From One Diabetic to Others: A Commentary on Using Diabetes Resources

/Home/Complications of Diabetes/Diabetes and Depression/Diabetic Depression Prevention

From One Diabetic to Others: A Commentary on Using Diabetes Resources
October 26, 2006
Rhetta Akamatsu
Associated Content

This is a commentary on Diabetes Resources for the 13.8 Million Americans With the Disease. This article has some good advice and links to a couple of websites that do, indeed, have helpful information for diabetics. But as a long-time Type II diabetic in a constant battle with my very hard-to-control sugar levels, I have a few bits of advice to add.

First of all, in the first paragraph, author T. McSpadden references the 13.8 milliion Americans "suffering" from diabetes. If you find out you're diabetic, please try to refrain from thinking of yourself as "suffering" from it. You are living with it, yes. You are learning to cope with it and control it, yes. But you're probably not "suffering" from it. In the early stages, diabetes has very few symptoms. Constant thirst and having to go to the bathroom a lot are common ones, and those are inconvenient symptoms, but hardly qualify as suffering. It can lead to very serious complications, but your goal is to avoid those, and with luck and care, you can. So eliminate "suffering" from your description of your condition.

Secondly, don't read too much too fast, especially about what the disease can do to you if uncontrolled. Your diabetes is not going to be uncontrolled, if you work with your doctor, exercise, watch what you eat, and take medicine as prescribed. (Taking medicine if it is prescribed is important: some diabetics can do everything right, and still need medical help to control their sugar levels. I know, because I am one of them.) But if you read a lot of articles and books telling you how much worse your odds are of getting this disease or that disease now that you're diabetic, or how many diabetics die of this or that, you will be depressed, and overwhelmed, and neither one of those is good. Be aware of the danger, but don't dwell on it. If you were to dwell on how dangerous it is to drive a car, you'd never get in one. If you get discouraged about your diabetes, you won't try to control it. You may go into denial, and that is the one thing you can't afford to do. For that matter, even being depressed and upset can cause your sugar levels to fluctuate. So make sure to keep the bad news about your condition in perspective by reading the good news, too.

In order to do this, when you go to websites such as the one recommended in the "Diabetes Article," such as the American Diabetes Association or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's, pay attention to the parts that tell you what you can do to help yourself stay healthiest. Add sites like http://www.diabetic-recipes.com/ so that you see that you can still enjoy food, including desserts. While you're there, take time to be grateful that sugar-free products have gotten so much better tasting these days. I actually prefer sugar-free chocolate candy and ice cream to the kind with sugar now. You don't have to deprive yourself of things you love. Try to concentrate on books and sites that tell you you can still eat what you love and do what you like to do as long as you think of better, healthier ways to have and do things.

Also, check out sites such as Secondly, don't read too much too fast, especially about what the disease can do to you if uncontrolled. Your diabetes is not going to be uncontrolled, if you work with your doctor, exercise, watch what you eat, and take medicine as prescribed. (Taking medicine if it is prescribed is important: some diabetics can do everything right, and still need medical help to control their sugar levels. I know, because I am one of them.) But if you read a lot of articles and books telling you how much worse your odds are of getting this disease or that disease now that you're diabetic, or how many diabetics die of this or that, you will be depressed, and overwhelmed, and neither one of those is good. Be aware of the danger, but don't dwell on it. If you were to dwell on how dangerous it is to drive a car, you'd never get in one. If you get discouraged about your diabetes, you won't try to control it. You may go into denial, and that is the one thing you can't afford to do. For that matter, even being depressed and upset can cause your sugar levels to fluctuate. So make sure to keep the bad news about your condition in perspective by reading the good news, too.

In order to do this, when you go to websites such as the one recommended in the "Diabetes Article," such as the American Diabetes Association or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's, pay attention to the parts that tell you what you can do to help yourself stay healthiest. Add sites like http://www.diabetic-recipes.com/ so that you see that you can still enjoy food, including desserts. While you're there, take time to be grateful that sugar-free products have gotten so much better tasting these days. I actually prefer sugar-free chocolate candy and ice cream to the kind with sugar now. You don't have to deprive yourself of things you love. Try to concentrate on books and sites that tell you you can still eat what you love and do what you like to do as long as you think of better, healthier ways to have and do things.

Also, check out sites such as Diabetes News, http://www.diabetesnews.com/, to keep up with the new research, drugs, and other advances in diabetes treatment. We're always getting closer to an actual cure and treatment is improving all the time.

I'm saying all this because when I was first diagnosed, I did read everything I could find on the Internet and every book I could find. And I did get discouraged, and I did go into denial, and it took me five years and some pretty intense episodes to finally get my balance and make the really not all that drastic changes I needed to make. The books and articles that think they have to scare you into doing what you should do sometimes go to extremes. Don't let them spook you. You can live happily and successfully with diabetes, and it really isn't all that hard. Pop a sugar-free chocolate and relax as you educated yourself.
. to keep up with the new research, drugs, and other advances in diabetes treatment. We're always getting closer to an actual cure and treatment is improving all the time.

I'm saying all this because when I was first diagnosed, I did read everything I could find on the Internet and every book I could find. And I did get discouraged, and I did go into denial, and it took me five years and some pretty intense episodes to finally get my balance and make the really not all that drastic changes I needed to make. The books and articles that think they have to scare you into doing what you should do sometimes go to extremes. Don't let them spook you. You can live happily and successfully with diabetes, and it really isn't all that hard. Pop a sugar-free chocolate and relax as you educated yourself.