard about my attitudes toward food, weight loss, and how I was emotionally comforting myself. For a while, I practiced extreme low carbing, and realized it was not the best approach for me: it was not financially doable, plus it was also not realistic as to enjoying life with others in social situations. And well... I just dislike almond flour and excess fat. Now, I love the approach of eating with awareness, or intuitive eating, but I must be aware that as a person with diabetes, I must mind my level of carbohydrate consumption, as well as some of my calories, so I still needed to put some limitations on myself. </div>
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So far, I've come to a place where I practice a sort of hybrid of both: I try not to eat more than 400 calories per main meal (I'm only 4'9... I really don't need that many calories), and then I eat my meals with awareness, so I may not end up eating that whole meal, if I don't feel like it. I can be one of those people who eat distractedly, or emotionally, so if I 'fail' to stop where I want, at least I won't have eaten a lot more than 400 calories in one sitting meal. If I am physically hungry and need more food than this, I'll eat it. I try to do this approach of mindful eating when I'm in restaurants, too. If I can, I will order less of the regular portion, or box away half of the portion, etc., adding veggies or side salads, helping to balance things out, as well. I generally don't like to take portions home. </div>
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I've started trying to cut ties with certain foods, not because I can't have them, but to reduce my cravings for them, while increasing my appetite for others. It has given me quite a bit of freedom in my walk with diabetes... leaving some foods to rare occasions. I won't say what these foods are: I think that's irrelevant, really. What those foods are, could be different for everyone. It's the concept that matters. </div>
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I am fortunate right now, that I have a very physical job at a restaurant, and I get quite a bit of exercise running around a busy dining room all day, and often lifting heavy things. I should add more physical activity to my life, though, as I go along. And this won't be too difficult to do. I just need to schedule it in, and go do it. </div>
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Pacing myself with weight loss has also been another big lesson. When I first was diagnosed with diabetes, I was in such a hurry to lose weight and be healthy -- I was so scared of this disease. I did manage to go from 243 lbs down to 170, which was a great accomplishment, but it left me feeling tired, deprived and trapped by having diabetes. It made me burnt out. Eventually, I yo-yo'ed a lot with my weight, gaining and losing weight quite a few times, up to reaching 226 lbs again. I am now, presently at 183 lbs... and losing slowly, and as peacefully as possible. Even us advocates need to be reminded that this is not a sprint, but a marathon; that we need to pace ourselves along the way. Love ourselves along the way. It is hard to feel much love for life, ourselves, or any peace with diabetes, when one is pursuing strict, short term solutions, to long term problems. This rocky relationship brings moodiness as well; depression, anger, eventual high blood sugars, and further uncontrolled emotions. </div>
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Diabetes has been for me then, a deep exercise in introspection: a deep learning to pay attention to my needs, to want those things I'm doing for myself, to love and desire to be healthy, and in good spirits. It is the courage to look at what we want in the face, versus what we need... and to turn what we need into what we want. </div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-10633626817807370932013-05-24T22:46:00.000-05:002013-05-24T23:28:30.892-05:00The Moldy Cupcake Awards: Artificial Sweetener Alarmist Crap, by WHO-TV Channel 13<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpV-yLe8ake8TDgVxW9v0tGWxfLOdeO1SKjwR3nN1IbVfSm8ye1jSW08BzSYjh5ieewEyIh34LoQ8iVJ9_a1gUzY2YZ1CTPqvl4pGvomMoFXbNBWhs91ZadZwOffYqs-3VyNfwyiT-J2Y/s1600/moldy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpV-yLe8ake8TDgVxW9v0tGWxfLOdeO1SKjwR3nN1IbVfSm8ye1jSW08BzSYjh5ieewEyIh34LoQ8iVJ9_a1gUzY2YZ1CTPqvl4pGvomMoFXbNBWhs91ZadZwOffYqs-3VyNfwyiT-J2Y/s320/moldy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://www.gleefulthings.com/blog/?p=500" style="color: #6d0000; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Copyright © 2010 Julie Kin</a><a href="http://www.gleefulthings.com/blog/?p=500" style="color: #6d0000; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">g </a><br />
<a href="http://www.gleefulthings.com/blog/?p=500" style="color: #6d0000; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">/ Gleeful Things. All Rights Reserved.</a></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Welcome to another edition of the Moldy Cupcake Awards.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">The award we give out for excellence in communicating nonsense, lies, misinformation, and outright uninformed, alarmist drivel, </span>about diabetes and related health information<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">, </span><span style="text-align: left;">for the purposes of garnering ratings, by the mass media, and others.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This installment's winner is:<b> <a href="http://whotv.com/2013/05/22/sweet-deception-is-low-calorie-heathier/" target="_blank">WHO-TV Channel 13 News, Des Moines Iowa!</a></b></span></div>
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I'm not much of a TV viewer, these days, but I must confess: I had a little accident this week -- I accidentally spilled water on my laptop, so I had to spend a good day without the internet. What was left, but the TV? (Yes, I know... reading, walking, exercising, crafts, etc. lol) Anyway... after a year or so of not watching any TV, I was quickly reminded why I had given it up: gullibility, stupidity, emotional appeals, and alarmism for the sake of ratings. They sure know how to hook us in. </div>
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So, here I was, taking a dose of mental junk food, when I saw a commercial for the local news regarding artificial sweeteners. In it, the anchors sounded the alarms of doubt... "are artificial sweeteners and low calorie foods safe for you, or are they just a sweet deception?"</div>
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Oh, there was no way I was going to miss that... and they did not disappoint -- by which I mean, they completely disappointed me, as I expected. I am always amused by how the media portray their stories on artificial sweeteners, and other controversial subjects. They violate every law of sound journalism: </div>
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<li> You first portray anecdotal evidence, by someone that has really no proof of their claim, just a gut feeling;</li>
<li>Then you speak to expert sounding non-experts;</li>
<li>And finally, you have them make lofty claims, with absolutely NO scientific evidence or basis...</li>
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And there you go! A recipe for just about every "investigative" segment on the news, today. </div>
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This 'investigative report' is no different. They start out with the story of Renee Chiaramonte, a woman who is a registered nurse, at one of our local hospitals. That, by default, would give people the idea that Renee has some 'authority' on what she says, because she's a nurse. In my experience as a diabetes advocate, assuming one has sound medical knowledge or health expertise by virtue of being a nurse, simply couldn't be farther from the truth. </div>
