Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
In my adventures as a medical editor, I have recently been working with researchers who are investigating the use of the Internet as a health tool. Not only are patients increasingly turning to the Internet to research health questions, but researchers are also introducing the concept of using the tool as a management device. In a recent study, socio-economically disadvantaged teens were given computers and access to a database that offered reminders for care, information, and discussion boards.
The teenagers used the online resources, particularly the discussion boards. The community offered was particularly important to teens. After about six months of using the Internet resource and information, their Internet use started to taper off, because they found that they could manage their health without the support that the online community offered. However, researchers believe this will continue to be a great tool, because people are diagnosed with diabetes all the time. The tool is not useful only for adolescents either: It can be used by people of all ages.
In the interest of full-disclosure, my resource for this post was my father's health management blog. My father is a clinical psychologist who has been helping patients manage their health for his entire career.
Posted Jan 29th 2006 11:43PM by Jen Creer Filed under: Type 1
Women with type 1 diabetes are more
likely to develop osteoporosis than their counterparts without the disease. Researchers have not yet identified
specific reasons for the link between type 1 diabetes and reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in women. However, reduced
blood sugars and increased bone turnovers could be among the possible reasons. There is also a purported connection
among elderly populations between lower levels of BMD and cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular disease is also a
common complication of diabetes. Women who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes commonly begin reporting a greater
number of bone fractures after the age of 20; the research all indicates that women with this diagnosis should be
screened for osteoporosis and BMD levels, particularly closely during the onset of menopause.
Over the weekend, I saw some friends whose son has type 1 diabetes. He is a teen now, and he showed me his insulin pump and how it works. He has had one for two years now. I admitted to them that I feel somewhat awkward with my writing here because I don't have diabetes. Although I do have some blood sugar crashes and a body type that makes me suspect I am a good candidate for type 2 diabetes, I don't yet have any personal experiences, apart from the fact that my grandmother died from complications from diabetes when I was a baby.
My friend told me that her son used to have troubles with low blood sugar at night, when he was younger. He would have seizures, and she would race to his bedroom, hearing him convulse. So, she would put honey into his mouth to try to raise his blood sugar. She said honey is good because it absorbs into the gums, so it doesn't have to be swallowed to be effective. Soda pop can be spit out easily by a child who is convulsing, and also, it's hard to get many things into the mouth of a child who is gritting teeth.
What do you do for your child during nighttime sugar crashes? Is honey use pretty common?
Men living in remote areas of Australia are more likely than their more urban counterparts to die of complications from diabetes. Men are also more likely than women to die from diabetes. Aborigines are about four times as likely to die from diabetes than any other Australian citizens. Some of the reasons given for the higher incidence of death in these geographical regions are higher incidence of smoking and obesity. I wonder whether it might also be that the decision to live in the Australian outback denotes a certain ruggedness which doesn't seem consistent with seeking medical care.
It is also likely that in remote portions of Australia, cutting edge medical care is less available than it is in the urban centers, just as rural areas of the United States are often described as "underserved."
In my earnestness to bring you yummy recipes this holiday season, I am scouring the internet, and the supermarket. I found, at my grocery store last night, a Better Homes and Gardens mini-recipe book called Diabetic Living Holiday Recipes. You should be on the look for it in your checkout line.
On the net, though, I just found this little gem: The Diabetic Gourmet. Tons of recipes, articles, tips about holiday food preparation. What I was particularly interested in today was articles about appetizers for parties. You know, so when you are asked to bring something to a holiday party, you can bring something tasty that everybody will flock to-- not just you. Click here for their tasty Artichoke Dip recipe. I will try to feature more recipes here.
If you have recipes that you'd like to share with other of our readers here, please do let me know!
I found Sweet Blood's blog Infusion of Thought. I have to say, I am digging these names. Sweet Blood started her blog about having Type 1 very recently, and I would love to see more posts from her. From what many diabetics have written about on their blogs, about the great weariness they have with their disease, the weepiness, and the feelings that they just cannot do this anymore, I have to say... having diabetes sounds a lot like having a newborn baby. Forever. Only without the love, and without the joy.
