There’s so many things I don’t know where to start
But I won’t spend my life being afraid.
On Halloween night I might have me a treat
And I promise myself not to feel guilt
I won’t overdo it, I won’t overeat
But I’ll enjoy life to the hilt.
See, here’s my philosophy, here’s what I know
And here’s how I do this disease
I don’t let fear stop me from letting me grow
And I won’t live in parentheses.
Make your own choices, make you own way
And get good professional care
Take care of your health each and every day
And take all your supplies everywhere.
So yes, I get frightened and yes, I’m concerned
And yes I can sometimes get weary
But when I apply all the things that I’ve learned
Diabetes gets less and less scary.
LISTEN NOW: On October’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast we’re talking about what scares us most about diabetes with musical inspiration from the chart-topping band, Old Dominion.
Does diabetes and it’s health-related complications scare you? How does fear of diabetes affect your life and your daily self-care, and more importantly, what do you do about it?
Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Dr. Michele Summers Colon DPM, Dr. Andrea Chisholm MD,OB-GYN, Diabetes – What To Know founder & CEO Ansley Dalbo, Diabetes Advocate Cindy Lou, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, newly diagnosed Diva living with diabetes, Jackie, and Dr. Lori Shemek PhD.
We’re talking about ‘What Scares You the Most About Diabetes?’ on October’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 6 PM, EST with musical inspiration from the chart-topping band, Old Dominion.
Does diabetes and/or it’s diabetes health-related complications scare you?
According to the members of Divabetic, Diabetes – What To Know, Diabetes Type 2 Group Support Facebook communities, people fear experiencing diabetes health-related complications such as: amputation, blindness and kidney disease.
Many of our members posted messages about their fears including:
“The questions I didn’t know to ask. You just don’t know what you don’t know” – Marie Jean
“Not being in control of my appetite and not being able to lose weight!” – Chrysta
“Having kids and passing diabetes on to them” – Mallory
“Not having a family that I can talk about this!”– Gaye
“Not knowing if the meds I’m taking are actually helping or creating more of a problem. My belly is super bloated from metformin with digestive issues all the time.” – Kristine
“There’s so much to fear, so much I don’t know, and so much to learn. I guess in hindsight, I don’t want diabetes to become my life.” – Stephanie
“My biggest fear is that I will never have it under control and it will over take my life causing harm to not only myself but my loved ones” – Karen
“My son died two years ago from diabetes health-related complications. He absolutely didn’t do anything to help himself. He lost his right leg and half his left foot. He was going blind and just totally gave up. I’m heartbroken that I lost him, but I watched him give up on himself. As diabetics, we have to fight every second we are alive to be as healthy as we can with this disease. Don’t fear, fight.” – Roberta
“I appreciate that there is a lot to be scared of. I had a few days of being afraid of all of these things when I was first diagnosed. But then I got a new mindset. I refuse to be afraid of it. I will fight it with everything I have for the rest of the days God gives me. And if it does eventually get me, well I will go down swinging. Life is too short and precious to be afraid. And there are so many good things we can do to fight it.” – Sam
How does fear of diabetes affect your life and your daily self-care, and more important, what do you do about it?
Small amounts of fear may energize you and get you to pay attention, but the threat has to seem manageable. If there’s nothing you can do, and the future looks too awful, you will tend to give up and try to enjoy the time you have left.
Of course, some fear of diabetes is justified. The complications of diabetes are truly ‘scary’ as our members indicated in several posts. So are the effects fear can have on your family and your finances.
Fears are stressful, and stress isn’t good for diabetes. Fear increases insulin resistance and blood pressure and interferes with the body’s natural healing systems. It makes it harder to enjoy life.
So what do we do about it? Tune in to October’s Diabetes Late Nite to get advice from our panel of experts including: Poet Lorraine Brooks, Dr. Michele Summers Colon DPM, Dr. Lori Shemek PhD, CNC, Dr. Andrea Chisholm MD,OB-GYN, Ansley Dalbo (founder of Diabetes – What To Know), Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and Jackie Mernit Muhlstock.