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<a href="http://athleanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Artificial-sweetener.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://athleanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Artificial-sweetener.jpg" width="200" /></a>But I digress... We're left to ponder on the life of Renee, who was not feeling healthy, and felt like this was <br />
likely due to poor diet; artificial sweetener abuse, to be exact. She claims she was consuming up to 500 artificial sweetener packets a month (besides countless diet sodas) and that she experienced weight gain, joint pain, and a torn tendon in her knee. These are some pretty hefty claims to make of artificial sweeteners. </div>
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But it doesn't stop there... How dare these companies try to sell you artificial sweetener?!</div>
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They want to build a case of blame against artificial sweetener companies, so they interview a Marketing Professor at one of the local universities. "Oh, no, companies make you crave the sweet stuff by giving the boxes pretty colors, and putting them on the most accessible shelves! How dare they!" Yeah -- it's called being a company with a product, which you want to sell. Should they package it in corrugated boxes, written over with Sharpie marker? Please.</div>
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Then, for the clincher: A "medical" expert's opinion. Now, is this expert a registered dietitian? Is she an M.D.? Is she, perhaps, a food scientist? Maybe even a scientist with the FDA, or the Department of Health? I would've even accepted a researching chemist. </div>
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No... that would be too ideal. The woman in question, is "Dr." Ann Buenger -- a chiropractor. </div>
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<i>Listen here, fools at WHO-TV News Channel 13... </i></div>
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<i>A chiropractor is not a medical expert. In fact, they are not really doctors of anything, but of pseudo-scientific claims, and most of their claims and services are WOO. How dare you ask this woman's mere unscientific opinion on this subject (of which she is NOT an expert, by any means)? Let's limit her to such things as back adjustments, for crying out loud.</i></div>
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So, instead of interviewing an actual expert, they interview Mrs. Buenger (I refuse to call such a person a doctor) and she makes even more preposterous claims: </div>
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<li>Artificial sweeteners are stored in your fat;</li>
<li>They are all a "chemical," thus they are toxic to the body;</li>
<li>"Experts" say artificial sweeteners can trigger weight gain, migraines, depression, and cancer;</li>
<li>Consuming artificial sweeteners is like directly injecting them in your veins; and</li>
<li>75% of your neurons have to die before all your symptoms of artificial sweetener consumption come out.</li>
<li>"Adverse symptoms" can last for several years.</li>
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I really miss the days when journalists were actual journalists, and did investigative work. NO ONE in their right mind would want to quote such a non-expert on such a subject. I wonder if all the other real experts simply told them there was nothing to discuss? No controversy? They had nothing to work with, and were grasping at straws. </div>
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I sure would love to know to which so called studies and experts this woman was referring. Since she doesn't say, and even a cursory search on google doesn't yield any credible links (medicine journals, with findings, for one), I am left with assuming 99% of her claims came right out of her ass. </div>
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You see, artificial sweeteners are not stored in fat; they do NOT affect your neurons in such a way that most of them have to die off, somehow, before you can feel better, nor do they trigger any of the symptoms mentioned above. And if something is toxic to us, just by virtue of it being a chemical, well lady... throw away ALL your medications, and you'd better hope you don't get any major illnesses. </div>
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<b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3657889/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_906229291"></span>Aspartame, for example, has no more likelihood to induce headache in people who consume it, than a placebo</a></b>;<span id="goog_906229292"></span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/" target="_blank"> <b>further studies of the association between aspartame and cancer found this association to be exclusive to rodent physiology</b></a>, <b><a href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/sweeten-edulcor/aspartame-eng.php" target="_blank">and not supported in humans</a></b>; and any idiot who has any knowledge of the body's digestive process knows that drinking something is NOT the same as injecting it in one's veins... otherwise we'd drink insulin. DUH. </div>
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Now there is some truth as to the likelihood of weight gain and usage of artificial sweeteners, but it is not due to artificial sweetener 'storage' in adipose tissues. </div>
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You see... the desire to eat is driven by the same reward-circuitry we have in our brains for other pleasurable activities, such as sex, and drugs (hot damn!) When we consume sweet foods in particular, they reward our pleasure senses, but they also trigger satiety mechanisms which tell our bodies we have had enough. Since artificial sweeteners do not possess any caloric content, they thus trigger those 'hedonistic' pleasure neuronal signals, but do not seem to trigger satiety signals. The hypothesis is that a person can end up over-craving, and overeating, or looking for more food, because they didn't feel 'satisfied.' Also, if one abuses sweet foods, one trains one's palate to prefer such sweet foods, over other foods, even craving them. The studies for these behaviors are not, by any means, definitive; they are often large population studies, from the 1980s, over a 7-8 year period. Food attitudes, and diet notions can change a lot in such a period... especially in the 80s, when people would often eat a slice a cake with a diet Coke, and think they were doing well; or consume honey, in place of sugar, and think they were cutting out problems. </div>
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This does not, by any means, mean that consumption of artificial sweeteners immediately leads to weight gain, on its own. It does not. If one is aware of one's eating, has a well balanced diet, and consumes enough water through the day, there really should be no problems. One of the prime examples of how artificial sweeteners do not lead to weight gain are the foolish anchors of this story, themselves, which at the end of the story (while not shown on this clip) were freaking out about all the foods they had consumed through the day, or earlier in the week -- while being the picture of fitness. </div>