You can no longer leave the house without your bag. You have to leave the table and go to the bathroom at restaurants. You have to check your blood sugar levels multiple times a day. You cannot have a vacation. You cannot stop doing it. You do not get to pass Go. You do not get to collect $200. And babies grow up, but diabetes is forever.
Is that a good analogy, or do you have a better one? And can you trot on over to Sweet Blood and encourage her to write more?
Our Type 1 readers are coming out in full force! I think there may be more of y'all than you previously thought. Johnboy commented this morning, and so I immediately went and checked out his blog. It's a very interesting combination of talking about his daily stats and also the complications of living with people who don't have diabetes who maybe don't always understand how intrusive the disease is into daily life.
Johnboy also describes how he lost ten pounds in three weeks (lucky!!! My running partner and I joke that men always seem to lose weight faster than women do, darn testosterone!), which is quite inspirational-- not to mention really good for his diabetes.
Do any of you folks out there with personal weblogs have pictures up so we can see what y'all look like??? Be sure to add Johnboy to your list.
I think this is one of the meals I was particularly excited about, when I came across these recipes, also at Diabetic Lifestyle. You have got to go and check out this site. One of the things I traditionally associate with Hanukkah dinner is latkes, and I was worried that because of the high carbohydrates, maybe that would be a forbidden fruit (so to speak) for someone living with diabetes.
Not so. There are recipes for a complete Hanukkah dinner (with a roast beef base, though I know that when we celebrate with friends, the latkes are quite enough, and we don't have a Kosher butcher nearby, so we usually have soup with it, and a fruit salad). Speaking of fruit salad, there is also a great fruit-based recipe for dessert. Now. I know there are 8 nights of Hanukkah, so give me some time and I'll see what I can come up with. But for the first night, you're all set.
So, it's your first year living with diabetes. Or, you are hosting a dinner party and one of your guests has diabetes. What are you going to make for Christmas Eve dinner? Well, at Diabetic Lifestyle, they have some great suggestions. You are going to find recipes for Spicy Swordfish over Pasta, Shaved Fennel and Parmesan Salad, and Winter Fruit Croustade.
You don't have to compromise your holiday eating just because you are diabetic, or just because you have a newly-diagnosed relative coming to dinner. You just have to be a little creative, and do a little planning ahead. Of course, there are some general pointers to follow: if you are diabetic, you are going to want to skip the holiday eggnogg, and the spiced wine. But if you search around for creative substitutes ahead of time, at least you can still feel like you are being festive. And most importantly, included in the wonderful comfort of eating with those you love.
I don't know about you, but thinking about the holidays with all of the sweets and baking and temptations has got to be one of the hardest things about living with diabetes. Never fear! We, here at The Diabetes Blog, are going to scour the planet (well, okay, the internet) for recipes for you to try this holiday season. Recipes that you can safely partake of and manage your diabetes.
The first recipe is called Chocolate Decadent Cheesecake. And I can't reprint it here. It is copyright protected. But I can (and did) link to it, so you can go over to this site and check it out. When I am able to, I will print recipes here, but in the meantime, I am happy to point you in some fun directions, and to give linky love to other wonderful sites and resources. Go check it out!
Noemi Pinto of the Bronx has had a rough go of it. She first thought her symptoms of tiredness and swelling were due to the diabetes she has had since she was 11 years old. She was shocked to discover that they were due to renal failure, and that she would have to have a kidney transplant or die. Her mother was chosen as a match for her.
Pinto and her husband, Frank Talavera, have both been unable to work; Mr. Talavera because of injuries from a car accident two years ago, and Pinto because of her more recent health problems. Therefore, compounding the danger of Pinto dying, the couple faced eviction notices and no respite. They were fortunate to hear of a charity called Community Service Society of New York, which is one of the seven New York Times Neediest Cases charities. They were given money for rent, and time for Pinto to recuperate from her transplant.
Pinto's story is one of courage; I can't imagine managing these kinds of financial stresses on top of almost dying, PLUS managing diabetes daily. How on earth do people manage?
