Are You in Diabetes Denial?
Are You in Diabetes Denial?
Denying you have type 2 diabetes won't make it go away. Here's how to accept your diagnosis, manage your disease, and get on with your life.
Educate yourself. A diabetes educator can be an important ally to have on your side in the battle against diabetes. "She can help you better understand your diet, how to work exercise into your life, how to test your blood sugar, and overall, how to manage your disease," says Breen.
Don't forget your flu shot. People with diabetes "are at higher risk of getting the flu," says Breen. So make a stop at your primary care doctor's office on your way home from work and ask for the flu shot.
Be good to your heart. "It's critical to control blood pressure, cholesterol, and your sugar levels," says Breen. "These all play a role in your risk of stroke and heart disease. If you can bring all these numbers to within normal ranges, you can really cut your risk almost to the level of not having diabetes."
Get on with your life. "Clearly, you need to understand what type 2 diabetes means so that you don't minimize it, but don't turn it into a catastrophe," says Rubin. "You need to know what it takes to live healthy with the disease, and then you need to get on with your life."
Don White accepted his diabetes head-on when he was first diagnosed in his 40s, and together with his family, made all the necessary adjustments to his life so that he could live well with the disease. Now, at 68, he embraces a healthy way of life.
"My heart is in good shape, my blood pressure and cholesterol are low, and my eyes are excellent," says White. "Other than the aches and pains of getting old, I'm doing very well."
Like White, many people diagnosed with diabetes find they can manage the disease without it getting in the way of the things they enjoy.
"The common refrain I hear from my patients is, 'I can't believe I waited this long to start managing my diabetes. I wish I had come in so much sooner,'" says Breen.
Once they get over their diabetes denial, they are so relieved to hear the news that it is a condition that is manageable, she explains, and it's not the end of all things pleasurable.
Are You in Diabetes Denial?
Denying you have type 2 diabetes won't make it go away. Here's how to accept your diagnosis, manage your disease, and get on with your life.
Tackling Type 2 Diabetes continued...
Educate yourself. A diabetes educator can be an important ally to have on your side in the battle against diabetes. "She can help you better understand your diet, how to work exercise into your life, how to test your blood sugar, and overall, how to manage your disease," says Breen.
Don't forget your flu shot. People with diabetes "are at higher risk of getting the flu," says Breen. So make a stop at your primary care doctor's office on your way home from work and ask for the flu shot.
Be good to your heart. "It's critical to control blood pressure, cholesterol, and your sugar levels," says Breen. "These all play a role in your risk of stroke and heart disease. If you can bring all these numbers to within normal ranges, you can really cut your risk almost to the level of not having diabetes."
Get on with your life. "Clearly, you need to understand what type 2 diabetes means so that you don't minimize it, but don't turn it into a catastrophe," says Rubin. "You need to know what it takes to live healthy with the disease, and then you need to get on with your life."
Living Well With Type 2 Diabetes
Don White accepted his diabetes head-on when he was first diagnosed in his 40s, and together with his family, made all the necessary adjustments to his life so that he could live well with the disease. Now, at 68, he embraces a healthy way of life.
"My heart is in good shape, my blood pressure and cholesterol are low, and my eyes are excellent," says White. "Other than the aches and pains of getting old, I'm doing very well."
Like White, many people diagnosed with diabetes find they can manage the disease without it getting in the way of the things they enjoy.
"The common refrain I hear from my patients is, 'I can't believe I waited this long to start managing my diabetes. I wish I had come in so much sooner,'" says Breen.
Once they get over their diabetes denial, they are so relieved to hear the news that it is a condition that is manageable, she explains, and it's not the end of all things pleasurable.
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