DID YOU SEE IT?

Last week, on November 12, the cover story in USA Today was “Diabetes ‘revolution’ is cutting both ways”.  To summarize the article, it indicated that there are more people with diabetes these days than ever before, including those who have no idea they are truly diabetic.  That is the bad news, and the good news is that the complications from being diabetic have become much more minimal than ever before.   Doctors who once had a waiting room filled with the obvious victims of the complications from diabetes, now they open their doors, and are pleasantly surprised.  In the past, you would observe patients with poor eyesight, limbs missing, and those about to go on dialysis due to their kidneys failing.

While we have all the tools available to us to monitor and control our condition, there are unfortunately still those who fail to take advantage of what has opened the doors to much better control.  There is the blood sugar monitoring devices, many different types of insulin, syringes and needles which are smaller than we could have imagined years ago. Additionally, there is an array of  other means of control, such as the insulin pump.  I began pump therapy approximately 18 years ago, and I must admit I was very skeptical back then.  My first pump malfunctioned while I was on vacation, which was not the way I expected to spend during a time which should have been filled with relaxation and adventures.  Fortunately, the pump manufacturer flew in a replacement pump, but in the meantime, I was in a difficult position.  Yes, I survived the ordeal, but decided to go off that pump until I felt more confident.  The pumps today are amazing with features that do the calculating for you.

I hope, if you have not already done so, you will read the USA Today article and see for yourself how the management of diabetes has progressed.  Good luck!