Diabetic Recipes
RichSeattle
Yesterday, I sat in on a diabetes education training class at one of the local children's hospitals. My mentor suggested participating in order to better understand what a CDE does on a daily basis. That way I would know exactly if I wanted to go forward with this as a career.
It was definitely a great experience. Not only did I get to see a close up view of a CDE's job, but I also met some new contacts and opened my eyes to the real world. I don't think CDE is what I want to do, but it's still a possibility.
My eyes were opened to a completely new world, and I'm thrilled to grow in this area. The training class was for a repeat patient who came in earlier this week for an episode of DKA. The patient had run out of insulin and couldn't afford to replace it, so they ran high for awhile.
Eventually, the patient went into DKA. So they were re-trained on the basics of diabetes, to help them get back on track and allow the family to understand the severity of this disease.
What I found so amazing was that the family, even the patient, seemed to understand that DKA could result in death, but they didn't have the means (or wouldn't find the means?) to stop the situation.
I cannot imagine not knowing where my next bottle of insulin would come from or how I would manage to pay for strips. I cannot imagine being forced to slowly kill yourself because financially, diabetes was not possible. Yet, there are thousands (millions?) of diabetics out there who cannot afford to manage properly.
I am so grateful for what I've been blessed with. As tough as diabetes has been, I always had the financial means to treat this disease. I never have to worry about using too many strips or finding bottles of insulin. I didn't even have to worry about paying for a pump or a CGMS when insurance wouldn’t cover it.
But something must be done for those that are not as blessed as I am. We need a program, a system, a better way to allow diabetics to use insulin, test their blood sugar more than 2x a day, and have the resources that go with this disease (ketone test strips and glucagon kits). Something just has to be done.
Yes ,Lindsy, my dear, this IS THE REAL WORLD. I work in public schools (2 elementary and 1 middle). The school nurses have repeatedly asked me, as a type 1 diabetic,to talk to kids who are in DKA 4-5 times a school year, because they did not take enough insulin to keep them alive and well.. I remember listening to a young 7th grader, in tears due to the stomach pains of DKA, saying " I feel so bad, I am so tired of feeling this bad". The nurse related to me that her mother was overwhelmed by the care and education needed to help her daughter manage her dideases, and felt that maybe other's in the family could help with the expenses and the management, but they didn't. It wasn' t that the money could not be found from agencies. At her mother's socioeconomic and educational level, though she loved her daughterr, she did not know how to to seek out help, nor how to follow thorugh on help given to maintain actions and attitudes necessary for a successful outcome. Many of these type of problems are a due to not a lack of resources, but a lack of knowledge of how to repeatedly get the items that are desparately needed. In many homes that are below poverty level, there are so many issues where money and time are both meager commodities: the voluminous demands of caring for a diabetic child are just one of the major crises.
But there are success stories, too. I also know another type one girl from the same school who was in great control, participated in numerous academic and sports extracurricular activitirs, and hardly ever missed a day at school. She came faithfully to the nurse's office to check her sugars as needed. She and was so matter -of- fact and calm, that ealthough the other kids and teachers knew she was a diabetic, she was not defined by her disease, as was the one who missed school excessively. I need to mention that this young student had wonderful parental support and follow-through.
I agree that something has to be done. I just don't know what it is.......)