Last night, the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic hosted Divabetic’s free, fun Tea Party in celebration of National Diabetes Awareness Month with special guests: Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, Tessie’s Teas’ owner Rose Hall and Harlem Heaven’s Hats owner Evetta Petty.
To everyone’s delight PoetLorraine Brooks shared a poem about each of our guests after their presentation. Enjoy!
Divabetic Tea Time Poem by Lorraine Brooks
Showing hats to cover our heads
Whether we’re sporting a crewcut or dreads
Many styles to make us happier
Looking cool and looking dapper
Plaids and checks and stripes and such
Fabric lovely to the touch
So get your canes and gloves and spats
And visit Harlem’s Heaven Hats!
Join us in a cup of tea
Chamomile or lemon-y
Ways to heal for young and old
Meditate and heal the soul
Sit and think and leave your strife
Breathe and cleanse your spirit life
Only teas can can lift you up
So come and join us in a cup.
Fashion style and a little blush
Make you look exotic and lush
Sport a scarf or wear a tie
A little shadow for the eye
Tweeze the eyebrows and the chin
If you look good you will grin
We all want to look much cooler
So take a tip from Catherine Schuller
Divabetic’s virtual outreach event kicked off with a live Harlem Heaven’s Hat show featuring model Jennifer Lui at the Harlem’s Heaven’s pop up shop in Bryant Park ‘s Winter Village Shops in New York City. Harlem’s Heaven Hat shop specializes in providing the right head wear and face mask for the right occasions.
Rose Hall, the owner of Tessie’s Teas, shared how simple daily meditations can help relieve stress, anxiety and even reduce your blood pressure over a cup of tea. Tessie’s Teas are all natural caffeine-free, chemical-free instant crystallized teas that meet all of your healthy-living needs.
Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, who is a fashion curator, former plus model, coach, speaker, writer, producer, and image consultant, demonstrated eight different and divine ways to wear a scarf in honor of Dr. Deborah Birx. Dr. Birx’s ever-changing scarves captivate the internet in her daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings. One popular scarf was by Hermès, or, to be precise, Hermès’ “Retour à la Terre”, in peach. We know this because there is an Instagram account devoted to Dr Birx’s scarves!
Are you interested in learning how to bake with sugar substitutes? Join the happy healthcare host, Mr.Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka TheDiabetic Pastry Chefon Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.
Have you ever felt “butterflies” in your stomach? This funny silly expression about our stomaches having the ability to feel anxiety is much more factual than you might think.
It’s been proven that our gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings can trigger symptoms in the gut.
Additionally, troubled stomaches and intestines send signals to our brains. Researchers say controlling the bacterial population of the gastrointestinal tract may help improve symptoms of mental disorders.
Current thinking in the field of neuropsychology and the study of mental health problems includes strong speculation that bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychological or neurological problems may also be associated with alternations in the microbiome reports PSYCOM.
We’re talking about ‘Diabetes & Mental Health Issues’ on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcastwith musical inspiration from the iconic Phyllis Hyman.
Phyllis Hyman was a sensational singer-songwriter and actress. Deep-voiced and statuesque, Phyllis Hyman sang with a life-affirming energy and emotional intensity found in few other female vocalists.
Unfortunately Phyllis Hyman committed suicide, leaving a suicide note behind in 1995. Part of the note read “I’m tired. I’m tired. Those of you that I love know who you are. May God bless you.” It has been reported that she suffered from bi-polar disorder and depression and had a history of substance abuse which involved alcohol and cocaine. Who knows what accomplishments she would have achieved if she had lived longer?
Podcast guests include Alyson Williams, Queen Diva, Patricia Farrell PhD, Kristina Wolfe, ‘Tabouli: The Story of a Heart-Driven Diabetes Alert Dog’ Author Matt Pelicano, Elizabeth Vaughan Gallagher, Stacie Shonkwiler, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach with Patricia Addie-Gentle.
This is a guest blog post from our friend, colleague and Diabetes Late Nite guest, Dr. Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDCES (Clinical Psychologist and Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist).
I have continued working with my patients, via telehealth phone calls, during these past few months, while they and I are following stay-at-home orders to try to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus pandemic. This is some information that I’ve gathered to keep everybody informed.
To manage your health proactively and ward off any respiratory system threats, the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION recommends the following:
Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
Avoid touching surfaces others have touched. Use your knuckles to push buttons, elbows to open doors, disinfectant wipes to clean tables or chairs. Use gloves or wipes to pump gas or when pushing grocery carts.