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Interestingly enough, just to show HOW psychological this woman's perceived malaise was, from her artificial sweeteners, she claims she now consumes Stevia (by way of Truvia), which is "the only healthy alternative, right now." They assume this because Stevia is naturally derived... but in fact, Stevia is no different in way of 'anecdotal' symptoms expressed by consumers -- as well as, also, not having caloric content. If it's sweet, and it has no caloric content, it <i>should</i> behave in the same way as the other sweeteners when it comes to partial activation of food reward pathways. </div>
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One is left to ponder upon the other ways in which this woman was possibly not taking care of herself: not enough sleep, poor diet (hence a lack of vitamins), and dehydration. If she has any history of carpal tunnel, lack of enough Vitamin B-6 and Vitamin B-12 can seriously affect her joint health. It could have also been the result of poor hydration, if she was simply not having enough water (just chugging diet sodas), and was retaining a massive amount of water weight from dehydration (a safety mechanism), as well as causing her joint pain, and even muscle cramps, and torn tendons, in the presence of high activity (such as a 12 hour work day). These are all well known side effects of dehydration. </div>
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<a href="http://thewellnesswordsmith.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/quack_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://thewellnesswordsmith.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/quack_small.jpg" width="138" /></a>This was, simply, an inexcusable piece of irresponsible journalism, WHO-TV. A lot of people greatly depend on artificial sweeteners -- many with various illnesses they need to manage, such as diabetes. We live with enough guilt, as it is, without uneducated lay people giving us crap over a 'piece' they saw on your channel. When you create such poorly researched segments, what you do is push people into the arms of conspiracy theorists, scammers, and quacks, claiming they have the latest and best in 'natural' medicine, or a quick fix for their problems. Not to mention, WHO-TV, that you slander an industry. Sweeteners are used in all kinds of things, from toothpaste, to Lean Pockets. </div>
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This woman was simply living a poor lifestyle, and instead of taking responsibility, decided to blame the artificial sweeteners. And instead of researching, you went with questionable sources. The worst part is that you brought NO balance to your piece, only adding a lame 'Editor's Note' at the end of your hard-to-find written piece, with 'differing opinions.' WHO-TV, these aren't simply 'opinions.' You can have your own opinions, but you can't have your own FACTS, and then call those opinions. SHAME ON YOU! </div>
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Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-61981686148481427382013-05-12T22:54:00.002-05:002013-05-13T08:32:10.983-05:00The Seasons of Diabetes<br />
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<i><b>I wrote this post last fall -- and left it to 'simmer' under my drafts, until I felt I could more fully, and more maturely, develop it. </b></i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiEK91O3hMLzeoKc823yzBqNGnXpLElJT40AENlbue8B3gVTwO9uqtf0flqqsUK0aiDXYJ-xCfMMhawAm_gxB01CFpSv3xdv72H0F-Z98Mu4gXgViCp2swMfDdU0WD0S26cOKS3kUMc8/s1600/2985066904_02cd14c65c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiEK91O3hMLzeoKc823yzBqNGnXpLElJT40AENlbue8B3gVTwO9uqtf0flqqsUK0aiDXYJ-xCfMMhawAm_gxB01CFpSv3xdv72H0F-Z98Mu4gXgViCp2swMfDdU0WD0S26cOKS3kUMc8/s200/2985066904_02cd14c65c_o.jpg" width="150" /></a>It's cool outside. The air is crisp, and clean; tinged with so much moisture that I can feel its mist on my cheeks. Wondering home after work, in the early afternoon, gives me pause. The crunching leaves underneath my feet, the neon yellow colors, and the scent of trampled ginkgo biloba wakes me right up. Ginkgo biloba is pungent, that's for sure; it's scent is something between icky bodily functions, and rotting flesh.<br />
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No matter though. The heavy atmosphere begins to release a mild rain... and though there's no umbrella and it's quite cool outside, I find myself embracing the very awareness of being alive that the new season brings upon my senses.<br />
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I realize, suddenly, that I love Fall. But then, don't I also hate it sometimes? I know I've told myself that before... Why is that?<br />
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<i>[Walking gives one much time for thought. Deep thoughts by Jack Handy kind of thoughts, I guess. (If you hate walking for the exercise, well, at least love it for the thinking.)]</i><br />
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So... what is it that I love about Fall, or any season, anyway? The answer is both obvious, and not so obvious; one of those much clichéd "Aha!" Oprah kind of moments. I love seasons because of their promise of <i>RELIEF.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHvMAMzx_vmjQJnKU8CZiXbWcQP8V9U-A7nqD54fM2TPPRGHwvc5pQBBRYrJwuL736vZvXd5mZh6HyylfuKHpYsl2GYV23xYDFDUjZux5Tqk8nLv2QwFOQM0UK7CuL_bnCShXOJrVZqs/s1600/2694508448_1f6dd4abef_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHvMAMzx_vmjQJnKU8CZiXbWcQP8V9U-A7nqD54fM2TPPRGHwvc5pQBBRYrJwuL736vZvXd5mZh6HyylfuKHpYsl2GYV23xYDFDUjZux5Tqk8nLv2QwFOQM0UK7CuL_bnCShXOJrVZqs/s200/2694508448_1f6dd4abef_o.jpg" width="200" /></a>This brief moment of relief brings my soul much healing from the previous season; a much needed break from the burden of dealing with whatever else was before. Yes, relief. You see, I start out loving a season, and then it slowly becomes annoying to me, and outright burdensome... I then get sick of it, or even depressed from it. I get sick and tired of the stupid season! It seems long, and never ending... and there's only so much of -20°F or 100°F (and everything in between) one can tolerate. So, every new season brings me relief from the <i>previous</i> season. It brings me a much welcome change of pace<i>. </i>It brings me an opportunity to love life again. To smile... to take in the wonder of how much nature can change from one moment, to the next.<br />
<i><br /></i>And it's much the same with diabetes, and our "seasons" of self care, isn't it? We make up our minds to begin caring for ourselves, anew, and start out with the joyful promise of good things to come... and then we get sick of it. We seem to perpetually live in one season, and one season only -- often with little flexibility with our routines; we impose the new "season" on ourselves --with strong militance -- and then we burn out. Then after a little while, we start yet another season, but with the mindset of 'rectifying the previous bad behaviors.'<br />
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But, should we change things before our "season" changes <i>us</i> into something we don't want? Maybe we ought to begin a new season simply pondering what lead to the 'bad behaviors' in the first place... I know I'm guilty of it, particularly with my routines. With it's dietary calculations, carbohydrate juggling, testing, supplements, medication management, exercise routines, and doctors appointments -- diabetes can be one long, and boring, and often, depressing season. Some people thrive in that kind of season, just like some love perpetual sunny days... but once in a while, my soul needs a little rain.<br />
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So, how do we avoid this cycle? What can we do so that we don't get stuck being miserable, in a crappy season, and completely giving up on diabetes management, over and over again? Well, it's obvious that we're creatures of spontaneity -- we need, and crave change, so wherever we can, we must allow ourselves some flexibility. With this in mind, we must take a moment to consider...<br />
