Diabetic Live

Diabetes And Health Insurance: Good health insurance is important for everyone – although it’s especially important for diabetics, given the additional medication that is needed and the risk of complications. Despite this, it’s estimated that over a million Americans who suffer from diabetes don’t have any kind of health insurance. And as any diabetic knows, dealing with diabetes isn’t cheap – it costs around $13,000 per year for treatment.

Most people who don’t have health insurance are poor anyway, or unemployed and unable to take advantage of an employer’s health insurance; and there is some evidence of a link between poverty and diabetes – low income people tend to be more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In addition to a lack of medical treatment, they are also more likely to suffer from a poor diet and lack of exercise – both of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

Even those of us who are diabetic and do have adequate health insurance can find that it isn’t always that easy to get treatment or medication covered. Some health insurance policies don’t cover basic diabetic needs, some policies require an extra surcharge for covering diabetes, and some health insurers won’t cover diabetes as they consider it to be a pre-existing condition.

It is possible to find health insurance specifically aimed at diabetics, although it can be difficult. Check any existing health insurance policy carefully to determine whether it covers your condition or not – if in doubt, call your insurance company and make sure you understand any exclusions. Your premium may also be lower if you can demonstrate that you have your condition under control.

If you are looking for new health insurance, try to find a company that specializes in diabetes coverage; the internet has made it fairly easy to compare products and services, although you may be quoted a better rate if you speak to an agent in person. If you know other people with diabetes, ask them – chances are that they have been in your situation and can recommend a health insurance company.

If you have group health insurance provided through your employer, you won’t have any problems with the issue of diabetes – by law, you are guaranteed coverage and can’t be turned down for any pre-existing condition. And if you let your existing policy lapse, or are taking out a new policy, a pre-existing condition will be fully covered after a year has elapsed.

Your options for health insurance that covers diabetes may also vary, depending on the state that you live in. As of the middle of 2008, over 45 states have some type of law in place that requires health insurance to provide coverage for diabetes. This coverage can include the cost of equipment and supplies used by patients at home, as well as the cost of any actual treatment.

Finding Health insurance can be difficult enough, but diabetics can also find it a challenge to find affordable and effective travel and life insurance, and it isn’t always easy to determine the exclusions by reading the fine print on policies. A travel insurance policy should include such things as treatment while overseas, emergency supplies of insulin and emergency transport back home.

As any diabetic knows, living with diabetes can be challenging enough – being able to enjoy adequate health insurance shouldn’t be a challenge too.

Diabetes And Smoking: Despite the well documented dangers of smoking, an estimated 45 million people in the United States still smoke regularly – around 15% of the population. For an otherwise healthy person, cigarettes are unhealthy enough; for a person who suffers from diabetes, they can be even more detrimental to health. And even if you don’t smoke, exposure to so-called second hand smoke is almost as unhealthy.

Unfortunately, many people with diabetes adopt the attitude that they already suffer from poor health and to smoke as well won’t make that much difference. However, most people who control their diabetes are able to delay or prevent complications for many years – a person who smokes and has diabetes has less control and is far more likely to die from a stroke or a heart attack than a non-smoker.

Smoking is especially bad for a diabetic as it reduces the body’s ability to use insulin as well as raises blood sugar levels. Smoking also reduces the amount of oxygen that can reach tissues, thus increasing the chances of a heart attack, or even a miscarriage. A diabetic who smokes regularly generally finds that it is much more difficult to effectively control their diabetes – in fact, just one cigarette can lower the body’s ability to produce insulin by up to 15%.

A diabetic who smokes also has an increased chance of having various other ailments such as ulcers, bleeding gums, kidney disease and nerve damage. Smoking can also increase the possibility of getting a cold or respiratory infection, as well as increase the possibility of limited mobility in the joints. And if you are a diabetic male, smoking can also increase your chances of becoming impotent.