Teach yourself not to touch your face. If you must do so, then wash/sanitize hands, touch your face, wash hands/sanitize afterwards.
Practice social distancing—keep 6 feet away from others in public places
Make yourself a cloth face mask to wear in public, especially in high traffic areas (i.e. the grocery store)
When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw a tissue away immediately and wash hands
Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever and/or cough
If you have a fever, cough and/or difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your healthcare provider. Contact your healthcare provider via phone/portal first. Going into a clinic can expose you to the virus, so if you are told not to go in, then don’t. Many centers have increased their use of telemedicine.
When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals
The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk, or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices.
Wash hands every time you come into contact with an out-of-home item or place.
Regularly disinfect high-touch surfaces in your home.
Avoid touching your face.
Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a handkerchief.
Act as though you have COVID and could pass it on.
Minimize risk when out in public
Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others.
Wear a cloth mask or face covering.
Adjust schedule to avoid busy times in public places. Take advantage of dedicated shopping times for vulnerable individuals if available.
Small routines can have a big impact on how we feel.
Barbara Corcoran advises, “Staying motivated at home can be tough. So, I divide my day in chunks. First, I knock out my chores and exercise, zone in on my work, then spend time with my family. I find being in control of my time keeps me mentally in a good place and makes me feel productive.”
Set yourself up for success with diabetes management
Test blood sugar levels more often; your body may be reacting differently under these new circumstances.
Familiarize yourself with how to check for ketones. Check for ketones regularly, regardless of blood sugar levels.
Secure a sufficient amount of supplies, including ketone strips and severe hypoglycemia treatment (glucagon).
Maintain a routine of physical movement and blood sugar friendly eating.
Contact your doctor or health professionals by phone / telehealth, if possible, for diabetes management questions and concerns.
Lean on your community for help – none of these behaviors are easy, and we all need support. Look into digital and online communities.
Lockdown can lead to “quarantine fatigue.” Try to stay busy by focusing on a project. Some projects my patients are working on include:
· Working on a vegetable garden
· Exercising
· Meditating
· Journaling
· Trying new recipes
· Putting together 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles
· Quilting
· Sorting out their closets
· Reading a novel
· Writing a novel
What can you add to this list? One project that I worked on was updating my website. Check it out www.AskDrBev.com.
It’s okay if you can’t wait for lockdown to be over and also be uneasy for it to end. Most importantly please remember that you are not alone. You are not alone in this pandemic and you are not alone living with diabetes. If you need to, check your local area for mental health assistance and your local diabetes associations for help with managing your diabetes. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says, “We’re all in this together.”
Dr. Beverly S. AdlerPhD, CDCES is a clinical psychologist and Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist, in private practice, specializing in treating the emotional issues of people with diabetes. She has lived successfully for over 45 years with type 1 diabetes. Visit her website: askdrbev.com
Dr. Beverly S. Adler helps us to celebrate Divabetic’s 10th Year Podcasting Anniversary with music from the world’s most famous “Divabetic”– Ms. Patti LaBelle on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.
Divabetic’s 10th Year Podcasting Anniversary continues with a free Virtual Smoothie Party with special guest, Co-Author of the Best-Selling Intimacy & Diabetes e-book, Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND. on Zoom on July 16, 2020, 7 – 7:35 PM, EST. REGISTER NOW
10th Year Podcasting Anniversary Giveaway! Win a Dario Blood Glucose Meter starter kit in our random drawing. This all-in-one pocket-sized device can track blood sugar fluctuations and trends and identify hyper/hypoglycemic episodes right from your smartphone, providing readings within as little as 6 seconds. It’s scientifically proven, HIPPA compliant, and includes Dario Coaches to offer support and motivation to help manage your diabetes. Enter Divabetic’s Random Drawing by ‘LIKING’ Divabetic’s Facebook page.
Can you complete our Divabetic Mystery Phrase below?
If you’re struggling to cope with the stress, and anxiety of daily diabetes self-care: try repeating positive affirmations to yourself each morning to steer your mood in the right direction. This way of thinking can be helpful when the mental and emotional burden of coping with daily diabetes self-care gets tough. We also encourage you to seek out a therapist to help you adjust to life with diabetes.
Stress hormones can raise your blood sugar. When you can take care of stress, you can lower your blood sugar.
Shallow, upper chest breathing is part of the typical stress response.
