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Just Diagnosed?
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News for the diabetes newbie
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By John McIntosh
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MediZine's Healthy Living Summer 2009
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 The doctor has just told you that you have diabetes—so you listen, take notes and ask questions. But once you leave the office, your mind goes blank. You’ve started your first year with diabetes as millions of folks do, overwhelmed by the diagnosis and unprepared to figure out how to handle it. Unfortunately, not all doctors have the knowledge or the resources to help you through this difficult transition.
That’s why Theresa Garnero, an advanced practice R.N. and certified diabetes educator at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, has written Your First Year With Diabetes: What to Do Month to Month.
“The first year with diabetes, there’s a lot to handle,” she says. “You have to come to terms with the diagnosis. Then you have to find ways to take charge and adhere to your doctor’s treatment guidelines. And you want to feel good about yourself and your future.”
Garnero provides daily advice for the first two weeks, but says, “You don’t have to be just diagnosed. This applies to anyone who has re solved to take better charge of their diabetes.”
Almost 24 million Americans now have diabetes. A
total of 18 million of those folks have been diagnosed. That means 6
million of us have diabetes but don’t know it.
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Day 1 Get mentally prepared for your journey with diabetes. Think positive thoughts, recognize the mind-body connection, and do something soothing for yourself, such as taking a hot bath or listening to music you love.
Day 2 Take time to read books on diabetes, and visit reputable diabetes sites (diabetes.org, jdrf.org, remedylife.com). Information is available to help you every step of the way.
Day 3 Examine your nutritional habits, and talk to a dietitian about improving your diet or losing weight.
Day 4 Take a walk.
Day 5 Monitor your glucose levels regularly. Find a glucose monitor you like, and use it to understand how your glucose levels fluctuate with food intake, exercise, tension and sleep.
Day 6 Take your medicines as prescribed—faithfully. And if you can’t, let your doctor know why.
Day 7 Create a safety net. Rely on the support, encouragement and knowledge of friends, family and experts.
Day 8 Count—but don’t necessarily cut out—carbohydrates. Remember that carbohydrate-intake decisions should be based not just on quantity but on quality as well.
Day 9 Shake it—don’t break it. If you have high blood pressure, talk with your doctor about what type of exercise is best for you.
Day 10 Learn how to recognize and respond to low blood sugar episodes. Dipping too low is not uncommon and can make you feel terrible. It can even lead to coma or death.
Day 11 Take care of your feet every day. Your walking and exercise shoes should fit properly and not rub or irritate your skin. And every night you should examine your
feet to make sure you don’t have any sores or red spots.
Day 12 Minimize medication side effects: Ask the doctor what time of day is best to take your medicines.
Day 13 Monitor your blood pressure. About 75 percent of people with diabetes have high blood pressure. Since cardiovascular disease is the leading complication of diabetes, it pays to be vigilant about controlling pressure.
Day 14 Defuse the stress of dealing with diabetes. Focus on things that relieve stress, such as exercising more, improving your diet and moderating your reactions to others.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of
genetic and environmental factors. In general, people who are over 45,
overweight and have a family history of diabetes are at greatest risk.
African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans are especially prone.
The
most serious warning signs are prediabetes (in which blood sugar levels
are higher than normal) and a cluster of risk factors (obesity, low HDL
cholesterol, high triglycerides and hypertension) known as metabolic
syndrome. Estimates are 57 million Americans have prediabetes; untold
millions more have metabolic syndrome.
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