It’s The Day. Day Number One. You are told you have Diabetes. What are you going to do? You have the ability to choose how you are going to react. And, really, when you come down to it, there are just a few reactions you can have.
Denial. Wow. Why would you ever want to deny you have a disease? Yeah, I know, so you can continue to eat, drink and be merry. But, just because you deny you have Diabetes doesn’t mean it’s going to go away. Quite the opposite will happen – the disease will continue to eat away at your body. Slowly your sweet blood will destroy nerves, organs, hearing, eyesight and more. So, do you really want to deny you have Diabetes if your doctor diagnoses you with it?
Acceptance. Okay, this isn’t bad, and it’s a start. You might take your meds, but then again you might not. I mean, why should you take anything if you aren’t feeling bad? So, skipping a few doses can’t hurt, right? WRONG. Just because you accept the fact you have Diabetes and don’t do anything is almost just as bad as denial. Diabetes will continue to destroy your body from the inside out. Diabetes is controlling you instead of you controlling Diabetes.
I’ve told you about my friend, Marty, right? Strong and healthy looking. He had Diabetes. On the surface everything looked good. But, what he didn’t tell folks was that he had neuropathy – and in his case, he lost the feeling in his feet. He stepped into a hot tub and could not tell that it was really hot. Burned his feet. His feet got infected. Lost them both and the last time I saw him he was a shell of the person he once was. It’s a true story. One that happens all too often. The good news is that it can be prevented.
Denial. Acceptance. Or, you can…
Fight. You can declare your War On Diabetes and fight for control. You know your weapons in this battle: Diet, Exercise, and Meds. You can accept you have Diabetes and understand that you can control the disease. Yes, it will take effort. Yes, you might have to change some of your habits. Yes, there might be a few minor changes in your life. But, you can do it. You can declare your War, fight and win by controlling the disease.
You are not in this fight by yourself. You have a Team. The members of your Team are your doctor, pharmacist, and you. If anyone of them is not encouraging; if they don’t provide you with the information you need to be successful; if they don’t celebrate your successes – trade ’em. Find team members who will help you. You are fighting a disease. You are fighting so you can see your children and grandchildren when you want to; not when it works around a dialysis schedule (25% of those on dialysis are diabetics).
So, what’s it going to be? Deny the disease, or fight and control it? Your choice. It really is just that simple.
As always, thank you for reading.
I am not a doctor or health professional. I am just a guy who is working everyday to control Type 2 Diabetes. My goal is to offer hope, help and solutions for day-to-day living for the diabetic. The disease can be controlled. It can be managed. And, you can do it!
War On Diabetes 
Great advice for the newly diagnosed Mike. Julie is being positive, and taking all good advice on board. Keep up the good work! Regards from England. Pete.
Pete,
I think of you and Julie daily knowing that a diagnoses of Diabetes can change a lot of things and it can be so very over whelming. For me…and I stress for me…it was an hour-to-hour battle in the beginning. I wasn’t used to the diet I had to have if I was going to control the disease. I wasn’t used to any kind of activity. And, I wasn’t used to taking meds on a regular basis. Everything was strange to me.
But, you know what? I got used to to it. It took a few months until everything was second nature, but I was too afraid to fail…I fear the complications Diabetes can bring so I will do whatever I can to insure that I never face them. Honestly, that was the motivating factor for me: the fear of the complications and what they meant. I am sure you have learned about them.
Please give Julie my best and if there is anything I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.
Phil – from sunny Southern California
Great advice. During my discussions with my patients, I try to find something that will keep them motivated. Like daughter’s wedding, seeing grandchildren or going on a long awaited vacation. Then we set realistic goals and a time frame to achieve it. Most of the time it works. Some times they sidetrack (just being human). But usually the patient is able to identify areas in their life which they can change to avoid these sidetracks.
You said it right, this is a war against diabetes. Better be prepared.
Thank you, Dr.
For me it has been a war that was fought meal-by-meal and hour by hour in the beginning. New choices had to be made until things became second nature. A different life built; a much healthier one, was created. For me, one of the benefits of controlling Diabetes is that my general health is excellent – better than it has been in 25 years. It’s amazing what a little weight loss and a bit of regular exercise can do!
Thank you for reading this little blog.
Phil