Diabetes Myths and Legends

Hey,

So there are many misconceptions and myths about diabetes, these tend to stem from false interpretations people have made or a confusion between the different types of diabetes. I am going to set the record straight as it's clear to me many people don't really know what diabetes is and I would rather people didn't know a thing rather than them only knowing the wrong facts.

Myth number 1. All Diabetics are fat and this is why they are diabetic

Wrong, obesity can cause Type 2 diabetes but is only one factor. Type 1 diabetes is actually linked into your genes and it's not a choice whether you get it or not. By eating healthy and exercising regularly you may help to reduce your chances of getting type 2 but its not a full proof plan as there are many other factors involved, that I can't for the life of me think what now.

Myth number 2. Diabetes is contagious.

This one really makes me laugh as it's not. It never has been never will be. I don't really understand where this idea came from, but I assume it's because diabetes is a disease and people assume it can be passed from one human to another.

Myth number 3. There is a better and worse type of diabetes, the better being type 2.

No neither type is better or worse nor is one more serious than the other. They both require the same treatment eventually and are "equally serious" as diabetes UK put it.

Myth number 4. Diabetics can't have sugar.

You need sugar to lead a healthy balanced diet. Diabetics are healthy so they must be able to eat sugar. I love sweet things, a lot and sometimes this requires a bit more management on the diabetes side but it's totally worth it. This myth stems from people knowing enough about diabetes to know that a symptom is having high blood sugar, they then manage to turn it round so in their minds diabetics are just people with high blood sugars. Therefore eating sugar would be a really bad idea.

Myth number 5.Diabetics should eat food made for diabetics.

Actually when I was diagnosed my dsn said it was better to avoid these foods as they have a much higher content of E numbers and other chemicals. So while they have the benefit of being low in sugar they aren't actually helping anybody in that respect. So as long as you eat normal sweets and chocolate in moderation you will be fine.

Hopefully this helped to clear up your foggy ideas on diabetes, if not lets hope it was slightly entertaining.

Rhona x

Toughen Up People

Hey
So this week I thought I would talk about how people cope with diabetes. Personally I've never really struggled with it, I have pretty decent control. Especially now I'm on the pump. But it appears that for many people it's not. I hear a lot about how people really struggle to control it and how much they hater and that for me is an alien concept. To me I don't understand how people struggle to control it and I think this is because I was diagnosed so young. Being six I don't have many memories about what  life was like with diabetes, I grew up with it and saw how many things I did effected it. For example exam stress will either send me sky high or crashing lows, so I would change my basal rates accordingly. This to me has never been a problem and I don't think it will ever be, but I do wonder why people complain so much about it.

A few months ago there was a regular columnist in Balance ( the diabetes UK magazine) who every month, without fail, would talk about how hard it was for her and her son to handle living with diabetes. This really annoyed me, not the fact that they struggled to control his diabetes which I understand can be difficult for some people, but that she went out of her way to make sure everybody knew how hard it was. I'm no angel I have occasionally stretched the truth out to make my stories more entertaining, but I have never made a habit of it. I think the reason I have no sympathy with them is that I know from personal experience it's not that easy but when your blood sugar is a couple of mmols over what it should be I don't feel the need to panic. Diabetes is not easy but it is not better than you, don't fight it. Work with what you've got to make your life better.

It's not just diabetes I can't stand people continually complaining about what is wrong with them. No one seems to embrace the opportunities they are offered anymore but would much rather complain about how much work they have to do this week. Of course there are people who have got a really tough lot and have every right to be upset about it but I've found these are the happiest people. I've spent a fair amount of time with children with disabilities ranging from minor behavioural difficulties to not being able to do anything for themselves and I have never met anyone happier. Some of these children cant walk, talk, eat or drink by themselves but they will give you the biggest grin if you are willing to spend time with them and that's my point. These children face a daily struggle much greater than our own while we all spend too much time looking on the negative side of things and complaining about how hard life is but as the absolutely horrific saying goes YOLO. You only live once. So embrace the good things in your life and if your struggling to control any aspect of your life look on it as a challenge rather than a problem, you can beat anything you put your mind too.

And on that cheesey note it's time for me go. Adios

Rhona x

Hello!

Hi,
Welcome to my little corner of the internet. Here you can read about my life with diabetes and being a teenager. So a bit about myself, my names Rhona I'm 16 and I live in England. See I could make this really cheesy and go on about everything i enjoy but that would be very boring a similar to everybody elses blog.  So have a diabetes fact file instead because that is way more interesting for you.

DOD(Date of Diagnosis): 28th February 2003
Blood Testing Machine: Accu-Chek Aviva Combo
Pump or pens?:Insulin Pump
Pump: Accu-Chek Spirit
Length on Pump: 3 Years 1month
Lowest Blood Sugar Level: 1.8mmol
Highest Blood Sugar Level: HI (completely off the scale of my meter)
Major complications: None
Hospital Trips: Quite a lot the first couple of years after diagnosis but none for a few years

Okay so the story of my diagnosis. I was six and I only remember bits of it vaguely but I remember the incurable thirst and peeing a lot. So my mum took me to the doctor who took a urine sample but couldn't figure out what was wrong. Which I don't understand as there must have been glucose in it but anyway, my mum says all my cuts got infected. I was a very active child and was always getting cuts and scratches, anyway we ended up in hospital where they figured out quickly what was wrong. Then that same night the diabetic doctor came to visit us and it must have only be about 9pm but i was completely out of it trying to stay awake to find out what was going on. What I do remember is that she said she had a present for me and that she had a backpack for me. I was very confused about whether the backpack was the present or not. They took my blood and I could swear it was 26mmol but I think it was probably higher than that. Anyway it turned out I had diabetes and they started me on insulin pens. By this point they had put me on a drip but they had a medical student do it, I'm sure they are going to be excellent doctors but they need to stop trying not to hurt me. Eventually they got a nurse to do it who grabbed my arm and stuck it in, it didn't hurt but she wasn't worried about whether it hurt or not. So far I haven't met a doctor or student who has managed to get it in my arm first time, the record is seven attempts. Anyway I was stuck on a children's ward filled with babies. Who cry. All night long!

My first injection was fun, I still remember the nurse who did it and if I'm on the ward for things like bloods I will always end up seeing her. I screamed with the first injection but it was a tiny needle so I don't know what the fuss was about. The ones I use now are bigger and I don't have a problem with that. I quickly , well my mum quickly, learnt how to do the injections and off we went!

The first weekend after I was diagnosed my diabetic nurse at the time came to check I was injecting ok and our neighbors front door was open. So she went into their house to find my neighbor cooking breakfast. I don't really remember this being six and all but it still makes me laugh ten years on.
Okay so that's a little bit more about me, the aim is to write every week and we will see how it goes.

Rhona x