Diabetes can lead to blood circulation problems in the feet and legs, as it can damage the body’s blood vessels. In general, smokers who have diabetes are more likely to have some difficulty with circulation in the legs and feet as well as with wounds not healing properly. In extreme cases, this problem of poor blood circulation can lead to infection, and even amputation.

Not only is smoking bad for a person with diabetes; there is also some evidence that smoking can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. It’s estimated the risk is almost 50% higher – even more for heavy smokers. And if you are a pregnant woman, you should not smoke for many reasons – one of which is the chance of getting diabetes and it leading to type 2 diabetes later in life.

If you do quit smoking, you will almost certainly notice that your diabetes control will improve; you may also find it necessary to change your schedule of diabetes pills or your  insulin doses. Any medication for high cholesterol or high blood pressure may also have to be modified once you give up smoking. Be sure to consult your physician if you are a diabetic and are giving up smoking.

As any smoker knows, quitting is not easy. Many diabetics who smoke do so because they wrongly feel that it simply doesn’t matter. And many smoke due to concerns over gaining weight – although the benefits of not smoking generally outweigh any adverse effects due to gaining weight. But if you are a diabetic, it’s even more of an incentive to give up the habit.

I have Been Diagnosed With Diabetes: Now What: If your doctor diagnoses you with type I diabetes, what do you do?  At first, you try to understand it and perhaps even go into denial.

And then it sinks in.  Is diabetes treatable, does it recur, is there a natural cure for diabetes, will I have to inject myself everyday, does a diabetes diagnosis mean no more sugar?  What happens to my quality of life? These are some of the nagging questions.  We have heard of diabetes many times, but when it hits closer to home, we realize we don’t really know much about it.

Diabetes Diagnosis:  The Next Steps

When your doctor says you have type I diabetes, what steps should you take?

• Ask your doctor about blood sugar monitoring and insulin delivery options and ask him to help you decide which option is the most appropriate in your case.
• Take heart.  Millions who have type I diabetes can expect to live long and healthy lives.  Being diagnosed with type I diabetes is not a death sentence.  Your attitude should be “I’m going to fight this.”
• If you have type I diabetes, your doctor will advise you to be vigilant about the following:  frequent need to drink water to relieve thirst, frequent urination (as sugar fills the bloodstream, tissues pull in more fluid resulting in thirst and increased urination); fatigue (tiredness and irritation come about when cells don’t have sufficient stores of sugar); erratic vision (again this is caused by tissue pull-in of fluids, even in the eyes); hunger pangs (when the body does not have sufficient amounts of insulin, it is more difficult for sugar to reach the cells) and weight loss (in spite of eating more).

Treating Diabetes

Effective treatment for type I diabetes revolves around 5 key factors:

• Maintenance of ideal weight
• Healthy diet
• Regular physical exercise
• Blood sugar regulation
• Intake of insulin

The best approach is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible.  Being able to do this also generates a positive outcome:  you diminish your risks for diabetes-related heart problems by about 50%.

Don’t feel that your diabetes is a source of added stress.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Take it slowly and gently.  Maintain open communication with your health care team.  Advise your doctor, dietician and diabetes support staff of any changes in how you feel.

Keeping a vigilant eye over your blood sugar is of paramount importance.  Why?  Because no matter how disciplined you are about following your medication and schedule, blood sugar tends to fluctuate without warning.   This is why your doctor will encourage you to monitor your blood sugar at least four times a day.

Monitoring one’s blood sugar involves keeping an eye on what you eat, the amount of stress you face, your hormone levels (if you’re a woman), how often you engage in physical exercise, medications (if you’re taking other medications for other health problems, they may affect the effectiveness of your insulin intake), alcohol (diabetics are strongly advised to control their alcohol consumption) and illness (having fluish symptoms or other symptoms related to other disorders can alter your blood sugar levels).

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, the first thing you should NOT do is despair.  You are not alone.  After asking, “now what”, deal with it, do as your doctor says, and be positive.

Diabetes Support Groups: Your diabetes health care team composed of your primary physician, specialist, nurse, dietician and a counsellor is the team that you should maintain contact with. They will guide you on your medication, changes in your treatment program and your progress, but they rely on you to monitor your blood sugar levels and to ensure that your insulin shots are administered on schedule.

