Who helps you manage your diabetes?

Do you think ‘Seven Dwarfs’ would be helpful?

Poet Lorraine Brooks shares her diabetes twist on the popular ‘Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs’ fairy tale.You’ll quickly see that Snow White is like every other famous Diva; she has an entourage to help her manage her diabetes. Enjoy!

Snow White by Lorraine Brooks

You’ve got seven people who help you to grow

And we cannot do it alone, this I know!

Who’s on your health team, please tell us Snow White please tell us tonight!

“My endocrinologist keeps my numbers tight.”

And who else does help you with what’s on your plate?

“A nutritionist helps me plan meals that taste great.”

And what for your eyes, so your vision is clear?

“My ophthalmologist treats my eyes with care.”

We all need some feedback sooner or later –

“I work with a diabetes educator!”

Sometimes emotions can make us feel low.

“It’s OK to talk to my therapist though.”

You have to stay active so you’ll be complete.

“Podiatrists work to take care of my feet!”

Snow White, even with diabetes, you rock!

“I pay regular visits to my family doc!”

Let’s take a lesson from Snow White and her team –

Diabetes can’t stop you from living your dream!

Who should be on your Diabetes Team?

According to the American Diabetes Association finding the right team of skilled health professionals will help you manage your diabetes and get the most out of the healthcare system.

A doctor with special training (and usually certification) in diseases such as diabetes is called an endocrinologist. If you do not see an endocrinologist, look for a primary doctor, family practice doctor or an internist who has cared for many people with diabetes. Your primary care doctor may also be the one who refers you to specialists or other team members.

A registered dietitian (RD) is trained in nutrition and has passed a national exam. An RD may also have a master’s degree or may be a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). You want to be sure to work with an RD who has training and experience with diabetes. If your doctor does not work with a dietitian, ask him to refer you to one.

A CDE is a certified diabetes educator. CDEs may be nurses, dietitians, doctors, pharmacists, podiatrists, counselors, or exercise physiologists.

Your eye doctor, an ophthalmologist or an optometrist, is another key member of your health care team, because diabetes can affect the blood vessels in the eyes. When eye problems are caught early, there are very good treatments.

Mental health professionals, psychologists, social workers, and marriage therapists, and psychiatrists, help with the personal and emotional side of living with diabetes.

Podiatrists have a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree from a college of podiatry.

Pharmacists are highly trained professionals who must know about the chemistry of the products they dispense and what effects, both good and bad, medications have on the body. Therefore, they can also give advice on whether and how any medication you take for your diabetes or other conditions could or will affect your blood glucose levels.

People with diabetes are at somewhat greater risk for gum disease. The excess blood sugar in your mouth makes it a good home for bacteria, which leads to infection. See your dentist every six months. Be sure to tell your dentist that you have diabetes.

For eight years Divabetic presented diabetes education and empowerment in the Divabetic Pavilion at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Expo in Pittsburgh, PA. Every year we would choose a different theme for our outreach presentation to make learning about diabetes more fun and enjoyable. Our themes ranged from the ‘Golden Girls’ and ‘Gillian’s Island’ to Diabetes Time Machine and ‘Diabetes Fairy Tales’.

One of our most popular presentations was ‘Diabetes Fairy Tales.’ Its quite possible that I stumbled upon this idea after watching too many episodes of ABC’s ‘Once Upon A Time’ television series.

Thankfully Lorraine Brooks agreed to write nine wonderful Diabetes Fairy Tales featuring popular fairy tale characters and diabetes self-care advice for our Expo show. Our concept was to partner popular fairy tales characters with successful diabetes self-care behaviors. For example, Snow White doesn’t try to manage her diabetes alone. She uses a ‘team approach’ to achieve optimum health!

Our ‘Diabetes Fairy Tales’ program featured an outstanding group of local Pittsburgh healthcare professionals, CDE’s, RN’s and MD’s who provided expert advice on different topics such as food, fitness and managing medications with a little magic from the land of make believe.

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Fairytales podcast featuring Connie Frazier RD, CDE, Lori Bednarz RN, CDE, Makeup Artist and Esthetician Sue Perez, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Lorraine Starsky RN and Neva White CRNP, CD.

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