We all have diabetes and have not had an easy life heath-wise dealing with this disease. We are challenged every day as we deal with managing our diabetes. We volunteered to be spoke persons for the illness that affects many Afro-Panamanians' lives whereby, perhaps, the majority of whom are not really in control of their diabetes.
“When I was first diagnosed, like most people, I didn’t understand what it meant,” recalled Evita. “My personal journey began eighteen years ago with a diagnosis of “pre-diabetes,” a condition affecting perhaps many of our children today. I went into the hospital for routine surgery when I was first diagnosed. and was initially put of oral medication and told to watch what I ate, but for the most part, I ignored the doctor’s warnings. Being ignorant, I played down some of the symptoms I would have, such as profuse sweating and shaking and associated it to normal women problems with aging --not realizing that my sugar was low. Being on the overweight side did not help my situation either. Today I use insulin daily to help control blood sugar levels around the clock. “For my body it works well, but I still need to watch my food intake and there are lots of concerns."
“It’s all about controlling blood sugar,” says Evita, “people don’t understand the complications if you don’t control sugar. If you can control it with diet, or if you need insulin, like I do, don’t be afraid.” “It doesn’t matter what you take to control it; what matters is that you control it.”
"My primary symptoms before being first daignosed in 1997 with type 2 were excessive weight loss and continuous thirst." said Vilma, "In hindsight, I was also cranky and had mood swings before realizing that I was hurting myself by putting myself at risk for even more serious problems. I was fortunate that I did not have to use insulin to control my sugar level. Oral medication was all I needed. Today I am able to control my sugar through diet and exercise. However, I check sugar level at least twice a day. I also try to drink lots of water during the day. Long daily walks work for me.”
“Everyday you have to take care of yourself and monitor yourself,” she says, but I’ve got it down now. I admit that it took a while, but it has become so routine that even my helping with the grand kids and my occasional travels don’t present a problem. Some days you don’t want to think about the details, but you have to. You have to plan what and when you’re eating.
“I remembered being at work one day and all of a sudden I had problems seeing clearly,” said Joscelyn.” I was taken to the hospital when I was diagnosed. I was immediately put on insulin. I hated having to inject myself with the insulin on a daily basis in order to control my sugar level. Exercise was very important then for me. I would walk three to four miles a day because it helped my body use the insulin better. Fortunately, I got a lot of support from my family members. My wife in particular will accompany me on my morning walks as well as helping make a sugar-free cabinet in the kitchen. I too now control my diabetes through a proper diet and by checking my sugar level on a daily basis"
So more that merely controlling our diabetes now, we have taken charge. There is no blueprint for diabetes treatment. It’s individual for each person, with so many factors to be considered, and that’s why it is important to see an endocrinologist about effective ways to manage your diabetes and start educating yourself. Also, to learn more about this disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin-- produced by your pancreas, We strongly recommend visiting the various websites that offer information, particularly diabetes.org and lantus.com.
Learn about food, exercise and dedication options, and do whatever you need to do. You have to take charge. When you need help, you should reach out.
We understand how scary it gets, and how much work it takes, but we hope awareness will help people start helping themselves. We are glad to talk about our struggles here in hopes of helping create more of a community of diabetics. It’s a battle everyday and it never goes away, but if you work at it, you can live a very healthy and happy life where necessary.
Diabetes Risk
Could you have diabetes and not know it?
Take the simple Diabetes Risk Test at diabetes.org to see if you are at risk for having or developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is more common in Blacks, and Latinos, so you need to pay special attention to this test.
You can reduce your risk for diabetes by:
--Keeping your weight in control (or losing weight if you are overweight)
--Staying active most days of the week
--Eating low fat meals high in fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods. Diabetes Symptoms
Some diabetes symptoms include:
--Frequent urination
--Excessive thirst
--Unusual weight loss
--Increased fatigue
--Irritability
--Blurry vision
If you have one or more of these symptoms, see your doctor right away.
Pre-Diabetes
Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “pre-diabetes”--blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated. The good news is that the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program study conclusively showed that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity.
Evita, Vilma & Joscelyn are retirees. Back to Features
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