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a.) Which things are negotiable; and<br />
b.) Which things are not negotiable.<br />
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And we must be realistic. We need to sit down with ourselves, and realize that we simply cannot put everything in the "not negotiable" camp. For example -- as much as I, in principle, would love to eat nothing but eggs, every morning, so that I have the best blood glucose numbers -- I know that I am quite sick of eggs. I don't want eggs all the time; I don't want flax seed meal muffins, I don't want weird food. I want to eat a chicken soft taco, with lots pico de gallo, lettuce, and a little hot sauce. It's about 35-40 carbs. IT'S FINE. My morning blood sugars aren't below 100, but quite frankly, they don't go over 150, either... and I'm okay with that.<br />
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Will I have a bunch of cereal, of any kind, for breakfast? No. Cereal is not negotiable for me, and not even because of the spike. It's just not satisfying to me -- psychologically, it doesn't seem like I've eaten anything, and physically, it just doesn't fill me up. It makes me need more food, and I'm not much of a pleasant morning person to be going around, making extra things. I tend to like regular meals at that hour, OR, a light snack and a brunch later on. If we think about it, most breakfast foods are just an excuse to eat desserts in the morning, anyway. So... I'm not going to kill myself with eggs, nor cereals, nor weird substitutes. <br />
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Now, in my desire to eat with awareness, what I seek to avoid is binging; that is not negotiable. (As non-negotiable as completely giving up testing.) Overeating may happen from time to time, as we learn our limits -- but binging is not negotiable. So, what does my body want to eat, intuitively, the most? These days, my body wants and craves veggies the most. Non-starchy veggies, and lean proteins. Sometimes, though, I might crave a bit of creamy tomato soup, with a small portion of gnocchi in that soup -- and I can have that. I need to recognize, though, that I will NOT and CANNOT live forever on just veggies, and just protein. That the occasional starch and/or grain is okay -- even if it's not 'whole.' I am perfectly aware that this is not deadly, that it is not untenable, and that some people make the change, without issue -- but if I did this, I know I would soon fail. I am not a person, psychologically, to endure such a restriction -- to endure deprivation and strict eating rules. I do eat low carb most every day -- but every once in a while, I am OKAY with my blood sugar not being perfectly below 120 after every meal. If it's below 160, sometimes, it'll do. Yes -- it'll do. So... I tend to cycle some days when I eat very low carb, with some when I eat moderately low carb, and with some when I allow myself a treat. <b><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208184651.htm" target="_blank">Studies have shown that an intermittent low carb diet is still much better at reducing insulin levels in one's blood, than a Mediterranean diet (or standard dieting).</a> </b>We're not speaking of insane changes, here... It's not like I'm going to sit out in the rain all day, because I got tired of sunny days. (No, no... sorry, there's not going to be an "all brownie day." Put down the icing.) But maybe one or two days of splashing in some puddles might do me some good. After all, who wants to go to a favorite restaurant and ALWAYS have to stick to the same food option?<br />
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No one. They'd soon fail. So then, we must learn to be realistic, and keep a balance between our own desires for freedom, spontaneity and change -- and our limitations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlNrJdUT1pgMG65FPI1hFjn1ds07pRnSEAggTgEbp5V-oIUWcV91q3FIvQeTm1hOzjixOKu-YFRV12x_ZW5v2KozhYzxXUFCAmdsKnRETmLPrEetllxOM43JZP8RD5igC6D9Ew_PC0pI/s1600/Chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlNrJdUT1pgMG65FPI1hFjn1ds07pRnSEAggTgEbp5V-oIUWcV91q3FIvQeTm1hOzjixOKu-YFRV12x_ZW5v2KozhYzxXUFCAmdsKnRETmLPrEetllxOM43JZP8RD5igC6D9Ew_PC0pI/s200/Chocolate.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Another change in season which we may consider, is simply changing how we view the way a meal affects us. Not every meal is going to be perfectly within blood glucose goals -- but perhaps the bigger question should be: "how well do I feel when I eat it?" Quite frankly, I have to limit heavy breakfasts -- proteins with too much fat, or calories, will make me feel bogged down and sick -- even if they give me great numbers. Most of the time, I cannot handle a great work day, if I'm bogged down in a very heavy breakfast. I also can't eat very bitter or tart foods at that hour, like yogurt, or grapefruit. Hey, I admire the people who eat that every day, and can get away with it -- but it seems to be unsatisfying to me, both physically, and emotionally. On the other hand, a home made tomato soup, with lots of veggies, and a bit of gnocchi -- while giving me blood glucose levels sometimes in the 160s -- make me happy, joyful, and healthy. And the highs do not last very long. Since I've started eating more like this, I've also had better fasting numbers in the mornings -- usually in the 80s.<br />
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But perhaps, by far -- one of the things we ought to consider when managing our 'seasons' with diabetes, is to enlist the help of our friends and family. If one has a "Type 3" person enlisted in one's care, one should use this moment now to plan out a 'new season' with them. That could be as simple as choosing one or two weekends a month, where <i>they</i> are the person who makes meals, so that you don't have to be the main meal maker ALL the time. Or, it could be the other way around... maybe <i>we</i> can be the main meal maker, so that we give one's Type 3 a break from having to make <i>our</i> meals all the time. Learning to plan, and prepare, diabetes-healthy meals can be a lot of fun, sometimes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSQHI-5t3sYv0MdC-D2vGcWIKlX8VPpar1Q-eyyQ94PvYgzHjW3IIsC3MdSRVVk9c3Mh3OZudja76ExUgNB5w83NQeRrniTQlnC1RYmO1tqec-yOaM4etM7zfzOWrSImxD7OF6OnIf2o/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSQHI-5t3sYv0MdC-D2vGcWIKlX8VPpar1Q-eyyQ94PvYgzHjW3IIsC3MdSRVVk9c3Mh3OZudja76ExUgNB5w83NQeRrniTQlnC1RYmO1tqec-yOaM4etM7zfzOWrSImxD7OF6OnIf2o/s200/001.JPG" width="150" /></a>What concessions are we willing to give ourselves in order to learn why the caged bird sings? Diabetes is a steady stream of seasons; it's best to let ourselves change and flow with the wisdom they bring. I'm only 36, and I have a good 30+ more years with this disease, so I have to learn to run a good race... and be consistent at it. This, for someone like me, is a HUGE challenge... and though I may seem like I have it all together, believe me, I'm still, very much, a work in progress.<br />
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I never have quite the same consistent answers about my eating habits, or exercise routine... because well, there is no consistent answer. I simply try to do whatever makes me feel healthy, so long as Mr. Meter approves... and I'm not sick of it. Mr. Meter, though, is going to have to learn to be a bit more flexible, sometimes. Or he'll end up decorating my wall. As you can see by this 14 day average, he can be a real drill Sargent, sometimes... even with those silly, googly eyes.<br />
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In order to survive, we need to change our seasons. We need to redecorate, to transform, to change the same four 'diabetes walls' we stare at, every day... because we need <i>RELIEF. </i><br />
