12/29/10

Truth or Myth . . .

As with anything in life Diabetes comes with its own myths. If you are uneducated in regards to this disease, then what you think you may know might not be correct. There are many misconceptions surrounding diabetes and I am going to explore a couple of these with the help of the following two articles: Diabetes myths & 10 Diabetes diet myths.


I think one of the biggest myths regarding the disease has to so with sugar and sweets. While diabetics have to watch the foods they eat more closely, they can still eat what they want, including sweets. The key is moderation. As long as you don't overdo it, you can still have your sweet treats. Exercise is also key when adding sweets into your diet as it helps lower your blood sugar. So just remember, being diagnosed as a diabetic does not mean you have to give up all your favorite candy and desserts. Eating too many sweets does not cause diabetes.

Another myth surrounding diabetes is that if you are overweight, then you will develop diabetes. This just isn't true. Yes being overweight adds to the risk of developing the disease, but so do other things such as family history and age. You are just as likely to develop diabetes if you are fat or skinny.

I think these are the two biggest myths that revolve around in one's mind when you think of diabetes. Just because something sounds logical and true doesn't mean that it is. So please, if you are not sure of something, look it up before you spread more myths rather than truths.

12/18/10

Me and Hannah Montana

So I was sitting here today watching Hannah Montana (yes it is a guilty pleasure for me) and it was the first time I had seen this specific episode. It was the one where Miley and Lilly learn Oliver has Type 1 Diabetes. While watching it it made me think of the knowledge, or lack thereof, that I had when I was diagnosed. I remember when I had the appointment to have my blood drawn just prior to my diagnosis I had the thought I better not eat anything too sugary the day before because I didn't want it to skew my blood work. Little did i know that it really wouldn't since the blood test measured a 2 to 3 month average of my blood sugar. I think i can honestly say I really didn't know anything about the disease prior to being diagnosed. Of course I had heard of it, but i really didn't know how it worked, or rather didn't work.

It is things like this that make me really want to spread the word and help educate those who do not know!

12/12/10

The Holidays, Treats, & Parties

Things have been busy here these last couple of weeks, so i have not really had time to post. But i was recently asked the following question and thought I would share it all with you:
So do the holiday treats and office parties have any impact on your diabetes?

I have to say I am lucky in this regard because we don't really have office parties. So I do not need to worry about all the treats and food. At most my department has a holiday luncheon, but it is a voluntary thing and you don't have to participate if you don't want to. I usually don't; because i am usually such a picky eater and a lot of times we don't know what there will be for food. So it is just safer for me to bring my own lunch. And these luncheons are not the kind where everyone just sits down together and eats. Most people just take the food back to their desks and keep working, so i am not really missing out on much.

Usually the only holiday treats I see at work are when someone might give me a card that has a candy cane attached. As this happens rarely i don't have to worry about it. The only time i really have to be careful is when i go home to my mother's for the holiday. There is always so much good food there for our Christmas meal I have to be careful how much i eat. And if i am not, then i just need to make a point to get in more exercise to counteract all the carbs I ate.

12/2/10

Bonus Days: December 1 - What’s next?

Even though American Diabetes Month is over, diabetes continues to be a 24/7/365 disease. What will you do to keep America’s focus on diabetes?

I know, this is a day late because i just did not a chance to post it yesterday. Better late than never!

I know that the odds of just one person being able to keep America's focus on diabetes is slim, but I can certainly do my best to keep informing my friends, family, and blog readers about Diabetes and the things they can do to help. Even though American Diabetes Month is over, I plan to do my best to keep blogging about diabetes. As stated, this is not just a month ling disease, but something that requires constant attention. So that means we should always be looking to spread the word about diabetes.

As I mentioned before, I added a red streak in my hair in honor of American Diabetes Month. Well that month is over, but the red streak lives on in my hair. I plan on keeping it indefinitely in honor of all of us who have to live with diabetes. Any time I get asked about it, i will gladly explain what it is all about. I feel it is one little way that I can keep the focus on diabetes. I also plan to do whatever I can to help the cause. This year i had participated in my first Step Out event and I plan to do it again next year. I have even already started a change jar to start raising my own donation for next year and have passed the amount i donated this year already. I am even hoping to try to put together a team next year. So far my husband is on board with this and will be participating in next year's event with me.

I also plan to start looking for other events in my area that i can participate in. I have decided it is time for me to become more involved and plan on taking the steps necessary to do this. Odds are I am going to have to live with this the rest of my life and I don't plan on sitting around doing nothing about it. Every person I can help educate means they can then pass that information along. I can end up informing lots of people this way. So that is my goal, to bring awareness one person at a time.


Diabetes Fact: Among adults with diagnosed diabetes (type 1 or type 2), 14% take insulin only, 13% take both insulin and oral medication, 57% take oral medication only, and 16% do not take either insulin or oral medication.