Living with Diabetes
Statistics say that by the year 2025, over 5 million people in the UK will have diabetes. Worldwide that number is an astronomical 300 million. These are staggering statistics, but efforts are being taken to educate people about the causes, complications and treatment of this growing epidemic. Despite these increasing numbers, diabetes is a disease that can be monitored and controlled, and those who have it can still live active and enjoyable lives.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, don’t be discouraged. Yes, treatment of the disease does require that you make some radical changes to your daily routine and perhaps even your lifestyle. But the sooner you understand and come to grips with how these changes will positively affect your health and your family, the sooner you can get control of the disease and your life.
Living with diabetes may require you to take medication, self-administer insulin shots, check blood glucose levels, change dietary habits, and alter your daily routine. But this does not by any means that you have to allow these things to control your life and how you live it. Accept it as part of your new routine, but not the driving force. Here are a few tips to help your deal with and live with diabetes:
1. Talk to your doctor and nurses. Ask the questions that will help you understand how this diagnosis will impact your life. No question is off limits. You have the right to know what to expect and how to handle it. This will allow you to be better equipped to make the best of the situation.
2. Share information with your family including young children. Let them see you give yourself the insulin shots. Assure them that it’s not painful and it helps you to feel your best. It is even good to teach them how to administer the shot when you think they are mature enough. You never know when you might need them to administer the shot for you.
3. Set small goals and claim each victory. Every little step is a step nonetheless. See every improvement as a victory and build upon it.
4. Don’t stop doing things that bring you joy. Life does not stop because you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. You should still be able to continue doing most of your favorite activities and don’t be afraid to find new ones as well.
5. Keep a positive outlook. A big part of how you handle diabetes depends on your personal point of view. If you believe you can beat diabetes you will. Stay committed to living healthy. Take care of yourself by following doctor’s orders daily.
On a personal note, I have watched my mother live with diabetes for over twenty years. She gives herself daily insulin shots and takes her medication daily. She is a beautiful and loving woman, full of life and enjoying every minute of it. She inspires me with her life and her perseverance. And I know that if she can live a meaningful and happy life with diabetes, so can you. – Dykeman