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<i>Sometimes, our souls just need a little rain.</i>Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-15626653278763896022013-04-26T21:53:00.000-05:002013-04-26T22:32:37.579-05:00Temptation Wears a Red Dress Pin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xu5BgWlktIMJ1UJohC1dY7RjPSAfaLffRHZA_1cOBaxCCVKdkZqWYzS2Y60EhJpaUewZh9do8xPo1Igv8qYR_xUbfooSDKB7dV_rc2vWqLfeWB9KFxSnO0EfdAsotlDk0O_RcEn83IM/s1600/4863584421_035146fb48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xu5BgWlktIMJ1UJohC1dY7RjPSAfaLffRHZA_1cOBaxCCVKdkZqWYzS2Y60EhJpaUewZh9do8xPo1Igv8qYR_xUbfooSDKB7dV_rc2vWqLfeWB9KFxSnO0EfdAsotlDk0O_RcEn83IM/s200/4863584421_035146fb48.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Many of you might know that, currently, I work as a cashier for a local restaurant. It can sometimes be a fast paced job, with unique 'diabetes adventures,' as well as unique opportunities to meet people. Sometimes, it's just an opportunity to see people react weirdly to their environments.<br />
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Our restaurant isn't exactly a health venue. It's a local fast food type joint, which has at least, some merits: it's privately owned, it makes all of it's food fresh-from-scratch, and since it's family owned, the people are wonderful to work with. For the most part. Every job has it's ups and downs.<br />
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I admit I've never been what you would call -- a people person. But I can be a congenial person, and I do love watching people; studying them in their environments, when they think I'm not watching them. Especially as a cashier. Cashiers are like wallpaper to a customer.<br />
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One thing which has come as a sort of surprise to me is that most of the people who eat at our restaurant are pretty thin. They'll order the largest thing in the whole joint, deep fat fried, and a trash-can sized cup of soda. Some come and eat this EVERY DAY. Always looking the same weight. Lucky bastards. Then there's the heavy women. They're always ordering salads. A salad, and a cup for water... or a salad, and a diet Coke. And they always look heavy. They never seem to lose weight.<br />
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Of course, I don't live with these people -- I don't know what they do or eat when they're not at our restaurant. Who knows if the thin people go running every day, or if the heavier people go eat their entire refrigerators, later. I don't know. But it's a very interesting thing to watch. It makes me feel curious about all the accusations people always have for the obese, like they live, and breathe, fast food... and the level of self awareness some of them must have when they dine out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9N4X3XD8dcdKuY-Lhn1N6RYvfki6hD-oYiEBsC1mcIwx6slgmkFVL56VZItln1EfU3b9QMR-7z9Z5RWv1imjdP-hKzXQ1Zr0_jNgf0fQ7K-z3WWy_vfx1xvaV9z4ceIEtiX62f3VPkY/s1600/2_crispburrito.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9N4X3XD8dcdKuY-Lhn1N6RYvfki6hD-oYiEBsC1mcIwx6slgmkFVL56VZItln1EfU3b9QMR-7z9Z5RWv1imjdP-hKzXQ1Zr0_jNgf0fQ7K-z3WWy_vfx1xvaV9z4ceIEtiX62f3VPkY/s200/2_crispburrito.png" width="200" /></a>And speaking of self awareness... a very curious thing happened to me last Monday. This slender, tall, vivacious looking woman approaches the register, and I happily greet her. She makes eye contact with me, and suddenly, starts freaking out: "Please don't judge me for what I'm about to order because I'm wearing a <b><a href="http://www.goredforwomen.org/" target="_blank">red dress pin</a></b>, and I'm about to order really unhealthy food." Quite frankly, I hadn't even noticed the red pin. I was simply more intent on getting her order, and getting it right. I tried to reassure her "Oh, don't worry, it's okay." She looks at me, half smiles, and places her order: two fried items, with a side of fried tater tots, and soda. Then she says "You know, we're allowed to have a treat once in a while." Again, I offer the supportive reply, "Of course. I completely understand." Then she looks flustered, and says "You know what, I'm just going to take it off," as if it were an electronic ankle bracelet, from her local parole officer.<br />
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So many responses ran through my mind... like "Lady, I don't give two shits about your damn red dress pin." Obviously, I couldn't have used that one. I smiled warmly, and just offered a light-hearted "Oh, don't you worry yourself about it!," and with a side wink, an "I won't tell."<br />
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I also thought... Should I have told her "Hey, I have diabetes. I understand?" I didn't do so... I try not to tell people too much about my private life -- mostly, because I can tell people like that wallpaper feeling when they get their food. (I admit, I don't care too much for knowing people's personal stories when they're just selling me something.) I also thought to myself, "What if she judges me the way she thought I was judging her?" She might think to herself "Of course she has diabetes... look at where she works!" or "look at how heavy she is!" or some other lame conclusion -- as people often love to believe about us people with type 2 diabetes.<br />
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But I have to admit, I was quite surprised at her. She felt guilty, from the pin, and it made her aware of her behavior. It was giving her an accountability -- which was only in her mind, really -- but which was a reminder to herself of how she wasn't taking care of herself.<br />
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That this woman was embarrassed because of a disease she didn't even have, and of choices she knew were poor, was quite the irony... She may have the option of removing her red dress pin, and ending the stigma, but people who are obese can't easily remove their weight, and put it away, like some sort of suit, and weird fashion statement. We can't easily shut down the stigma, and judgment, others might give us for our condition -- nor can we cure our diabetes with a green salad and a diet Coke. And I sure as heck wish I could 'put my diabetes away,' like some kind of pin, for when I wanted to eat junk... as I'm sure many women with heart disease might wish they could do the same.<br />
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And I thought... well, maybe I ought to get a diabetes pin. A pin which always reminds me that I must care for myself. That my health is important... a pin which might make people ask me what it is, perhaps. Blue Fridays is just something meaningless at my workplace, because all my shirts are blue. :-) No one would think to ask, nor could I claim it was 'my choice.' But a blue circle pin, on the other hand... that's a different thing.<br />
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A blue circle pin can be awareness, accountability, responsibility, and advocacy. A way to not only remind ourselves of how we matter -- to care for our own bodies -- but to also show others we can do this, and we're not afraid to show it. If I feel bad, on a certain day, I can always take it off.<br />
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It's an idea, anyway... Do you feel self conscious in front of strangers when you order junk? Pin, or no pin? Some people always seem to emphasize the diet drink, especially. That's a DIET drink, with the side of fried food. heh We're silly humans, after all.<br />
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We're all just so easily embarrassed, I guess.<br />