Taking a deep breath really does calm you down by triggering neurons in your brain which tell the body it is time to relax according to a new study. Abdominal breathing encourages the body to relax, bringing about a range of health benefits.
What is the 4 7 8 breathing technique?
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 7. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.
Do you expect too much from yourself? It’s OK to say “no” to things that you don’t really want or need to do.
There are health professionals who can listen and help you find solutions. Ask your doctor for recommendations if you’d like to see a psychologist or counselor.
Many people wonder how their hba1c number relates to their blood sugar levels. After all, daily diabetes self-care management can be a jumble of numbers: weight, blood sugar levels, carbohydrate counts, fat grams, serving sizes, etc. Hopefully, this handy chart will provide some clarification.
Understanding the Mystery of Your A1C
When it comes to the numbers, there’s no one-size-fits-all target. A1C target levels can vary by each person’s age and other factors, and your target may be different from someone else’s. If you feel your hbA1C number is on a higher side, say over 7 or 8%, do not worry! Knowledge is power. You can lower your hbA1C by creating your own personal self-care plan with your healthcare professional.
Join us for Divabetic’s Free Virtual Outreach Event on July 16th
Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?
Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Scavenger Hunt on Zoom with best-selling Intimacy & Diabetes co-author, Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND on Thursday, July 16, 2020, 7 – 7:35 PM, EST. REGISTER NOW
For over 20 years, our friend, Evetta Petty has designed hats in her uptown New York studio, Harlem’s Heaven Hat Shop. Her hats have captured worldwide attention and have been worn to the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot in England. Recently, she’s put her design skills to work making fabulous, functional face masks.
Q: Tell us about your face mask collection. What colors and styles do they come in? Are they for both women and men?
Evetta Petty: My mask collection is functional and fun. Its for ladies and gentlemen. I use the same high quality textiles for my masks that I use for my hats which makes them very special. I’m using beautiful brocades In rich jewel tones and rhinestone embellishments for the couture mask collection.
Q: What inspires you?
Evetta Petty: I’m inspired by my world travels. What comes to mind is my trip to India. The beautiful buildings and the colors of the spices in the marketplace. I bought beautiful fabrics and trimmings that I use for the masks.
Q: How has your life changed living in New York City and you’re living with type 2 diabetes since the pandemic?
Evetta Petty: Being quarantined at home during this pandemic is very challenging with Type 2 diabetes. I’m really being careful not to overeat because food is too available. The good thing is that I can do some healthy cooking and try new dishes that I normally would not have the time do.
Q: How do you cope with the stress and anxiety?
Evetta Petty: Being busy making masks and adding new items to my website has given me a great since of accomplishment. I really have been able to keep the stress level down by concentrating on daily tasks and limiting my time watching the News. I realized early on that when I watched the News all day, it gave me too much anxiety.
Q: You also amazing design hats! What are some of your favorite designs for Summer?
Evetta Petty: My favorite Summer hats are super wide brims with floral trim. You get ultimate Sun protection as well as high style. I’m pairing them with matching masks.
Q: What fashion advice can you offer for wearing a hat with a mask?
Evetta Petty: Masks are the new accessory and should be coordinated with your hat for a very cohesive ensemble. It’s a great look.
Q: How can people purchase your hats and masks?
Evetta Petty: You can purchase my hats and masks on my website www.harlemsheaven.com and we will promptly ship them out. My Hat shop up in Harlem has been closed during this pandemic and will reopen as soon as the law allows.
Harlem’s Heaven Hat Shop is located 2538 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (@W.147) New York, NY 10039. Phone: 212-491-7706. Store hours: 12PM to 6PM. Closed Sunday & Monday. Appointments available after hours
Hat Designer, Evetta Petty
See hat desginer, Evetta Petty’s sensational hat designs sweeping across the New York Fashion Week runway. Evetta who attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City was inspired by the exhuberance of the Poppy Flower for this unique collection. Her hat designs are fierce!
We’re talking about Secrets to Longevity & Diabetes with musical inspiration from Dionne Warwick on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast. Guests include The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Kitchens of the Great Midwest Author J. Ryan Stradal, Deborah Greenwood PhD, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, Fonzi Thornton, Rachel Stahl MS, RD, CDN, CDE, and Lorraine Brooks. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Dionne Warwick’s ‘Dionne’ album featuring I’ll Never Love This Way Again and Deja Vu courtesy of SONY Music.