Throughout the podcast we will be playing selected songs from Old Dominion’s “Happy Endings” album courtesy of SONY Music.
The country band, Old Dominion’s success makes it hard to believe that its members were once just a group of individual songwriters trying to navigate Nashville’s music industry, playing tiny bars and hoping their songs would catch the right ears. They’ve quickly become of one ofNashville’s savviest songwriting collectives with their highly acclaimed new album Happy Endings.
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.”
As many of you may know I am a ‘PWD Type 1’ (person living with type 1 diabetes), I have been living type 1 diabetes since 2014. I have been a diabetic since 2005. Being a diabetic is hard since you must be on top of your disease at all times. You don’t get a day off. I always have to check my blood sugars and carry my diabetes kit with me at all times to make sure that I’m prepared for anything. For example, I carry test strips, meter, alcohol swabs, lancet device, lancets, insulin – fast acting. Insulin – long acting ( in case I don’t get back home in time for my afternoon dose or since I’m at work before my morning dose), pen needles, glucose for lows, snacks, ice pack for summer timein my purse before I head out the door.
Managing my diabetes also means dealing stress. Stress is probably the hardest thing for me to manage! There’s always something to stress out about in daily life. I mean how do you go through life stress free? Daily struggles are always there from family and kids to jobs and loads of bills that must be paid. The list goes on and on. I get stressed just thinking about ‘stress’, LOL.
On June 16, 2017, I was informed by my employer that my job of 8 years had been eliminated; this meant that I would lose my benefits on June 30th. This rocked my world! What was I going to do? I needed my meds, supplies and lifesaving insulin. Over the next few weeks my husband and I sat down and tried to decide what to do. We had no choice except to put me on his health insurance. This meant that we’d lose a good chuck of his check since he works for a small company. But what else could we do? Talk about stress! My blood sugars during those weeks and the following months have been out of control. Some mornings I’ve woken up with sugars over 250 and I’ve had to take more insulin to correct. This is, of course, all due to stress.
People just don’t realize what a diabetic goes through. The highs/lows and everything in between are very tough on the body, spirit and family unit. I have tried to remain positive but it is very hard. I have been to two job interviews. I hope that one of them will pay off. In the meantime, I wake up every day and tell myself that I am priceless. That any employer will be glad to get me. When I leave the house I make sure to fix my hair and put on my makeup. I grab a different color of lipstick and tell myself that today I will be in control.
I guess I said all of this to just let someone out there struggling with depression, stress, uncontrolled sugars or whatever you are going through, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We all face different things and that diabetes is hard. But remember this, God only gives his toughest battles to his strongest warriors! And believe me if you are diabetic, you are a warrior! Whatever seen or unseen battle you are fighting you are not alone.
Pick yourself up, straighten your crown, and stomp that runway called life.
*Editor’s Note: Eugenia Wells-Bassillio is the founder of the ‘Diabetic Divas Unite’ Facebook page. She also recently started working at Baptist Hospital in Oxford, MS
Share your experience living with diabetes on the Divabetic blog. E-mail Max Szadek at: mrdivabetic@gmail.com
Tune in to Divabetic’s 4th Annual Diabetes Mystery podcast, ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ and learn how to manage your diabetes like a detective! LISTEN NOW
Don’t miss October’s Diabetes Late Nite with music by Old Dominion on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Dr. Andrea Chisholm, Dr. Michele Summers Colon, and Mama Rose Marie.
We all know high carbohydrate foods can raise blood sugars but did you know that they’re also raising eyebrows in the art world?
Chloe Wise’s viral “Bread Bag” series, in which she affixed luxury logos to carbohydrates and gave them names like Pancakes No. 5 and her videos, in which she and her friends recite things she’s overheard such as: “ I realized I eat quinoa all the time, and I don’t know what it is,” have caught the attention of the art world.
She spends about eight to 12 hours a day in her Brooklyn studio working on food projects depicting the sensual promises of chain restaurants including ‘Olive Garden of Eden’.
What’s the idea behind her carb heavy and highly caloric work?