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But perhaps it ought to be a BIG reminder that if we can't handle the imagined stigma of any one disease, even for ONE moment, perhaps we ought to be kind to those who CAN'T easily remove any of their health challenges, like a pin. We need to give others some empathy, some respect, and some space... Especially, when it comes to occasionally letting their hair down, and tasting life.Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-6180225364861063842013-04-17T20:00:00.000-05:002013-04-18T08:57:42.774-05:00The Privilege of Living with DiabetesDear Beautiful Person (<i>who happens to have diabetes)</i>,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIc_P79_0unIR1o3OcUvoNjNwcgDP6yQ6VrlSk88l7jdV1gEBDFlCXNUXFS6D8n1JVZee5OBLaGtLciGaxGFH13oizA8zOiMTCmBydTTWeua5eCPzzqaqDEmVJcYtRl7KuqyHhBh3QbEw/s1600/Nebula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIc_P79_0unIR1o3OcUvoNjNwcgDP6yQ6VrlSk88l7jdV1gEBDFlCXNUXFS6D8n1JVZee5OBLaGtLciGaxGFH13oizA8zOiMTCmBydTTWeua5eCPzzqaqDEmVJcYtRl7KuqyHhBh3QbEw/s200/Nebula.jpg" width="182" /></a>Today, you are here. Is there a purpose to your being here? A universal, master purpose? Many claim to have the answer to this, but the honest response is that <i>no one knows.</i> The question is, in fact, irrelevant. You are here. That is a fact. Everything else is just speculation.<br />
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It matters not if it's an illusion, a grand plan, a godly design, or a happenchance. You are here.<br />
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And while you are here, think upon the magnitude of your existence: The last science knew, the universe was 13.8 billion years old. During much of that time, Earth was a big, hot mess. Life only began to evolve 3.5 billion years ago. Modern man, alone, has only existed for about 200,000 years... and only in the last 30 years or so, have we seen vast improvements in industry, technology, education, science... and medicine.<br />
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Medicine.<br />
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If you would have been diagnosed with diabetes (of almost any type) back in the 1800s, it was most certainly a death sentence -- if not, a very challenging life.<br />
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Insulin wasn't discovered as a treatment for diabetes until the 1920s, thanks to Banting and Best, when many children were literally dying of malnutrition and emaciation. Banting had the heart to insist on not patenting their new-found medicine, so that it could reach as many as needed it.<br />
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Metformin was invented in the 1920s as well, and has been used in other countries since the 40s, and 50s. It was not, however, approved in the United States for use with type 2 diabetes until 1994! Yes, that is not a typo. 1994.<br />
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Back in the pre-insulin days, starvation was all people knew to do to control diabetes. To eat basically no carbohydrates, or really anything much -- as proteins and fats can also raise glucose (though, admittedly, to a lesser degree). Many simply died because it was so stressful -- or they just couldn't resist pinching food, while no one was watching.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3nbMehiGVH00MXsX_A7kB8jEXxVEjQzHjvH5g2hdeGWDFJmLYLA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3nbMehiGVH00MXsX_A7kB8jEXxVEjQzHjvH5g2hdeGWDFJmLYLA" width="200" /></a>It wasn't until the 1980s when a person with diabetes was able to monitor their levels, independently, and the first glucose monitors appeared. If they had insulin -- that was a good tool -- but if they didn't, all they knew to do was avoid eating sweets. Diabetes has always been with us, at least in the archaeological records, since Egyptian times, and we've known it's a disease about high glucose, but aside from that, there wasn't much monitoring of glucose levels until well into the 80s. Ask anyone who was diagnosed many years ago, and they will tell you stories of urine testing (sometimes, once a month, at a doctor's office), and sharpening and boiling their own needles, for sterility.<br />
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In fact... we really didn't know that diabetes was not a disease caused by eating excess sugar and sweets, until at least the early 90s. The other day, I saw a very old VHS tape for an old Vitamix blender I have acquired, and in it, they recommended diabetics substituting honey, in place of sugar. I guess in their minds, anything that was natural sugar, was not really sugar.<br />
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And here we are now... 2013. With a variety of different types of insulin, mimicking both basal and bolus outputs from our pancreas, insulin pumps and CGMs to allow us to eat with more freedom and catch hypoglycemic events, the knowledge of counting carbohydrates and the freedom to eat cake, diabetes alert dogs, and glucose meters small, sleek, or indistinguishable from an iPod, small, and painless needles... and on the thresholds of smart insulin, biohub and artificial pancreas options, and noninvasive glucose testing.<br />
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Yes. Diabetes is still hard. But we are blessed to live in 2013, and not 1913. We can see ourselves as the victims of fate, or as the blessed recipients of a grand universal lottery. Think about the kind of life you have the chance to pursue, right now... that you would have never had a chance to pursue back then. Let it sink in -- let it's blessings humble you. </div>
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Yes... diabetes can be embarrassing. But all disease is humbling. </div>
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Even if you never had diabetes, life is much of an embarrassing process, as well... At birth, and near death... someone has to wipe our behinds. We get old, and lose our good looks... we may get cancer, and lose our breasts, we may get alopecia, and lose our hair... We may be like Farrah Fawcett, and get colon cancer -- <i>colon</i> cancer. </div>
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Illness is humbling -- for we have to accept that we are frail, that we get sick, that we get old, and yes, sometimes... that we haven't always done the best to take care of ourselves. But, can you think of anyone who has been perfect -- all of their lives? Always perfect? I know one or two who <i>claim</i> they were -- and you know what -- I honestly don't like them very much. For one, they are liars. They may have read the manual on living, but they haven't actually lived very much. No one learns to ride a bike from reading a book -- and thus it is with living. Some of us just have to fall a few more times, than others... and it is our beautiful, gnarly scars, which make us who we are.</div>
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I never thought of Farrah Fawcett as much of a hero -- until her war with colon cancer. And I never thought much at all, about Ryan O'Neal, until his passionate devotion to the woman he sought to wed on her deathbed. </div>
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Don't be angry at your loved ones, beautiful person (<i>who happens to have diabetes)</i>. It is not a matter of blame. It is not a matter of fault. Don't leave this world, and lose hope... for these massive amount of events I have listed had to have gone through... and for you to be here, in this point in time. Your loved one, well... your loved one simply <i>LOVES</i> you. They are in deep fear because they do not want to be without you -- at least -- not sooner than life will <i>will. Can we blame them? </i></div>
