Living with Diabetes

Managing Diabetes Requires Care and Preparation

For the first several months after diagnosis living with diabetes may feel as though you are learning to live all over again or you are living someone else's life. After a while you will learn how to manage your diabetes on a day to day basis and you probably won't give it much thought at all. There are some times when living with diabetes does require special care, concern, or preparation.

Traveling

When you travel with diabetes you can enjoy yourself and do all of the things that other people do but you must be certain that you are taking good care of yourself. You might not have access to the same foods that you usually would, but you should try to stick to your nutritional plan as much as possible. You should also continue to check your sugar with your glucose monitor regularly and stop and rest or eat snacks.

One very important part of traveling is ensuring that you have all of the supplies that you will need for the duration of your vacation or travel arrangements. This means that you need to have syringes, insulin, test strips, lancets, and other medications that you will need for your whole trip. It is a good idea to bring double the amount that you expect to need in case you don't feel well and need to test more often or if you get stranded somewhere between your destination and home. It is also a good idea to bring along another meter just in case you lose your primary meter! You can't be caught without a meter no matter where you are.

With changing guidelines from the federal government about what you may or may not be able to bring on an airplane with you, you might want to get a letter from your doctor explaining that you need to have syringes and insulin on your person when flying. Do not pack these items in checked luggage because it would be devastating to lose your luggage and not have the supplies that you need!

If You're Sick

The average stomach cold or the flu is little more than irritating for the average person but it can be devastating for the individual that has diabetes. Everything that someone with diabetes does affects their sugar including eating, drinking, stress, and of course sickness. With a cold you may find that your sugar levels go really high despite eating very little or keeping things the same. This is often due to the fact that the body is stressed and is working hard to get better. You can usually increase insulin and see improvement. If you are sick for more than a few days you should visit your doctor to be sure that there isn't an infection. Also, if your sugar continues to stay high you will want to check your urine for ketones, which will lead to extreme weight loss and even death.

When diabetics have the stomach flu they often end up in the hospital because they cannot control their sugar levels. This is because the body responds to sickness which may cause sugar levels to rise. Then, the patient may not be able to eat or keep anything down so they cannot take their insulin. If the patient is vomiting or suffering from diarrhea they will soon become dehydrated which are all of the factors that you need to develop ketones and going diabetic ketoacidosis which is a deadly state to be in and can eventually cause coma and death. Diabetic patients that are suffering from the stomach flu need to be sure to stay hydrated and to take their insulin on schedule even if they can only drink fluids to get the carbohydrates that they need. If diabetics suffer from moderate to large ketones or cannot get their sugar to return to normal levels they must contact their endocrinologist to advise them further.

Diabetes At School

Diabetes can be difficult for young children in the public school setting because they need to eat and test their sugar at regular times. This can make the children stand out in a bad way, and become sort of odd to the other students. Luckily, the rights of children with diabetes are being protected and children are now allowed to test their sugar in the class, eat their necessary snacks in the class, and seek the assistance of the nurse any time. Before a spectacle was made of children with diabetes because they were not allowed to test in the classroom so they had to get up and go into the hall or the bathroom which would draw attention to the process. For children to have a successful experience at school the child, the parents, the teacher, and school nurse must all work together to ensure the safety, equal treatment, and health of the child with diabetes.

Diabetes At Work

While a growing number of people have diabetes you may still need to explain what diabetes is to other people, especially in the work place. After you get hired you may want to have a talk with your boss about your disease. Let them know that it does not in any way affect your ability to get your work done but occasionally you may need to test your sugar while in the office or eat a quick snack. Be sure to let your employer know that you do not do these things to get out of work but to ensure the quality of your work because when your glucose levels are not where they need to be you cannot perform. Let your employer know that you have good control over your diabetes but every once in again you will have to quickly manage your sugar levels in the office.

Avoiding Complications

There are a whole host of complications associated with diabetes including heart disease, kidney and liver problems, neurological problems, as well as issues with circulation. Most of these issues can be avoided by maintaining normal glucose levels throughout your life. It is usually only long term high glucose levels that cause these issues and with advancements in monitoring sugar levels and treatment we should see these complications less and less until there is finally a cure for diabetes.

Advocacy and Awareness

The best people to raise awareness about diabetes and its devastating effects are those that are touched by diabetes. Part of living with diabetes is hoping for a cure and part of finding a cure is letting people know what this disease is all about and that we can expect to find a cure if we all come together and demand it. Diabetes patients are often quiet about their disease because they don't want to be perceived as different, but with so many millions of Americans and people around the world suffering it's time that we all made just a small amount of time to advocate for diabetes patients. You can spread the awareness easily and in your own way and hopefully that will eventually lead to a cure for this disease.