World Diabetes Day: Sweet Talk Your Way Out of Diabetes

 

The goal of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as safely possible. Since diabetes may greatly increase the risk for heart disease and peripheral artery disease, measures to control blood pressure and cholesterol levels are an essential part of diabetes treatment as well. 

People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care. This includes monitoring blood glucose levels, dietary management, maintaining physical activity, keeping weight and stress under control, monitoring oral medications and, if required, insulin use via injections or pumps. 

It was in 2015 that I first learned I had diabetes mellitus. Prior to that, I wasn’t aware I was diabetic. In fact, I accidentally found out about my health right after my right eye bled and I started seeing “floaters.” It turned out I already had diabetic retinopathy. I had my damaged eye undergo two laser treatments/pan-retinal photocoagulation treatment. Unfortunately, the retina on my right eye has been severely damaged and is already irreversible.

My endocrinologist says diabetes may lead to a whole lot of complications. But he insisted that although it is not treatable, it is a manageable health condition. For him, it’s just a matter of healthy living along with a huge change of lifestyle. I know it sounds simple but it is actually difficult to do. 

My Diabetes Journey and how insulin therapy has helped me

 

Diabetes Mellitus is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high.

“You have diabetes.” Those three words continued to ring right into my ears from the time I got my blood work up to the time I went to see an endocrinologist. I know it wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t cancer but it felt like it was. I’ve got no one else to blame but myself—my poor eating habits, my being a lazy couch potato for years and my being an emotional eater. Yes, all these years, I’ve taken my health for granted.

I have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a lifelong chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to use energy. For non-diabetics, the sugar and carbohydrates in the food we consume are transformed into glucose which the cells absorb in the bloodstream with the help of the hormone called insulin. But for diabetics like me, it’s a different story. Since we don’t produce or do not have enough insulin in the body, we can’t absorb glucose, which in turn creates a build-up in the blood and often leads to more serious illnesses or complications.

It was in 2015 that I first learned I had diabetes mellitus. Prior to that, I wasn’t aware I was diabetic. In fact, I accidentally found out about my health right after my right eye bled and I started seeing “floaters.” It turned out I already had diabetic retinopathy. I had my damaged eye undergo two laser treatments/pan-retinal photocoagulation treatment. Unfortunately, the retina on my right eye has been severely damaged and is already irreversible.