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.

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!

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.

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.

Bonus Days: Day 30 - Wrap Up

It’s the last day of American Diabetes Month 2010!  If you had to leave one lasting impression on people about diabetes, what would you say?
There are so many things I could say to people about diabetes. The topics are endless. But if I had to impress one thing on people it would be that Diabetes doe not mean the end of the world. As long as you take care of yourself with the right diet and exercise, you could manage your diabetes control for some time. People can go many years without having to be on medications for this disease as long as they are taking care of themselves. While there is not a cure for this disease, it doesn't have to be the killer that it is. Until there is a cure, all of us diabetics just ned to learn the facts and take care of our bodies. And in the meantime, spread the word to more people know!

Diabetes Fact: People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses. Once they acquire these illnesses, they often have worse prognoses. For example, they are more likely to die with pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.

Bonus Days: Day 29 - “Mouthwatering Monday”

How long did those Thanksgiving Day leftovers last? Leftovers can be a useful strategy in saving money and making your portions smaller, but many people don’t like them. How do you feel about leftovers?

 I absolutely LOVE leftovers! I tend to be a lot lazy when it comes to cooking, so i usually plan a lot of my meals with leftovers in mind. i know on some level this is not good because I am making so much extra food, but if I just eat the planned amount, then it is not a problem. Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of my favorite times to have leftovers. I just love frying up the turkey meal leftovers all in one pan, so good!!

You can get really creative with leftovers as well. You can cook them over again in new ways and end up with even better meals! Plus some meals are just plain better the second time around. I have always been a fan and supporter of leftovers and will continue to be so!

Diabetes Fact: Data from the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet indicates there are 5.7 million people who are undiagnosed.

Week 4: Day 28 - Storing Supplies

Sometimes having diabetes means you have to carry a lot of supplies or organize different types of medications. Pockets, purses, glove compartments, hands – what do you use to be sure you’re prepared?

 I consider myself very lucky: I only have my oral meds and my meter to carry around. The meter is easy because I am the type of person who carries a messenger bag around, so the meter just stays in its case and goes in the bag. Easy peasy. So my main concern is my meds. But I made that easy too as i use a 7 day pill holder. Not only does it hold pills for a week, it is also divided into AM and PM for each day. Also each "day" snaps out so if i want to just grab Mondays pills I can do that. It makes things so much easier. I keep all the bottles of my pills in a plastic bag so I know where all of them are.

Diabetes Fact: According to death certificate reports, diabetes contributed to a total of 233,619 deaths in 2005, the latest year for which data on contributing causes of death are available.

Week 4: Day 27 - The Best Thing

Yesterday was “Black Friday” when many Americans shopped till they dropped, looking for the best possible gifts. What’s the best diabetes gadget, phone app, book, or other tool you have?

 I have to say that the best gadget that I have as a tool for my fight against diabetes is my iPod Touch. When it comes to managing things, the iPod touch is so versatile. I have multiple apps that help me manage all aspects of my life. I have one app called Glucose buddy that allows me to log my blood glucose readings and medications. I can then look at graphs of my readings.

I also have the app for Weight Watchers online, which makes it much easier to track my foods everyday. It is very easy and handy to just have to pull my iPod out and plug in information, rather than having to log into a website each day. There are just so many apps available for the iPod touch, that it makes it easy to manage just about every aspect pf my life. Which in turns makes it easier to manage my diabetes.


Diabetes Fact: The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.

Week 4: Day 26 - “Friends & Family Friday”

Interview someone to learn how they feel about your diabetes, or let them write a “guest post” on your blog! Don’t know who to work with? Try looking at the other blogs in our community and reach out to another blogger who wrote something you liked.

Today's blog post is hosted by a good friend of mine, Kris.  I met her years ago and we found that we just had so much in common, we are like sisters!! Enjoy!

Greetings Everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and took time to talk with their loved ones about the past year. As some of you know my name is Kris and I met Traci a few years ago. We became fast friends indulging in movies and dinner and late night frolics to Walmart for junk-food. We had a lot in common, and quickly became friends. I was sad to hear that Traci had been diagnosed with diabetes, but not surprised. It seems we will all have someone (or many) people in our lives be touched with this disease.