In my experience, stress is one of the biggest challenges in diabetes management – physical, mental and emotional stress. When the body goes into hyper drive and stimulates the fight or flight response, the relaxed part of our nervous system is supposed to kick in and produce calm. In our 21st century society that rarely happens. Instead we spend over 80% of our time in the stress response and 20% calming things down. How can we push the reset button? How can we stop the cycle of reacting to every single physical, mental and emotional upset?
Think of meditation as being the same as concentration. When you concentrate on something, your mind is engaged. Rather than identifying with difficult thoughts, emotions or even experiences, the mind is immersed in the task at hand. When you read, you have to be there, otherwise you miss the thread of the story. When you perform any detailed task, you can’t think about anything else. Herbert Benson, a researcher who studied what he coined the ‘Relaxation Response’ discovered that test subjects focussed on a specific repetitive task with the intention of letting go of the thoughts of the mind, experienced a parasympathetic (relaxed) nervous system response. Even more profound was the understanding that the thoughts didn’t need to disappear for the body to relax. Meditation is not ‘stopping’ your thoughts. It’s about drawing the attention away from the thoughts consistently enough so that the body mind complex can relax, rest and reset.
When students tell me, they can’t meditate because they can’t stop thinking, I assure them that nobody can stop thinking. Thoughts are like a screensaver. They remind us that we are awake. Thoughts are labels for things. Without these labels we wouldn’t have any way to differentiate the forms in creation. Without thoughts we wouldn’t be able to get by in the world. Rather than trying to control our thoughts or what we think of our thoughts, let’s become aware of the one having the thoughts. Who is that? What is that?
The Yoga tradition calls the nature of Self ‘wholeness, peace, love’ or any other word you want to use to describe that which is indescribable.
When we are relaxed and happy, there are no words.
One thing we can do to support our nervous system is to spend time in nature. According to a recent study just 1.5 hours a week spent in a forest, by the sea, in a community garden, anywhere away from concrete and glass is enough to replenish your system. But what if in a stressful moment you can’t go forest bathing?
Then the 5-element meditation is the next best thing.
Imagining and experiencing the elements in your mind’s eye not only evokes the relaxation response, it tricks the mind into thinking it’s in nature. Which ultimately it is. Whether we are in an office building or in our house in the suburbs we are still in the creation. Have you ever tried to get out of creation? Like leave in a spaceship? Impossible. Even in the far outer reaches of space you are still in creation.
The 5-element meditation evokes all the senses as well. Each sense is connected to an element.
Space is connected to the sense of hearing
Air is connected to the sense of touch
Fire is connected to the sense of sight
Water is connected to the sense of taste
Earth is connected to the sense of smell
As you are led through each sense and its corresponding element feel their interconnection.
To practice the meditation, you don’t need special clothes, or to be in a special place. You can be sitting in your car, lying in your bed, any comfortable position is fine. You can even use this practice to calm and centre yourself while you’re waiting for your blood sugar to come up after treating a hypo. I use this meditation whenever I need to be present to the moment. After the practice I always feel more ready and able to deal with whatever diabetes and life throws my way.
CLICK HERE to join me for the audio version of the Mediation on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast
The 5-element meditation
Find a comfortable seat and close your eyes
Become aware of your breath, notice the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. Notice whether the breath is cool or warm, notice the direction and force of the breath.
Become aware of the sounds around you – sounds of your breath, sounds in the room. After a few moments of listening reach and stretch your awareness to more distant sounds. Perhaps you can hear cars, birds, people talking. Keep reaching and stretching your awareness to the furthest sound. Noticing how sound travels through the medium of space. How space has no beginning or end.
Become aware of the sensation of touch. Notice where your hands are touching your thighs or resting in your lap. Sense the clothing touching your skin, feel the air travelling across your skin. Notice the quality of air. Is it warm, cool, erratic or consistent? Notice the air going in and out of your nostrils. Sense all the different ways your body interacts with air. Notice how air is light, subtle and only experienced through the skin and the sense of touch.
Become aware of your closed eyes. Notice the light filtering through your closed eyelids. Keep your eyes closed and notice if you can see the colours and patterns there. In order to see we need light, the element of fire. But even with the eyes closed seeing continues. Think of all the forms we can see in our minds eye. Think about how we cannot imagine something we have no knowledge of. Fire is the element that enables us to see forms and differentiate forms either real or imagined.
Become aware of the taste on your tongue. You might also notice the saliva there. Take a swallow. Notice whether the taste is sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent or pungent. Notice where the taste sits on your tongue. Is it at the back? On the side? At the tip? In order to taste water must be present. Notice how the rhythm of your breath, the beating of your heart is governed by circulation of fluid through the system.