“Part of it is how women are addressed in the media, like ‘You want to lose weight, you want to be healthy, you want to be the best you.’ For men, it’s like ‘Enjoy yourself’. For women, it’s like, ‘Cut Back’. And it truly affects us,” said Wise in New York magazine.
I think her approach to capturing the millions of contradictory messages being shot at us daily is necessary and so needed especially in the wake ofMick Mulvaney, President Trump’s budget chief’s recent comments.
In response to Senator Bill Cassidy’s position that any health insurance should pass the “Jimmy Kimmel test” (providing coverage for conditions like the heart issues suffered by TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s infant son that Kimmel described on his late night show), Mulvaney said that, while there should be coverage for diseases like cancer, coverage does not need to include “ordinary health care.” According to the Washington Examiner, Mick Mulvaney, President Trump’s budget chief, , diabetics have only themselves to blame for their illness:
“That doesn’t mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes.” said Mulvaney. “Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmel’s kid? I don’t think that it is.”
It’s shocking to me that anyone, let alone, a government official would make such an absurd and offensive comment. I’m not living under a rock. I know many people still blame people with diabetes for their health but I just didn’t expect to hear in this forum.
For the past 12 years, I’ve been fighting the shame and blame associated with a diabetes diagnosis the best way I know how; with a feather boa!
My diabetes nonprofit organization, Divabetic promotes a glamorous approach to managing diabetes to encourage someone at risk, affected by and living with diabetes ‘to keep their house’ a home and prevent a diabetes health-related complication from occurring. I saw how destructive mismanaged diabetes can be when I found my former boss, Luther Vandross on the floor of his 5th Avenue apartment after suffering a stroke related to type 2 diabetes. These memories still haunt me to this day and motivate me to keep fighting!
I really like artist Chloe Wise and her ‘Bread Bags’ artwork. I thinks she’s helping us change conversations around food, food consumption and the shame and blame associated with it. She’s pointing out the subversive ways the food industry operates and how they like to play with our minds to get us to consume more and more food. Several of her works focus on thesubliminal sexual connotations of phrases like “luscious cream sauce” and dripping, oozing and naughty images used in chain restaurant advertisements. When you really stop and think about it, it’s pretty gross.
Unfortunately, a lot of people with diabetes don’t get the opportunity to think about these types of things because they’re too busy beating themselves up about their food choices and/or lack of ‘willpower.’
I say, ‘Don’t get down, get DIVA’. The best way to fight back is to embrace yourself, and your diabetes health. Once you truly accept your diagnosis you can strive to learn more, do more and live more!
Divabetic’s Diabetes Plate Poetry “What’ s on Your Plate?” video describes the emotional experience of living with diabetes. An important component of diabetes self-management, but often unaddressed, is the topic of emotional well being.
Are you afraid of eating Carbohydrates?
“Every day, people with diabetes are bombarded with messages to limit, restrict, avoid, and feel guilty for eating carbohydrates. Not surprisingly, my clients with diabetes often tell me they are afraid of eating carbs.” says Megrette Fletcher, M. Ed, RD, CDE.
So how does someone with diabetes stop being afraid of eating carbohydrates?
Restriction breeds fear and fear breeds restriction
If you are trying to be “good,” it’s a red flag that you may be stuck in a restrictive mindset. The idea of being “good” often start as an intention to make more informed choices, but when the reason you’re trying to “be good” is out of fear, something shifts. Fear can make any choice not good enough because fear moves the goal of eating a balanced meal to a meal that is better. “Better” of course means eating fewer and fewer carbohydrates until you have nearly eliminated carbohydrates from your diet, hoping that the fear of eating would end. But it doesn’t, does it?
Pause and ask yourself, “Do I think all foods can fit in your diet when you have diabetes?” Fear and being afraid, makes it hard to think, read a label, consider your options, or make a decision. In Megrette’s book Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes, she tackle how to resolve some of these difficult thoughts about food and eating. READ MORE
CLICK to LISTEN NOW: The State of Women’s Health on the Diabetes Late Nite. We’re talking about the state of women’s equality and diabetes and sexual health post-election. Guests include: Dr. Andrea Chisholm OBGYN, Peak 10 Skincare founder and Domestic Violence Advocate Connie Elder, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mary Ann Hodorowicz RD, CDE, Asha Brown, and the President of Women in Government Relations, Kathryn Schubert.