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I was angry once... at my father for (in my own warped perception) not trying harder, at life and circumstance, and God, and you name it. I was once that angry loved one... living in FEAR. Sheer fear. But, you see... for whatever reason, you are here -- in this very moment in time, and a time when you happened to meet your loved one. This is a very precious moment in time... In fact, to quote Lawrence Krauss -- a renowned Theoretical Physicist: </div>
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“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements - the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life - weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode . . . The stars died so that you could be here today.”</blockquote>
Is diabetes embarrassing? Well, sometimes... But I am in fact honored to be so privileged to be alive, today... right now... Experiencing this universe, the love of friends, and family... The patter of rain on my window pains, the loving purr of my cat, and the imperfect love and friendship of that idiot that still lives here which I call my husband.<br />
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Yes, I am honored... to be living here, and living with diabetes.Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2701506015859560674.post-67184654438444253042013-04-04T17:02:00.001-05:002013-04-04T17:02:49.324-05:00The Diabetes Funk <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuaJB8-UvlYTJeGq_Dj7c8EelW4tWJG7xRazkkEAkYqoi1ZrEEhyrMZiyo93gHH9DYpvwG_tQ5SM96C7-1MXX-Y84ymkmhQTKOcxaN6UybanjFbrQWF3fiTVydr8cGXRn0kIjrGSCXQg/s1600/dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuaJB8-UvlYTJeGq_Dj7c8EelW4tWJG7xRazkkEAkYqoi1ZrEEhyrMZiyo93gHH9DYpvwG_tQ5SM96C7-1MXX-Y84ymkmhQTKOcxaN6UybanjFbrQWF3fiTVydr8cGXRn0kIjrGSCXQg/s200/dragon.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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One of the wonderful things of having a blog is that, often, people ask you deep questions; deep questions which you may be working towards resolving, yourself... (unbeknownst to the reader) thus, giving one ample opportunities to think "out loud," if one could, on the internet. </div>
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I'd like to address one of those questions...<br />
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It's a particularly common one. Many people ask me this question, and it's truly one which is bound to come up in a person with diabetes' life sooner or later: "How do I get out of a funk??? Can you point me in a direction to get my eating back on track?"<br />
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I think it's safe to say, this question has no easy, or simple answer.<br />
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Whenever we get into a funk, we are in many ways, tired of the burden we have to bear. We have to come to grips with that, and acknowledge it, before we can even begin to understand how to fix it.<br />
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<b>We have to recognize that we are tired... </b><br />
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In particular, with type 2 diabetes, we are tired of having to guard against an invisible monster -- who much like the boogeyman under the bed, or inside the closet -- seems as a figment of our own imaginations. That's the big problem with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes -- particularly, at the stages where we have no complications, or can manage with just diet and exercise, or even with some oral medications. How does one keep being a lookout for something that never seems to show up? How can one take it seriously? Why does one need to keep taking pills for something that doesn't seem to show up? It seems a bit hard to believe that the minute we stop being a lookout, something will show up. And then... outsiders don't help. They can't see anything serious, either, so many egg us on to just 'enjoy life,' or to quit being 'melodramatic.' "Come on, it's not like you have cancer."<br />
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This particular dynamic makes it hard to commit to making serious changes in one's health, particularly when one has had a lifetime of other choices etched into our internal scripts.<br />
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<b>We have to recognize that this is real... </b><br />
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Sometimes, we forget that the point of the exercise is NOT the waiting for something to show up -- but to intimidate the something into NOT showing up. It seems as a futile exercise with no rewards. But... if I shine a light in the closet, well, the monsters never materialize. The child never asks "But what's the point of this flashlight? I never see monsters in the closet, so why should I need it?" No. The child merely reasons "the flashlight scares the monsters away, and keeps them from coming." The things we do... the exercise, the diet, the medications. They all come together, in one big, powerful flashlight.<br />
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We can change part of our mindset by simply changing how we ask the question.<br />
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Now, how sensible would it be... if a person with HIV decided that all their treatments were pointless, because AIDS was not a real threat (somehow)? And we all understand how nonsensical it is for a person with a deep mental health concern, to forgo medications, because they now feel well... But it is, in essence, the same dynamic. We are all fighting to keep something larger, at bay, which is as real as full blown AIDS, or as real as cancer. In fact, it is so real, that diabetes kills more people than AIDS and breast cancer, COMBINED.<br />
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Yet, people like to speak of it as if it were a mere inconvenience -- like some kind of bunion on your foot, that bugs you when you walk... when it's more of a darker, more sinister situation. I'll save you the metaphor... I'm sure you don't need it, right now. But I'm sure we've all been there, and thought deeply about the darker sides of diabetes.<br />
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<b>We have to recognize that diabetes is scary... </b><br />
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Especially when people are always gracing us with stories of their Aunt Jenny, who lost her foot, or their Uncle Bob, who had to go on dialysis. Diabetes can instill a serious dose of fear into those who live with it, and who struggle holding up that flashlight into the closet -- often making us feel we're doomed into an uncertain future. We get tired, we don't want to face reality, and we get scared into inaction. And it's probably because diabetes is more like an endless night, and the flashlight eventually needs new batteries.</div>
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So we fumble. </div>
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We fumble, and we won't eat 'right,' or we won't take the god-awful medications, or we 'fudge' the insulin. We want to pretend normalcy, again. We want to believe we live in a world where <i>we are not</i> the ones with diabetes. Or, perhaps, where we <i>sinned</i> and then got diabetes. But... why shouldn't we be the ones with diabetes? Do you know of anyone else more worthy of having diabetes than you, or I? More deserving, somehow? Who had it coming? What makes someone worthy, or not, of having diabetes? Or of having any disease? The answer is <i>nothing</i>. Both birth, and death... happen to <i>all of us. </i>The number one risk factor for getting ill... is living. And if you enjoyed your living, thus far, make peace with it. Don't somehow, 'forgive yourself',' as if you've erred. You haven't. No. Make peace with it. You lived, you loved... and that's what we ALL do. In our own way. Now it's time to live differently. To enjoy differently. </div>
