Living With Diabetes Is Not Easy. It Is Very Challenging

I am 18 years old now, 8 years since my diagnosis, and I have learned many things from encountering diabetes. I balance what I eat, with an occasional sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth. I’ve learned management. I balance school, sports, and other extracurricular activities with my

Diabetes has recently become a focal point of health care systems around the world due to its high prevalence and the severity of secondary complications caused by the disease. Over the course of my project on diabetes, I have had the opportunity to speak with a group of diabetics to understand from a patient’s perspective how diabetes is managed in a rural community. While I found that while some patients ignored treatment and refused to make any dietary changes, the majority of the patients I interviewed were well-informed and actively managing diabetes in their everyday life.

The goal is to increase the percentage of understanding of diabetes and how to live empowered with diabetes. I will conduct outreach programs in various methods to reach the people to participate in the health program. My objective is done by specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time-bound (SMART) goals. By May 31, 2018, an increase of 40% establishes one-on-one follow up education session with each individual and families through home visits or phone calls to monitor them to improve their lifestyles. By February 30, 2018, an increase of 80% distribution of brochures and with door to door interactions with the individuals in the community. By September 2018, increase 90% of people to engage in community health fair, classes, and exercise activities on diabetes and cardiovascular classes. This will introduce the individuals in social support that allow interactions with teaching and

I know that you are trying to help, but I need you to know that my life is much more complicated than the aspects that I let you see. Diabetes can be a very degenerative disease. Insulin helps us survive, but it doesn’t cure us. If we don’t live the textbook (nearly impossible, saintly) life of a diabetic, the consequences can be devastating. One-third of our lives could be cut-off. We can lose circulation in our feet and hands. Our organs can slowly corrode, and blindness is an imminent dread for 1 in 10 diabetics who don’t keep their blood-sugar under constant control.

My diagnosis forced me to become incredibly responsible at a young age because of how serious my disease is. I am an incredibly responsible person to this day because my survival has been and still is dependent on my management of my diabetes. My diabetes has helped me to become a much healthier person, as I now truly know what it means and what it takes for me to be healthy. I have also learned a remarkable amount about how strong I am due to this disease. I have been through so much because of this disease, including numerous near-death experiences, and the fact that I have survived it all proves my strength. Over the years, I have come to learn that, while diabetes is a large part of my life, it is not the only thing about me. This realization has allowed me to push past any fears that I have had because of my diagnosis, and focus on what I know I can do rather than focusing on all of the things I am unable to do. This is, in my own personal opinion, the most important thing that I have realized about my disease, because it has helped me realize that I want to inspire others and show everyone that my disease does not and will never limit my

Diabetes is a serious medical condition that can also be a risk factor for the development of many different diseases and conditions including dementia, heart disease, and CVA. Thus, effective management of diabetes is very important. Patient compliance can be difficult to achieve if the person affected with diabetes is not educated about the illness or treatment, has not fully accepted the diagnosis or its severity, will not change habits or believes that the prescribed treatment regime is too difficult or ineffective, has cultural beliefs conflicting with the treatment regime, experiences stressful events, lacks social support, or suffers from psychiatric issues unrelated to diabetes (Gerard, Griffin, & Fitzpatrick, 2010). As one may expect, adequate education programs are essential tools when dealing with diabetics. Solid education will provide the patient with information as well as teaching the necessary skills to manage the disorder. The primary focus of any diabetes education program must be to empower patients as a part of the multidisciplinary team. This team should be focused at integrating diabetes into the lives of the patients and this focus should be based on the decisions made by the patient, otherwise the treatment plan can be looked on as forced (Gerald et al., 2010). Every patient stricken with diabetes has the right to benefit from an education program of this type. First, basic education and facts should be administered directly following the diagnosis of

Empowerment parents of children with diabetes through provision of resources and emotional support, aids in dealing with the chronic disease¹⁵. Support groups can not only help parents keep abreast of new treatment options, but also provide strategies to better care for their children¹⁶. Face-to-face support from healthcare professionals provides reassurance as well as psychological and emotional support in dealing with the