When I was younger my little brother was diagnosed as a Type 1 Juvenile Diabetic. I think he was about 9 at the time. The day he was diagnosed at the doctors office we was sent directly to the emergency room at the hospital for admission. It was a scary time, especially for a child but he was brave. There was a LOT of information given to all of us at that time. More information than you can even process. Highs and lows, two types of insulin, meters that used by today's standards tons of blood, special diet requirements. We all did our part, everyone had to learn how to give an injection, not that anyone other than my brother would be giving himself his insulin but in case of a low we needed to know how to prep the glucagon syringe and give it to him. So there I was in the hospital learning how to give a shot that I prayed I would never need to give.

When he left that hospital he went to another hospital thankfully to learn a bit more about his new disease. It became a family learning experience. Having diabetes is not the end of the world. We learned a lot about nutrition. I still keep up on nutrition even though I don't cook for my brother anymore. I still know a lot about different effects of carbohydrates, and what to eat to keep you full and what will spike your blood sugar, the types of fats etc.

I wanted to do more! As soon as I found out about the JDRF (http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm) I knew I had to get involved. They had a walk to cure diabetes and I signed up. I was so enthused about getting people to sponsor me, or walk, or just get people to know more about the disease I would hand out information to anyone that would listen. This was not enough for me, there were clinical trials to see if there were genetic markers linking to Type 1 diabetes, and if insulin therapy would prevent diabetes. I wanted in on the trial, they tested my blood, at that point I was missing the markers, and have been retested twice. Still not enough! I headed to DC on more than a few occasions to petition for more diabetes funding. When I got to high school I helped organize a dance marathon with the Lions Club to raise money for diabetes research.

I reached my highest weight just over a year ago tipping over the scales at 428 pounds or so. I knew I was risking my life and would secretly test my glucose levels once a month on a meter that I had tucked away just to monitor myself. I was always told by my parents since I have been heavy my whole life that I would develop diabetes, so it is just a waiting game. Last time I went to the doctors for a physical (October 2009) my A1C was inside the normal range, but on the higher end of the range. So I am sure once my weight gets under control more my risk level for Type 2 will go down. I have taken off more than 130 pounds in the last year to reduce my risk.

I have in my adult life sent a few people off to the doctors office to be checked for diabetes, and sadly they have come back with a diagnosis they did not want to hear. I have even just done a quick stick on someone just to check out their sugar levels. It is only fair for those who don't understand what a prick is, and how much it sucks to do it every day several times a day to do it every once in a while. Remember to keep the symptoms of diabetes in the back of your mind.
Just a refresher in case you have forgotten...
Type 1 Diabetes
Frequent urination
Unusual thirst
Extreme hunger
Unusual weight loss
Extreme fatigue and Irritability
Type 2 Diabetes
Any of the type 1 symptoms
Frequent infections
Blurred vision
Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
But please keep in mind you can have Type 2 Diabetes and have none of these symptoms. Diabetes is a silent killer. Talk to your doctor when you go in. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Thanks for giving me a chance to share a bit of my story. If you would like to know anything more, or have any questions please feel free to ask.


Diabetes Fact: In 2004, stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older.

Week 4: Day 25 - Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is often a busy day, so you can keep it simple: What did you enjoy for your thanksgiving dinner?

Thanksgiving wasn't too much of a busy day for me since i really didn't have to do any thing. I did not have to help with any cooking or anything. The most I did was help set up a few chairs and a table. So i had plenty of time to just enjoy the day and the feast!! And what a feast it was! We had all the usual nibbles: turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, butternut squash, stuffing, rolls; and we had some other great things too: ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, pasta salad, cabbage salad, sweet potatoes, olives, and pickles. And this does not include the desserts: apple pies, pumpkin pies, raspberry pie, brownie pizza, and rice pudding! It was a full hour with both family and food! Of course i did not go overboard and eat everything! I just stuck to a few key foods for hte main course: turkey, ham, corn, mashed potatoes & gravy, squash, rolls, and stuffing. And then i made sure i did not take huge portions of each. And I kept it to just one plate! Any i had a small piece of raspberry pie, brownie pizza, and a little rice pudding for dessert. I did't go back for seconds on the desserts either.

I know my carb count was way high, i am not sure of the exact count. I did get a lot of walking in today to try to make up for some of the excess I did have yesterday. and I will try to take some long walks this weekend to combat things as well! I wish now i had taken some pictures of the spread as it was wonderful!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday!!!

Diabetes Fact: In 2004, about 71,000 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.