Early on in my blog I wrote
about what it was like to be diagnosed and how I was shoved out the door
without any information or offer of education. I still recall all the range of
emotions I went through over the years as I tried to figure out how to live with
this disease. I was lucky in that I took the time to educate myself, often
taking wrong paths but eventually getting back to the basics and shunning the
snake oil. I was lucky, but many are not.
There are too many people who
have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who remain clueless to the seriousness
of this disease, either through ignorance or the desire to hide their heads in
the sand. Diabetes is scary but it’s even scarier if we ignore it or fail to
adequately understand how important it is to do all we can within our power to
tame the beast. Besides the millions of people who have type 2, there are many,
many millions who are walking around with elevated blood sugars, often called
pre-diabetes. They don’t know they have an issue. They haven’t been tested.
Some have received the news but are made to feel that it’s “no big deal. Just
watch your sugar.” These people go on their merry way thinking they are “ok”
because they are going to cut back on their sugar intake. They continue to eat
in an unhealthy manner and probably don’t add exercise to their lives. Who
wants to if they don’t “have” to?
Education in relation to type 2
diabetes has been my passion, for lack of a better word. It is something which
I feel is sorely lacking and desperately needed. I am often frustrated because
I’m just one person and I don’t know what it is I can do to stem the tide of
misinformation and apathy. It has always felt like the “powers that be” weren’t
doing enough to stress the importance of self-care and were too often hammering
home the idea that we just need to lose a bit of weight and it will make ALL
the difference in the world! Right. As someone who has been attempting to lose
weight since my early 20s after my first son was born, I know that “just lose
some weight” is never as easy as it sounds. Diabetes and controlling weight are
very complex issues and I’m pleased to see more and more studies being done
that say just that.
A couple of things have happened
recently that have given me renewed hope; hope that people who CAN make a
difference are speaking up. Unfortunately, those people happen to be
celebrities, but hear me out. Two celebrities have recently spoken up about
their lives with type 2 diabetes. Both have had the disease for decades and
both are working with pharmaceutical companies to help educate people about
living with type 2 diabetes. I’ve never been a fan of celebrity spokesmen. It
gets under my skin when people feel that just because someone is “famous” they
know more than Joe Shmoe about any subject, be it illness, religion or
politics. However, the reality is that people DO listen to celebrities and if
their message is clear and helpful then YAY!
“Dr.” Phil McGraw has teamed up
with Astra Zeneca to present a plan to help people live well with type 2
diabetes. It’s called the “On it Movement”. I’m not usually a fan of “rules”
and this program has “rules”. However, the rules are worthy. The list includes
things like educating yourself, making a plan and finding support. I can get
behind that. More recently, actor James Earl Jones has teamed up with Janssen
in their type 2 campaign called “I can Imagine”.
Let’s be honest: both of these programs are designed
to sell you a drug to possibly help you control your diabetes. You may decide
that their medication sounds good and you might discuss it with your doctor.
I’m not posting about these to encourage you to do that or to even support
these medications. I’m not a doctor. There should be ongoing conversation
between you and your HCP to determine what medication/lifestyle changes will
work best for you and your diabetes. I think it’s important to cut the pharma
companies some slack. If they don’t make money, then there won’t be any further
innovations in our care. (I’m not going to discuss how often it seems as if
they make TOO much money. That’s not my point here.)
Earlier I mentioned that I was
more hopeful and here’s why: Lots of people watch the Dr. Phil show and if he’s
talking about type 2 diabetes and how difficult it can be to live with it,
discussing the emotional/mental side of our battle, then that’s an opportunity
to encourage people to step up and do something about their health. James Earl
Jones is a beloved actor who just happens to be the voice of Darth Vadar. That
dude is serious! We’d better listen! Regardless of how you or I may feel about
celebrity spokesmen, these men have a distinct opportunity to make a difference
in the lives of millions of people. If their message stays clear and they don’t
push the medication too forcefully, people may just learn something. That gives
me hope.
One more thing: The Diabetes
Prevention Program. A study was done that eventually teamed up with the YMCA
that went about teaching people how to make lifestyle changes to keep type 2
diabetes at bay. These people had been identified as having pre-diabetes. The
program includes dietary changes and added exercise and it worked. People were able to have some control over
their rising blood sugar levels and stave off full-blown type 2 diabetes. The
federal government took notice and now Medicare has said that they will pay for
people to participate in the Diabetes Prevention Program. I think that’s pretty
huge.
Let me say right here that I do
not agree with a lot of the dietary changes that the DPP pushes. There are way
too much carbohydrates suggested, IMHO. I have learned, and many people with
diabetes would agree, that lowering our carbohydrate level is imperative to
attempt to control blood sugar. However, as I’ve said ad-naseum, I’m not a
doctor nor a nutritionist nor a CDE. I’m just a patient who has learned what
works for me. It’s going to take a long, long time for the “establishment” to
get on board with what science has shown to be the best way to eat. In the meantime,
think about this: dietary changes aren’t made overnight. People often do better
when they ooze into them. Here is a quote from a previous post I did on this
very subject:
The reality is that some people who are
newly diagnosed have been used to eating upwards of 200 grams of carbohydrates per
meal and the idea that they can miraculously reduce that carb
intake to 35 grams is ludicrous at best.
Let’s look at a typical trip to
McDonald’s. Big Mac – 46 gr carbs, large
fries – 63 gr of carbs and a large Coke – 86 = 195 grams of carbs. (information from their website) Wow.
(We aren’t even going to discuss fat and sodium.) This meal is consumed by an awful lot of
people in this country on a regular basis.
Now, compare that to a recommended meal for someone with diabetes. 3 oz. 90%-lean hamburger patty, 1 cup 1% milk
– 12.2 gr carbs, 1 whole-wheat roll – 21 gr carbs , 1 cup prepared coleslaw –
15 gr carbs = 48.2 grams of carbs. (approximations by Kate) 195 vs 48. Enlightening no? I wouldn’t eat that recommended diabetes meal
now. I’d lose the roll and (add a lot
more fat). But that’s me and I didn’t get
here overnight!
The DPP may not be perfect, but it’s a
start. I applaud the “powers that be” for trying to get the message out there
that poor diet and being sedentary are causing us to become unhealthy. A
scenario of fast food and couch surfing can increase your chances of developing
type 2 diabetes. They don’t cause it, but they increase your
risk. That’s an important message that this program can deliver to millions of
older Americans; those people who are at greater risk of developing type 2 due
to their age.
Do I wish that people would listen to Joe
Shmoe instead of celebrities? Yes. Do I wish that the idea of low(er) carb
would find its way into the minds of those who are teaching people with
diabetes? Yup. But in the meantime, I have hope that these types of programs
will cause the masses to pay better attention and bring the severity of type 2
diabetes to the forefront and, hopefully, remove some of the stigma. Heck, if
James Earl Jones and Tom Hanks have type 2 and they’re cool dudes, then maybe
people will think twice before condemning the rest of us for just being normal
folks who happen to have type 2 diabetes.