This pamphlet is written on a third grade reading level, making it very easy for just about everyone to read and understand what it has to say. This is vital, because it is estimated that 25.8 million people in the US have diabetes (Diabetes, 2011). That includes children and adults, nearly

Diabetes is a disease that causes the human body to not create or not use insulin effectively. The body needs insulin to take the energy or sugars and turn it into energy. The human body needs energy to survive. Diabetes can be broken into three main categories. Type 1 diabetes is where the body makes no insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes is where the body does not produce enough insulin or it does not use it correctly. Gestational diabetes is more of a type 2 diabetes for pregnant women, which usually returns to normal after birth (Ruder 7-8).

My cousins are not the only ones in my family that have type 2 diabetes. I have a closed family member with the disease this is my mother. Since I was a child my mother used to tell me her own stories about her bad eating habits and how she did not pay attention to my grandmother advices. I was growing up with that in my mind, she used to drink soda instead of water during the day. She used eat a lot pastries, bread, pasta all kind of food with high content of carbohydrates. She was overweight; her was around two hundred pounds. It was ironic because she did not have diabetes until she got

Diabetes is associated with wide range of complications such as chronic renal failure, blindness, amputations, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and neuropathy (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). There is no known cure for diabetes, but the disease can be controlled through health management that includes multiple perspectives of care such as medications, blood glucose monitoring, diet, nutrition, screening for long-term complications and regular physical activity (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). Managing diabetes may be complicated and requires the knowledge and skills of both healthcare providers and the clients. Studies have shown that to prevent or delay diabetic complications due to diabetes, counseling and other lifestyle interventions are the effective therapy. Even with many policies set up for diabetes, 8.1 million Americans are undiagnosed with diabetes mellitus, and approximately 86 million Americans ages 20 and older have blood glucose levels that considerably increase their risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus in the next several years (CDC, 2015). For diabetes care to be successful there needs to be a good understanding of the disease and management by both patients and healthcare providers,

I really enjoy and love the book, Cheating Destiny, Living with Diabetes by James S. Hirsch. We have Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome course this semester where we learn the physiology and pharmacology background of diabetes, the treatment guideline of diabetes. however, I have a personally feeling that we do not address enough what diabetes patients’ experience and concerns are, how different culture and ethnic background would influence patients’ response and react to diabetes, how can we effectively convey the knowledge to patients in a patient-friendly and acceptable way. After finishing reading the book, I know the process of setting the blood glucose goal by experiment and trials, such as Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT).

In today’s world, parents have an abundance of worries when it comes to their children. Drugs, bad grades, and pre marital sex are just some things that may plague a parent with sleepless nights. But even on the worst of those nights of worry, most parents can’t imagine that their child could face an illness. Not just a runny nose or seasonal flu, but an illness that would affect their child throughout his or her entire life. Diabetes is a disease without a cure, and one that more, and more children have to live with.

Diabetes is a major problem in our society today. Many people have heard about the disease; however, they do not know too much about its complications. Diabetes is a chronic, progressive and lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food (WebMD, 2016). Many new cases are confirmed every year and unfortunately, many go undiagnosed for years. Diabetes is a serious disease and need to be taking seriously. The disease can lead to many other health problems such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney diseases. The more the community understand and made aware of the seriousness of the disease, the better it can be control and or prevented.

Diabetes has been out for thousands of years and still no cure. researchers and scientist have been searching and searching for ways to overcome this disease but nothing yet. Everyone goals are to either improve, prevent, or cure this disease. Diabetes became very known around the seventeenth century because of a high percentage of people was found with sugar in their urine and blood. Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases that affects our society worldwide. The average person in this world does not know anything about this disease. The diabetes association said “In 2013 the estimate of 328 million people had diabetes throughout the world”. Society today need to be aware of what we are up against with this disease.