A supportive health care team is a blessing especially for diabetics who view their illness as a stressful never-ending experience; sometimes, however, one needs to reach out to others outside the clinical setting who are suffering from the same illness.  This is where support groups outside of your principal health care team can provide additional support and guidance. A diabetic who is in the company of other diabetics feels more comfortable about sharing personal experiences; likewise, there are valuable lessons to be gained by listening to others speak of their experiences.

Support groups provide more than support: they create positive reinforcement and diminish the seriousness of diabetes especially when they talk about how diabetes has not affected their quality of life.  They tell others that there is hope. The psychological benefits a diabetic derives from support groups are immeasurable.

Diabetes Support Groups: Where to Look
It is reassuring to know that diabetes is one of those illnesses that has a substantial number of support groups.  Almost every state in the United States has an organization or two that can give out the names and numbers of diabetes support groups.

Here is a list (in no way a comprehensive list):

• Defeat Diabetes Foundation Inc – defeatdiabetes.org.  Click on “self-management” under Action Resources and you get a listing of all 52 states. Clicking on one state yields the names and numbers of support groups. Let’s take the example of New York. It has over 50 support groups spread out in major cities. The same is true for other large states like Florida and California. You will have no problems looking for one near your home.
• Children with diabetes – childrenwithdiabetes.com/support/. If you have a child with diabetes and you want to connect with parents who have diabetic children, this is a web site that lists all support groups in 29 states of the United States, Canada, Colombia and South Africa. The link takes you to a page where the groups for the US are arranged by state (only 29 states are available); the ones for Canada are arranged by province. For instance, if you click on “MA” (Massachusetts), you can obtain the names and numbers of support groups for children with diabetes. In Massachusetts alone, there are six support groups for children and parents. There are three in Texas.
• Type II diabetes. This web site is specifically for type II patients and lists professional non-profit groups that provide more information and education about diabetes: http://www.diabetes.com/diabetes_info.html. These organizations are in Florida, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Maryland and Georgia.  They are not support groups per se but are medical organizations that have the latest information on type II diabetes, some of them staffed by doctors and specialists like endocrinologists and cardiologists.
• Insulin Pumpers – this is a more specific group of patients. Children and adults who are insulin pumpers will find support and information at:  http://www.insulin-pumpers.org/. There are over 5,200 insulin pumpers discussion groups that you can join. They can be found in the US, UK, Scandinavian countries, New Zealand, Australia and Germany. You can also subscribe to the mailing list.

A Diabetic Did You Know: When it comes to virtually any topic there will be those who will not be satisfied until they have hard evidence to support what they have been reading or what they have heard. For this article we are gleaning details from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Diabetic Association (ADA).

Did you know…

• The average hospital stay for issue related to diabetes is 4.7 days and over half a million diabetics will require hospitalization annually.
• One in ten Americans has diabetes – some have yet to be diagnosed.
• 18,250 diabetics go blind every year.
• 14,600 young people 16 and younger are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes every year. 3,650 more will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
• 73,000 people die from diabetes every year. Approximately the same number will undergo a lower-limb amputation due to complications from diabetes.
• 1,460,000 individuals will be diagnosed with this disease each year.
• More than 47,000 diabetics will develop kidney failure.
• The annual economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was estimated to be $174 billion.
• $6,649 of annual health care costs for diabetics is directly attributed to the disease.
• 445,000 cases of unemployment disability in 2007 were attributed to diabetes.
• Lost productivity due to premature death is $26.9 billion among those who had been diagnosed with diabetes.

There is good news. When armed with information some individuals have been able to manage existing diabetes or, if caught early enough, avoided through a positive change in lifestyle.

The good news is there are new breakthroughs being announced regularly that help diabetics live life better while successful managing the disease and slowing the effects of diabetes.