Go ahead, and laugh but I love the ‘Golden Girls’! So do a lot of other people. Over the course of seven seasons, the show racked up 68 Emmy nominations, 11 wins, and is one of only 4 shows in TV history whose principal actors all won Emmys for their roles. Despite Hollywood’s obsession with youth, The Golden Girls is still beloved by audiences thirty years after its premiere.
While the women exchange quips and get into fights, the overarching message of the show focuses on the importance of chosen family, and women supporting other women. Further, we see the women enjoying life after marriage.
Whether you identify with Blanche, Dorothy, Rose or Sophia, I think the ‘Golden Girls’ can help inspire you to improve your diabetes self-care. Over the years, I have hosted 3 podcasts loosely inspired by the ‘Golden Girls’ and a ‘Golden Girls’ inspired diabetes outreach program presented in Pittsburgh, PA, New York, NY and Philadelphia, PA.
Why?
Let’s face it managing diabetes for women like the ‘Golden Girls’ presents a variety of challenges, ranging from increased insulin resistance and weight gain to sexual health issues and depression. As you age, you may be most aware of your new gray hairs and wrinkles, but aging causes changes throughout the entire body.
It used to be said that having diabetes aged people an additional 20 years. Today, thanks to better tools for managing diabetes and preventing and treating its complications, people with diabetes have the opportunity to live longer than ever before.
However, managing diabetes in the golden years presents a variety of challenges, ranging from increased insulin resistance and weight gain to sexual health issues and depression.
LISTEN NOW: Mr. Divabetic takes a ’50 Shades of Gray’ approach to talking about diabetes and aging during this lively hour of diabetes education and empowerment.
My guests include Dr. Andrea Chisholm MD, FACOG, OB-GYN, “How To Fight FATflammation!”, Author Lori Shemek PhD, “The Secrets to Living and Loving With Diabetes” and “Sex and Diabetes” Janis Roszler, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND 2008-2009 Diabetes Educator of the Year (AADE), Humorist and Author “The Sweet Blessing: My Adventures in Diabetes” Trisha Porretti RN, BSN, CDE.
LISTEN: GOLDEN GIRLS podcast about ‘Diabetes & Food Choices’ as we Age. Guest, Jessica Issler, RD, CDE, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, offers the golden rules of diabetes care with a focus on food. Using the original Golden Girls – Blanche, Sophia, Rose and Dorothy – as inspiration, Jessica reviews healthy food options for a variety of palates (including cheesecake!) and shares advice on counting carbohydrates.
“I had to write ‘Golden Girls’…I’ve never gotten excited about a network idea before, but this was compelling. I could write grown-ups.” — Susan Harris, creator of ‘The Golden Girls,’ September 1985
LISTEN NOW: Studio d podcast on the Golden Rules of Style based on the ‘Golden Girls’ with Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP. Let the four iconic ‘Golden Girls’ characters inspire you to embrace your inner diva with the style! Catherine provides practical style advice to help you achieve a Glam More, Fear Less mindset in your diabetes life.
From weight loss surgery and diabetes alert dogs tips to shoe and grocery shopping advice, this year’s Diabetes Late Nitepodcasts have been packed with expertise advice, fun games and great music.
It’s surprising that our highest rated podcast for 2016 focused on my annual trip to the gynecologist in October to discuss Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)!
I can’t even take credit for tackling this topic, PMDD because it was my featured guest, Dr. Andrea Chisholm MD, OB-GYN’s suggestion!
I quickly learned that PMDD is a severe, sometimes disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that starts about 7 to 10 days before a woman gets her monthly period.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that at least 85 percent of menstruating women have at least one PMS symptom as part of their monthly cycle. PMS is much more common than PMDD.
Biologic, psychological, environmental, and social factors all seem to play a part in PMDD. It is important to note that PMDD is not the fault of the woman suffering from it or the result of a “weak” or unstable personality. It is also not something that is “all in the woman’s head.”
