Those things you already know, but…

I just got back from my Diabetes Education session. This was the second class, and I can say most of the information wasn’t new to me at all. But, good God, it is a very hard pill to swallow. It was about complications of Diabetes, and let me tell you that they don’t sugar coat it in the least bit. And we don’t need sugar coating, but when you’re 33 years old and you know you have to spend at least the next 40 years of your life making everything right so you won’t go blind… that is something!

I either asked a lot of questions or got lost in my own thoughts wondering what would’ve happened to my father if we had all this information before. It is scary, how bad this disease is if you don’t control it. Then there is the woman sitting next to me complaining because she can’t get her food intake right and unwilling to change her habits; and I’m thinking “For God’s sake, it’s only about watching what you eat!” – But it isn’t that easy for some people. My Biology degree may help me to understand how the chemistry of my body works, but I certainly cannot imagine how hard it is for some people to change their habits. Just ask me about exercising.

The hardest part to watch was the “Foot Care” video. First because I absolutely HATE feet. Second because they showed way too many people with really bad feet conditions. I felt like excusing myself and going to the bathroom. Yes, it was THAT disgusting, but also eye-opening.

I left the classroom a little bit depressed, but also happy that I have the chance to learn all those things, so everything that I do will have a goal: be healthy and live long.

Not Hungry

What do you do when you’re not hungry? :-( I had breakfast at 8:30 this morning, no snacks, now it’s about lunch time and I know I need to eat something before I go out, but I am not hungry. It happens when I’m too busy and I can’t concentrate.

But I can’t risk it with hypoglycemia. I will try to eat something.

My Diabetic Tool Kit

I don’t use insulin, being that I have a Type 2 Diabetes that responds well to medication, but I thought I could ask what items should I put in what I want to make my Diabetic Tool Kit (you know, apart from the testing items and the glucose tablets). I have some extra money that I made babysitting, and I decided I’m going to buy me a snazzy looking little purse. ;-)

So, what do you usually carry around?

Some sad numbers…

There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7 percent of the population, who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, including 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) who are unaware that they have the disease. Add to that the 54 million people in the United States who have pre-diabetes.

And it is everyone’s job to educate and create awareness. According to the Center for Disease Control there was a 153 percent increase in diabetes diagnoses from 1994 to 2005.