One of the key issues that can be addressed by every American is diet and exercise. Several national organizations work to encourage personal mobility in the form of walking, bike riding and cardiovascular exercise. Diet plans suggest ways to minimize potential risk to your heart and aid in managing risk when it comes to diabetes.

Science has developed multiple pharmaceuticals that can assist in the daily care of this disease while minimizing symptoms, and allowing normal daily activity.

Support groups are a lifeline for many who need the additional encouragement to find personal success in both willpower and in proactive steps to take control of the advance of diabetes.

The good thing about statistics is they are just numbers. Yes they represent real people in real circumstances, but they don’t have to represent you. The power to mange the care of your disease lies in multiple daily choices that might allow you to say…

Did you know…

• I lowered my cholesterol.
• I have been effective at managing blood sugar through diet and exercise.
• I have found support and I have supported others in refusing to let diabetes control my life.
• I pay attention to what my health care provider says and I see improvements in my life.
• There are too many others in my life to live in depression.

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes some of the statistics seem overwhelming, but many diabetics live long and productive lives, but they did so with a brave mix of positive thinking, proper medical care and personal change.

That’s one statistic we can all live with.

Diabetes Among African-Americans and American Indians: According to the National Diabetes Education Association, “3.7 million; 14.7 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks ages twenty and older have diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes.”

This is roughly five percent higher than the national average. Another startling statistic comes from the Office of Minority Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “African Americans are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.”

The NDEA indicates, “About 16.5 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives ages 20 years and older who are served by the Indian Health Service have diagnosed diabetes.” They further report, “Diabetes rates vary — among Alaska Natives (6.0 %) to American Indians in southern Arizona (29.3 %).”

Among these two ethnic groups we find a larger number of diabetic diagnoses, but we also find that increasing awareness has created an environment suitable to change in attitudes and response.

It should be noted that only 5% of diabetic cases in this ethnic group were listed as Type 1.

Because diabetes is described as a “Self-managed” disease there is an empowerment in the care you self-administer. Yes, the overall cost of managing diabetes may result in $4,000-$6,000 in treatment annually, but you need to remember you are in control of the daily care you receive.

As with all diabetic cases you will need to confer regularly with a health care provider and follow dosing instructions.

Some compelling reasons to accept the empowerment of diabetes management is that in the case of all ethnicities poor diabetes care can have a profound impact on the increase incidence of stroke and heart attacks. Cardiovascular disease can be a byproduct of poor health management.

The American Diabetes Association makes clear that many American Indians are beginning to take note of the care they need. The ADA provides a prayer written by American Indian George Perez of New Mexico, “Great Spirit, We thank you for your blessings that have provided the healthy foods to nourish our bodies. May we learn to appreciate and not take for granted all that we know to make us healthier. May we be open to accept change that will benefit not only ourselves, but also our children as well.”

This prayer provides a beautiful example of how actions taken today can affect future generations. If you take seriously the care needed to keep you healthy then you may see your children choose a healthy lifestyle early on. That course of action may well result in a better lifetime of health for your children.

Most organizations agree that the primary culprit for onset diabetes is a lack of physical activity and diet. When these issues are addressed there is a marked improvement in long-term health among both African-Americans as well as American Indians.

In both ethic groups the National Diabetes Education Association provides the same targets for normal health, “A1C (Blood Glucose) Less than 7 percent (check at least twice a year). Blood Pressure Less than 130/80 mmHg (check every doctor’s visit). Cholesterol (LDL) Less than 100 mg/dl”

When these targets get out of control the likelihood of onset diabetes or Type 2 becomes more pronounced.

However, when 30 minutes of daily exercise was combined with food choices low in calories and fat, health care providers typically see an improved climate for optimum health.

The Best Way to Avoid Diabetes: What if I told you it was possible to delay or even prevent diabetes? What if I offered a solution that has proven itself over and over again? Would you take my advice?

Americans have a love affair with food. We delight in every crispy fry and whip cream topped desert. We snack on decadent chocolate and love those bacon double cheeseburgers with an extra large soda.