Amy over at Diabetes Mine posted the other day about some great resources for people with diabetes. One of the recurrent themes I am noticing among the diabetes blogs I read is that, despite the fact that millions of people suffer from diabetes, many people feel very isolated. They seem to feel particularly isolated in restaurants when checking sugar levels in the bathroom, or injecting insulin when someone happens to come in.
In the absence of being able to provide real life compadres, we are increasingly turning to the internet for support. I encourage you to go over to Diabetes Mine and check out her terrific list of resources. And again, if you have a personal blog, please let me know ASAP so I can include it in the blogroll I am working on.
For those of you who are looking for more support for being a person with diabetes, you should check out How's the DB, written by Melissa. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a few years ago, and she is currently 24 years old. She has a great, poignant blog. I would even go so far as to say angry, which gives her writing a terrific energy. She reports feeling bludgeoned (my words) by diabetes at times, and not wanting to manage it. But then she realizes that this only hurts her family when she crashes.
She opened her blog with a plea for people who have diabetes to tell the people around them about their diabetes and how to recognize when they are in trouble. Melissa tells a great story about her waitress friend who knew what to do for a diabetic diner, thanks to Melissa's incessant stories about diabetes. Go give a shout out to Melissa. She is there for you; let her know you are here too.
Diabetes Daily is a phenomenal new blog. I am absolutely floored by what David Edelman and Elizabeth Zabell have accomplished in the two weeks since they started publishing. The blog not only covers interesting news stories (including some of ours, thank you!), but it also chronicles the story of Elizabeth's (mis)diagnosis, and how she manages adult-onset type 1 diabetes.
But the thing I really love about this blog is something the authors may not even realize would be a draw: underlying the posts is the subtle and unfolding love story between David and Elizabeth, as they pursue their romance and also jointly embrace the journey of living with diabetes. It's really a charming blog and chock full of great nuggets and links. I spent a long time there; you will too. Guys? Now we just need pictures!
Thank you, Anil, for posting a comment earlier! I am delighted to feature Anil's blog today. Anil started his blog about dealing with his type 2 diabetes diagnosis. He was diagnosed earlier this year, and he is managing his diabetes with diet and exercise, which is challenging, to be sure. He pointed out in a recent post that November was (is) Diabetes Awareness month, which, in my newness to this position, I missed. And I apologize.
Anil also spoke movingly about the need for more community and support, and there are avenues out there, such as Diabetes Mine, which I posted about earlier this week. And one of our goals is to help bring people together here. One of the ways we can accomplish this is to start conversations in the comments. And as more of you chime in with your wants and needs for community, there are other formats we can pursue, like message boards, listservs, flickr groups, and much more that I hope to start in the coming months! So, please go over and give a shout out to Anil today, and let him know where in the blogosphere you are-- and let us know, too, so we can put you in our forthcoming blogroll.
In my adventures as a medical editor, I have recently been working with researchers who are investigating the use of the Internet as a health tool. Not only are patients increasingly turning to the Internet to research health questions, but researchers are also introducing the concept of using the tool as a management device. In a recent study, socio-economically disadvantaged teens were given computers and access to a database that offered reminders for care, information, and discussion boards. 
Over the weekend, I saw some friends whose son has type 1 diabetes. He is a teen now, and he showed me his insulin pump and how it works. He has had one for two years now. I admitted to them that I feel somewhat awkward with my writing here because I don't have diabetes. Although I do have some blood sugar crashes and a body type that makes me suspect I am a good candidate for type 2 diabetes, I don't yet have any personal experiences, apart from the fact that my grandmother died from complications from diabetes when I was a baby. 
Our Type 1 readers are coming out in full force! I think there may be more of y'all than you previously thought. Johnboy commented this morning, and so I immediately went and checked out his blog. It's a very interesting combination of talking about his daily stats and also the complications of living with people who don't have diabetes who maybe don't always understand how intrusive the disease is into daily life. 
Noemi Pinto of the Bronx
Diabetes Daily