Notice the smells around you. Can you smell one smell over another? In order to smell there has to be some gas rising from the earth or from something in the creation. The fragrance of a flower, the smell of pine needles, the spray from the ocean, the smell of a garden after rain. Try and take a moment to differentiate the smells. The element of earth also relates to our physical structure. Our bones, tissues and muscles.
Take a moment to focus on your position whether seated or lying down. Trace your mind from your sitting bones down to your feet. Wiggle your toes. Then moving from the feet up to the top of your head. Scan your whole body.
Notice how the body occupies the space – the space which is infinite, formless, empty and vast.
Come back to your breath. Notice what’s happening with your breath. Let the breath be exactly as it is.
Then slowly and when you are ready open your eyes and return to normal waking awareness.
Rachel Zinman, is an internationally renowned yoga teacher and writer, was floored when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 42, despite her lifelong dedication to a healthy lifestyle which included a decades-long practice of yoga. In ‘Yoga for Diabetes’, Rachel shares her personal journey and her hard-won wisdom gained from her own experience of yoga and diabetes.
Finally we have a book written by an accomplished yoga teacher with diabetes herself who points the way to regaining health and well-being for people of all ages and types of diabetes.
In Yoga for Diabetes, regardless of your current state of health, or type of diabetes, you can look forward to learning how to:
Reduce stress in minutes and thus improve your overall health index
Achieve healthier and more stable blood glucose levels
Find the secrets to adapting a yoga practice to suit your constitution and individual needs
Find deeper meaning in life and thus a holistic healing affecting multiple levels of your well-being
https://youtu.be/dtaHAgyC5b4
Yoga for Diabetes – Beginner Yoga Routine with Rachel Zinman
Paula Abdul took a tumble during her concert on stage at the Billboard Music Awards but we’re still ‘head over heels’ for the superstar.
The former “American Idol” judge also fell head-first into the crowd at the Hard Rock Live in Biloxi, Mississippi as she sang her 1991 hit “The Promise of a New Day.”
“She did not seem hurt at the time of the fall and still finished like a champ,” the fan who posted the video told People. “She stated she was a dancer, and falls and drops she has gotten used to over the years.”
Paula Abdul wowed the crowd at the Billboard Awards 2019 and proved her age isn’t stopping her from performing at her best.
Paula’s dancers had her performing back flip in midair even though she suffers from chronic pain . She was injured as a 17-year-old cheerleader. In 2004, she was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which causes severe pain. Later, cortical integrative therapy was able to help manage the symptoms.
RSD/CRPS goes by many names: reflex sympathetic dystrophy, reflex neurovascular dystophy, complex regional pain syndrome, hand-foot atrophy, Sudeck’s atrophy, amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome, and causalgia (to name a few common ones).
So what is RSD/CRPS? To start, it is the most painful medical condition known to man at a 45/50 on the McGill Pain Scale. Because it is so painful and it is hard to find good doctors to treat this condition, CRPS has a grim nickname: the “suicide disease.” We lose too many RSD/CRPS warriors because the pain is just so unbearable. I personally have lost several friends to the disease, and I’m always fearing who will go next. Many people with RSD/CRPS have been to the deep dark place, where they just want to escape the pain, but not everyone climbs out of it.
Increased back pain has been reported in people with diabetes, but the cause is unknown. People with diabetes are more likely to report back and neck pain, according to a new study. However, it is not clear whether diabetes is the cause reports Diabetes.co.uk.
The study’s authors suggest looking at the impact of medications, such as insulin, which are known to affect blood flow and muscle mass, and may affect the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Phyllis Hyman
We’re talking about ‘Diabetes, Sleep & Mental Health Issues’ on Diabetes Late Nite with musical inspiration from the iconic Phyllis Hyman on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, 6 PM, EST.
R & B superstar Phyllis Hyman was a sensational singer-songwriter and actress. Deep-voiced and statuesque, Phyllis Hyman sang with a life-affirming energy and emotional intensity found in few other female vocalists.
Unfortunately Phyllis Hyman committed suicide, leaving a suicide note behind in 1995. Part of the note read “I’m tired. I’m tired. Those of you that I love know who you are. May God bless you.” It has been reported that she suffered from bi-polar disorder and depression and had a history of substance abuse which involved alcohol and cocaine. Who knows what accomplishments she would have achieved if she had lived longer?
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.