Rather, PMDD is a medical illness that impacts only 3% to 8% of women. Fortunately, it can be treated by a health care professional with behavioral and pharmaceutical options.
Not only did we cover this topic in depth but two women living with type 1 diabetes shared their experiences of struggling to managing their diabetes because of issues related to their monthly menstrual cycles.
Our good friend, Peak 10 skincare founder, Connie Elder shared some wonderful GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS advice on Summer skincare and offered free product giveaways to two lucky listeners. Plus, we paid tribute to the musical legacy of P.M. Dawn’s frontman Prince Be who died earlier this year of diabetes health-related complications courtesy of SONY Music.
According to a recent article published in the New York Daily News women in perimenopause and menopause don’t realize they have diabetes. The symptoms of diabetes can be confused with symptoms of menopause including frequent urination, night sweats, anxiety, mood swings, foggy thinking, dry itchy skin, and vaginal infections.
In general, women with diabetes lose more years of life than men do. And while the death rate for women with diabetes has risen dramatically since the 1970s, it hasn’t risen for men with the disease. It’s estimated that girls born in the year 2000 have more than a 1 in 3 chance of getting diabetes in their lifetime.
Overweight women at any age with any one of the following risk factors should also be checked for diabetes: inactive, have a first-degree relative with diabetes, have polycystic ovaries, delivered a baby over 9 pounds, have high blood pressure above 140/90 or take blood pressure medication, have low good cholesterol. Be sure to measure your blood sugar regularly.
Divabetic (divabetic.org) is a national diabetes organization dedicated to women.
LISTEN NOW: Onthe Mr. Divabetic Show: That State Of Women’s Health we’re talking about the state of women’s equality and diabetes and sexual health post-election. While the outcome of the Presidential election means different things to different people, it is no secret that many of the words, values, and behaviors Americans have heard and seen during this election have deeply affected many people, including women.
Did you know that women are more likely than men to suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety and PTSD? Also, the numbers show us that women have not historically enjoyed the same power and privilege as men. For some women, the result may be a subtle but constant sense of vulnerability and vigilance.
From reproductive rights to Medicare coverage, there could be a lot of policy changes impacting US women over the next four years. Additionally, many women may feel threatened from hearing about a powerful leader’s many sexual assault accusations and the rising incidents of hate crimes post-election.
Guests include: Dr. Andrea Chisholm OBGYN, Peak 10 Skincare founder and Domestic Violence Advocate Connie Elder, Poet Lorraine Brooks, We Are Diabetes organization founder, Asha Brown, Mary Ann Hodorowicz RD, CDE and the President of Women in Government Relations, Kathryn Schubert.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Leona Lewis’ “Christmas, with Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.
Mr. Divabetic discusses the state of women’s equality and diabetes and sexual health post-election tonight, Tuesday, December 20, 2016, on a special Diabetes Late Nitepodcast at 6 PM, EST.
While the outcome of the Presidential election means different things to different people, it is no secret that many of the words, values, and behaviors Americans have heard and seen during this election have deeply affected many people, including women.
Did you know that women are more likely than men to suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety and PTSD? Also, the numbers show us that women have not historically enjoyed the same power and privilege as men. For some women, the result may be a subtle but constant sense of vulnerability and vigilance.
From reproductive rights to Medicare coverage, there could be a lot of policy changes impacting US women over the next four years. Additionally, many women may feel threatened from hearing about a powerful leader’s many sexual assault accusations and the rising incidents of hate crimes post-election.
Mr. Divabetic’s guests include: Dr. Andrea Chisholm OBGYN, Peak 10 Skincare founder and Domestic Violence Advocate Connie Elder, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mary Ann Hodorowicz RD, CDE, Asha Brown, and the President of Women in Government Relations, Kathryn Schubert.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Leona Lewis’ “Christmas, with Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.
Diabetes Late Niteis a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.” Enjoy over 100 free podcasts available on demand at i-Tunes, divabetic.org and blog talk radio.