Of course we can justify the indulgence. We work hard. We must manage enormous stress. Food is our coping mechanism of choice.

The problem is that proportionally Americans are getting larger and we’re exporting the fast paced, stress filled and often sedentary lifestyle around the globe. The world is getting bigger and with that growth comes the potential for onset diabetes.

We don’t want it, we certainly don’t want to talk about it and we’ll avoid finding out for sure. If we just push through one more day perhaps the disease will go away thinking we just aren’t interested.

The truth is diabetes will set up house without your permission. It can be hereditary, but it’s often the result of accumulated lifestyle choices.

If your idea of a diet is simply to consume whatever pleases you most you may eventually struggle with the reality of diabetes. If your idea of exercise is a trip from the easy chair to the kitchen or to find the remote you may be setting yourself up for issues related to diabetes.

If you’ll think back to the beginning of this article I mentioned the possibility of delaying or even preventing diabetes if caught early enough. Would you like to know the secret?

If you can adjust your eating habits and exercise routine in order to lose 5%-7% of your total body weight you can slow down the diabetic freight train. Obviously this advice is for those who are overweight or even obese, but it is also a cautionary tale to all who believe a diet based on personal tastes alone is acceptable.

Five percent of your body weight could be less than ten pounds. What that means is a little motivation toward improved personal health care today could result in improved personal health long term.

If this is indeed a case of a runaway train then doesn’t it make sense to try to stop it before it crashes?

I know the choices at a fast food restaurant are enticing, and it’s so convenient to order from a numerical menu and drive away clamping your jaws around a #2 with a fist full of fries, but there might be a similarly convenient way to manage meals on the go with a menu that may be more nutritionally sound.

In most grocery stores or supermarkets you will find a deli with pre-packaged meals. In most cases these meals cost less than take out and may be better nutritionally than fast food. They will probably even taste better.

Take advantage of the salad bars and the pre cut fruit cups. The point is there are ways to make better food choices that facilitate meaningful life changes.

Park a bit further away from the store and walk a bit more. Take your pet for a walk. Take your spouse for a walk. Ride your bike. Visit a community aerobics class. Swim.

Find ways to include activity in your daily routine. It doesn’t have to be an all-day ordeal. A few minutes of activity is worth more than you may realize.

The combination of better food choices and a more active lifestyle will reduce stress, increase energy, reduce weight, and will remain the best alternative to diabetes prevention or delay.

Diabetes A History Lesson: Diabetes – a Greek word meaning ‘to siphon’. Not a very pleasant picture is it?

For more than 3,000 years there has been an acknowledgement of the disease known as diabetes. Physicians, in their limited understanding of the disease, offered hope in the form of such remedies as oil of roses, raw quinces, gelly of viper’s flesh, and fresh flowers of blind nettles – although at the time most physicians also realized that even with their best care the patient would likely die within a year.

Aretaeus who is credited with naming the malady referred to the disease as a liquefying process of the body. It may have seemed that way due to the more frequent urge most diabetics have to urinate and the intense thirst many diabetics face without proper care.

Between the 17th and early 20th century physicians diagnosed the disease by tasting the patient’s urine. A sweet taste generally elicited a prognosis of diabetes.

Prior to 1923 there was very little a diabetic could do, but wait certain death. Doctors tried to find a cure or at the very least something to slow the process, but the patient would invariably enter a diabetic coma and would pass away within a few hours to a few days.

Leonard Thompson was the brave boy who first received insulin. This inaugural use of insulin was accomplished when experiments on a diabetic dog conducted by Canadians Frederick Banting and Charles Best led to a breakthrough 3,000 years in the making. This duo discovered pancreatic fluid was useful in keeping the pet alive. That led to the discovery that insulin may be the needed element for diabetics. This breakthrough was proclaimed miraculous.

The ‘siphon’ of diabetes was slowed substantially over the next few decades as physicians learned there were actually two types of diabetes requiring different treatments. More effective insulin types were produced.