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Diabetes is not a judgment on your previous life; it is merely, a different life. In many ways, coming to terms with accepting diabetes, is coming to terms with our own mortality, for managing one, is preserving the other. </div>
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And we have to strive to preserve life, to enjoy life. To take life one step at a time.</div>
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<b>We have to recognize that it takes baby steps...</b></div>
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It takes baby steps to accept our life, our mortality, and the things we need to embrace to preserve that life. Managing diabetes is an exercise in self-love. And self love is something that takes a great deal of patience, and self-awareness. </div>
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There are a few things one can do, such as:</div>
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<li><b>Start small:</b> Seek to make one small change a day, and focus on it for an extended period of time. Perhaps that change can be as small as taking your medications as prescribed, until it becomes an innate habit. Or, perhaps that change can be going out for a small walk around the block, every morning... Maybe even just having ONE meal a day in which you have a non-starchy vegetable. You get the idea... </li>
<li><b>Work on other projects: </b>Often, when I feel my health life is a mess, I simply go and deep clean the living room, or the bedroom, or the bathroom... or I organize the kitchen. It seems silly, but it often helps give me motivation to take on almost anything -- and put it back in order. Plus, it helps give me some immediate victories to focus on, and not look for the constant 'far away' victory of 'not worsening my diabetes.' In essence, I shift the focus to something else, more immediate. And it's silly, but it helps me feel a bit whole. It's a great big victory when one has cleaned out an entire closet full of junk! So... shift the focus.</li>
<li><b>Give yourself time off: </b><strike>Diabetes is like a job.</strike> Diabetes IS a job. It's a 24/7 job in which you get no time off, and constant worry. You're meant to always watch your health, mind what you eat, and test, test, test... always worried the boogeyman is coming through the door. We tend to get very strict with ourselves -- jump on all manner of fad diets, cleanses, and various things -- because we want to fix the problem NOW. (It's a leftover problem from how we deal with weight, and obesity, and they don't work, and they are wrong.) Look... even skinny people let their hair down once in a while. Schedule one day a week, where you let yourself have some kind of fun, with yourself -- or friends and family -- and look forward to it. You can have a slice or two of pizza... if you like. The world will NOT end, and your foot will NOT fall off. </li>
<li><b>Do not judge yourself: </b>"I can't believe that wimp's been running that marathon for 10 miles, and he's already tired! Let's berate him until he makes it to the finish line!" -- said no one, ever. Diabetes is a marathon. You're going to get tired, emotional, upset... and sometimes make bad decisions. IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is another day. Recognize and accept those feelings. <i>DO NOT ABANDON YOURSELF.</i> Simply acknowledge yourself... and see what you learn! Tomorrow is ALWAYS the beginning of a brand new year, not January 1st. </li>
<li><b>Don't hide: </b>Find a support system. I know... family, and friends, often don't get what we go through. But if you're reading this blog, you're probably already a bit familiar with the diabetic online community. In it, you can find lots of people who like you, and I, are going through this struggle. You can vent to us! We know, and we can relate. There are a lot of places where you can read through people's sincere journeys of struggle, and hope -- or where you can read others' questions, and learn from the responses they get -- even if you want to remain anonymous. </li>
<li><b><i>Ponder </i>the benefits: </b>Do you like feeling good? Do you like having energy? Do you like feeling confident that you can set, and complete goals? Do you like not getting sick as often? Do you want to have health and energy for your family? I know I take these for granted more than I would like, and when I do... it's easy for me to get into a funk. </li>
<li><b>Seek appropriate medical advise: </b>Find a medical team that is willing to work with you, and to educate you. If need be, find a therapist who has experience with patients facing chronic health conditions. Diabetes is very much a psycho-social health condition, as well as a physical ailment. It's very hard to make progress when you work with people who seek to blame you, or leave you off on your own, with few tools to work with. This also goes for managing any side complications you may have, which may add to the burden of diabetes, such as hypothyroidism, depression or carpal tunnel worries. With carpal tunnel, for example, a good doctor can set you up with overnight braces, to keep pain at bay, as well as with a steady Vitamin B6 therapy to help reduce inflammation. Proper hypothyroid medication can also help reduce depression issues. And -- it's important to mention -- that reducing blood glucose levels helps improve ALL of these conditions to some degree, or another. </li>
<li><b>Seek to learn about 'the funk': </b>There are quite a few resources, available, from persons going through 'the funk,' which can help you be better prepared the next time you feel you might stumble. The goal isn't so much 'averting' a stumble -- but learning from it, and getting back up! </li>
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<li>From vlogs, to blog posts... We like to call 'the funk' <b><i>diabetes burnout.</i> </b></li>
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUpibnNSyrc" target="_blank">Tips to Help Beat Diabetes Burnout - #16</a></b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.diabetesmine.com/2011/09/five-ways-i-got-over-diabetes-burnout.html" target="_blank"><b>“Five Ways I Got Over Diabetes Burnout”</b></a></li>
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<li>A few books you can read are: </li>
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Burnout-What-When-Anymore/dp/1580400337" target="_blank">"Diabetes Burnout"</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Eating-Diabetes-Creating-Relationship/dp/0988452308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354636689&sr=8-1&keywords=Emotional+Eating+with+diabetes" target="_blank">"Emotional Eating with Diabetes"</a></b></li>
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As a person living through her third year of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, I am <i>far</i> from being an expert in these topics. I struggle along like a blind man, in a dark room, trying to find a black cat. I have to constantly remind myself that, though I may know how to play the game, I need to actually <i>play</i> the game. I hope that, even with all the things I have said here, just the thought of knowing someone else out there is going through a similar battle... is enough of a wind beneath your wings. </div>
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It's certainly given me an excuse to ponder some of these things... a bit more than I would like. :) </div>
Lizmarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807048593487676705noreply@blogger.com4