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We found 10 result(s) that match your search "education":

Having diabetes has many challenges as we all know. Exercising, eating right, checking our blood glucose levels, taking medicines, seeing doctors regularly, and so many more that I cannot even think of. We are busy bees.
One thing I have found as a major challenge is not losing my cool with people who maybe don't understand this disease so I would like to clear up a few things.
1. Not all people with type 1 diabetes are thin.
I am on a weight loss program right now and frankly, the only time I have ever been thin in my life was the year or so before I was diagnosed and was losing weight like crazy.
2. Not all people with type 2 are overweight.
This one drives me nuts. It is true that weight loss can help your chances of not getting diabetes but there are other factors too. I think of my uncle who had lung cancer but never smoked a day in his life. Same sort of a thing.
3. People who take insulin are not out of control. (READ MORE)

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As is my way, I sat down to Thanksgiving yesterday with my insulin pen next to my plate. Just prior to sitting down, I was talking to a family friend, who happens to be a nurse.
"Will you inject before or after you eat?" she asked while also quizzing me about how I know how much insulin to take.
"I'll inject before I eat. And with a meal like this, I'll just have to guess how many carbs I'm going to have."
She nodded in understanding. She's a school nurse at a junior high and helps many students manage their diabetes. I suspect she was comparing management techniques. (READ MORE)

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I consider myself a diabetes veteran even though I was diagnosed only three years ago. But considering where I started and where I am and how I got here puts me in that category.
What I mean by "how I got here" is self education, without which I would not be where I am.
When I was (wrongly) diagnosed as pre-diabetic, I really thought my treatment method was proactive. I was diagnosed by a nurse practitioner, who said, "Even though you don't have diabetes yet, let's treat you like you do." A technique I thought was absolutely excellent. He started me on oral meds, I started randomly checking my blood sugar (as instructed), I started an exercise routine and counted carbs. It worked great. Or so I thought--because, frankly, I didn't know any better at the time. (READ MORE)

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Perhaps one of the absolute worst parts of having diabetes is putting up with the expectations of others. When someone hears "diabetes" they expect to see you eating "right" all the time, avoiding sweets all the time, and worshipping your body all the time.

 

We all know that just doesn't happen. We are human. Everyone needs a break from the chains that bind us.

 

Over the last week or so, I have found myself defending a person I never in my adult life thought I would defend. My incredible half-sister told me recently that her mother has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. With a sister and a mother with diabetes, she is, naturally, completely freaked out that she's next. Not to mention scared for our health and our future.

 

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Almost since I put Toohey on for the first time, I've been waiting for someone outside of the medical field to ask me about it. Yesterday during our annual editorial summit--which brings together most of our editors, field editors, publishers, art directors and other editorial contributors--my colleague next to me leaned over and gently touched my shoulder.
"Is that an insulin pump?" he whispered.
"Mmm-hmm," I said with a smile and a nod.
"I want to talk to you," he said.
I was almost giddy with excitement. We were hours from a break, even longer until dinner where we could certainly sit and talk without feeling rushed. I was dying to let the flood gates open.
There were several breaks during the afternoon, but we didn't broach the subject. I think we both knew the conversation was one suited for longer than 15 minutes. (READ MORE)

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I haven't changed the lancet in my "finger sticker" for a couple days now. Surely I am not the only one around that does that!??. I changed it because I visited a friend this past weekend and, "he wanted to see what his blood sugar was." I know I am not the only one around that has gotten that request. Curious "non-diabetic" pals or acquaintances always want to, "see what it says for them". And then I give the explanation about what a "normal" range is and what the number that is displayed on the meter "means". It is all fine and dandy though. I kind of like taking the "teacher" role when this situation arises. It provides me the opportunity for one-on-one, and maybe even sometimes group presentations on diabetes. Maybe we could just call this "Diabetes 101". Diabetics around the world could start charging tuition for quick, on the spot, diabetes education classes! How does 5 dollars per person sound? (READ MORE)

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Yesterday my daughter Gillian decided to wear this shirt to school.
When we did the ADA walk last November, I made shirts with different sayings on them and Gillian’s says, “My Dad is #1” but right under the number sign there is the word “type” in very small letters.
When I got home and saw that she had been wearing it all day I asked her, “What made you want to wear that today?”

“I dunno, I just wanted to. A lot of kids asked about it and I told them all about diabetes.” She was so proud.
“Well what did you say?” (READ MORE)

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Today would have been my father's 59th birthday and as I was thinking about him I started thinking about all the people who have been important in my life and especially in my diabetes life.
My band director in high school was the one who asked the now fateful question, "Are you feeling okay?" It was drum rehearsal on Monday October 2nd 1990. I told him I was feeling a little light headed but that was it. He said that I looked pale and that was something I don't think I had ever heard before in my life. I have very dark skin since I am both Puerto Rican and Cuban so pale was not a norm for me. (READ MORE)

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I like to think I'm a pretty easy going person. There's not much that rattles my cage. Well, you might check with The Mr. on that one. I guess what I'm getting at is that up until recently, I haven't really had any diabetes-related pet peeves. Especially not in the realm of Did you actually just say that to me?
There was that one time when a friend of mine forgot I had diabetes and apologized several days later for setting a plate of (burned) cookies (which I didn't eat because they were BURNED) in front of me during a meeting. I sort of laughed that one off. I mean, saying you're sorry for encouraging someone to eat burned cookies is actually a little comical. (READ MORE)

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Last week when I suggested that the diabetes community design an awareness symbol akin to the breast cancer campaign's pink ribbon, I apparently hit a nerve with someone.

Nordtorp says he's not into the secret handshake thing and that ribbons and pins don’t make a difference. He doesn't think that wearing a trinket will cause more money to be funnelled into diabetes research.

I have to say that I whole-heartedly disagree. If someone asked you what are the major illnesses -- chronic or otherwise -- that affect the U.S. population, would the common person identify diabetes as one of them? Without a connection to diabetes, I doubt it. Does the common person even really understand what diabetes is? Not many.

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