Insulin was administered by injection, but the glass syringes and large needles had to be boiled for daily sterilization and were used repeatedly until 1961 when single use syringes were finally made available.

Glucose meters arrived in 1969. These bulky first-run machines were replaced by smaller and smaller devices over the years.

By 1979 insulin pumps were available for diabetic sufferers. The pump served to imitate the body’s normal distribution of insulin. This was also the year the A1c test was developed as well as a bulky device that allowed for insulin delivery within the body without the use of a needle.

Believe it or not it wasn’t until the early 1990s that medical professionals finally began advising their patients that effective control of blood glucose was important to the overall success of managed care as well as enabling the patient to live a longer life.

Science continues to fine-tune treatment options by investigating ways for the body to use insulin more efficiently and stimulating the body to aid in the effort of eliminating excess blood glucose. The end result is more treatment options for diabetics and a greater freedom to enjoy a life that would likely not have been possible 100 years ago.

The onset of diabetes can be emotionally challenging, but the scientific advancements in just the last twenty years has provided substantial freedom to diabetics and has allowed an incredible life extension to many who might otherwise have had no hope.

Much is made of diabetes and rightfully so. Much is now known about the disease, how it affects the body and ways to minimize its advance. Information is now available to help many avoid the struggles associated with diabetes.

Perhaps one day diabetes itself will be – history.

Tattoo Contemplation For The Diabetic: At the age of 17 Dustin Rykert was diagnoses with Type 1 diabetes. This wasn’t a good day for Dustin. He was a star football player with his eyes on a future NFL contract.

In 2002 when he was suited up for college play at Brigham Young University (BYU) he was beginning to get used to a lifestyle that other players never had to think about.

At the time Rykert told BYU Net News, “”I have to make sure the blood sugars are high enough during practice so I don’t pass out but low enough that I don’t become so thirsty all the time.”

These adjustments followed Rykert to the NFL where he briefly played for the Oakland Raiders. His tenure in the NFL was short lived, but it was reported that during this time Rykert received a diabetic tattoo.

The idea of a tattoo may hold only a marginal appeal to diabetics due to potential complications stemming from the procedure. The potential for infection can be problematic for diabetics, but in Rykert’s case the role of a tattoo just made sense when he was on the football field.

Reports indicate Rykert received a diabetic tattoo on his chest. The claim was that a diabetic bracelet did not withstand the rigors of playing football so the tattoo was considered a viable alternative.

There are genuine concerns for those who desire a tattoo and also live with diabetes. However, according to an ABCNews.com report there is a growing trend by younger diabetics to leave the bracelets and necklaces behind in favor or a diabetic tattoo.

The best course of action is to visit with your primary care physician first about issues that may be of concern, but according to Dr. Michael Zbiegien in that same ABCNews.com report there are a few issues to take into account when a diabetic tattoo is considered.

• Make sure blood sugars are in good control before getting a tattoo.
• Do not get body art if you have a hemoglobin A1c above 8 percent.
• Make sure you go to reputable a tattoo artist.
• Do not get a tattoo in an area with poor circulation such as your feet.
• Try to avoid tattooing common injection sites.

While there may be circumstances where a diabetic tattoo may seem to make sense to the patient many doctors will insist that the Medic Alert jewelry is still the best lifeline in the case of a medical emergency. EMT’s are trained to inspect the patient for Medic Alert jewelry. They may not perform a visual inspection to look for a tattoo.

One concern medical practitioners may have in relation to the act of tattooing is that dirty needles could cause the individual to contract hepatitis. Proponents of diabetic tattooing would argue that the same risk would apply to any individual seeking a tattoo.

Perhaps the most important factor when contemplating a tattoo as a diabetic is whether you have been effective in the management of your blood glucose. If you do not take your disease seriously it is likely there could be complications in relation to both healing time and infections.

One diabetic in voicing her opposition to the idea said, “I lost a leg due an infection that set in following a paper cut. I don’t think I’d be interested in a tattoo.”

Some companies have developed temporary tattoos for the same purpose, but have not gained wide spread acceptance.