Walking with Peety – Divabetic

07/14/2023

Divabetic Remembers Doris Day

Somedays, you have to say, “Que Sera Sera.”

On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we pay tribute to Doris Day. Her music, films, glamour, and perkiness are sources of happiness for many people.

Doris Day was the queen of early ’60s comedies, coyly flirtatious films filled with sexual innuendo and double entendres. The most famous of these, Pillow Talk (1959), the first of three that co-starred Rock Hudson, established her persona as an independent and successful career woman, as comfortable in the board room as she was in jazz clubs. Like her other roles, her character didn’t see herself as incomplete without a husband—an idea still quite revolutionary at the time. She got on with her life. Her characters often had chic apartments, exciting jobs, and smashing wardrobes. In most of her films, Doris showcased a spunky, can-do personality and jaunty independence.

Doris Day experienced many professional and personal ups and downs in real life, but nothing seemed to dim her dazzle. She said, “No matter what happens if I get pushed down, I’m going to come right back up.”

Often Doris Day credited her pets for their support during hard times. She was a lifelong animal lover and advocate who used her celebrity status to make a difference for animals.

Pets can help their owners overcome depression through their companionship and unconditional love. They possess the natural ability to help you relax and enjoy life more. Pets can also help when you experience times of loneliness. They can also help lower blood pressure; if trained, they can alert their owners to dangerously low blood sugar levels.

Pets can also help you improve your lifestyle. Eric O’Grey’s weight had ballooned to 320 pounds, and he was spending more than $1,000 a month on medications for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol when his naturopathic doctor suggested he adopt a shelter dog.

Eric took that advice, heading to the Humane Society, and adopted an obese middle-aged dog named Peety.

Together, Eric and Peety started walking for at least a half-hour a day. Eric also adopted a plant-based diet. Ultimately Eric lost 140 pounds, and Peety lost 25 pounds.

Hear Eric’s interview on this episode of Divabetic’s popular podcast.

Another book, Elle & Coach: Diabetes, the Fight for My Daughter’s Life, and the Dog Who Changed Everything, describes how a trained diabetes alert dog can help alert its owner to low blood sugar levels. It’s the true story of a Type-A mom struggling to care for a daughter with Type 1 diabetes and of an incredible service dog who changes their lives for the better.

Listen to our interview with Elle & Coach author Mark Dagostino about his book on this podcast:

Our Doris Day Tribute Podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDCES, Neva White DNP, CRNP, CDCES, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author and Romance Psychology Expert Rachel Van Dyken and Marguerite van Reenen from South Africa.

We feature music from the Essential Doris Day Collection during this podcast.

01/14/201801/17/2018

Divabetic Remembers R & B/Gospel Singer David Peaston

We’re going ‘beyond the music’ to explore the diabetes hardships experienced by beloved musicians who have passed away so you can ‘keep your house a home’ and learn how to prevent diabetes health-related complications from occurring.

In many instances their obituaries make little mention of their diabetes diagnosis and/or diabetes health-related complications which results in the general public’s continued ignorance about the subject.

David Peaston was an American R&B and gospel singer who was mostly known for the hit singles, “Two Wrongs (Don’t Make it Right)” and “Can I?”. David Peaston died from complications of diabetes in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 1, 2012, at the age of 54.

After being laid off as a teacher in 1981, David Peaston moved to New York to pursue music. Quickly thereafter, Peaston who scored national fame after winning on “Showtime at the Apollo”. He wowed audiences with his sky-high falsetto and his rendition of “God Bless the Child.” His multiple wins on the show led to his signing a major recording deal in the late ’80s with Geffen Records. He released two albums, 1989’s “Introducing … David Peaston” and 1991’s “Mixed Emotions,” on Geffen. in 1990 won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.

Check out Peaston perform “Everything Must Change” at Showtime at the Apollo below.

During the 1990’s, David Peaston was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. His right leg was amputated at the knee in March 2004; his left leg also was later amputated, forcing him to use prostheses. When he was preparing to be honored at the 2004 event “A Celebration of Love in St. Louis,” he struggled with whether he had let his disease prevent him from ever performing on stage again.

“I didn’t want to be back in the public,” he told the Post-Dispatch that year. “I wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed, but I felt I let myself down and, therefore, I let everyone else down. It was my fault for being sick, and I didn’t want anybody to see me like that.”

But by 2004, he lost 200 pounds, and sang with the St. Louis group the Distinguished Gents for five years. The group performed a mix of classical, jazz and gospel songs annually at the Ethical Society of St. Louis. He also toured Europe until his older sister, Fontella Bass, fell ill.

In 2006, David Peaston returned to studio and issued the album, ‘Song Book: Songs of Soul & Inspiration’. The album featured eight new tracks by Peaston, as well as several of his biggest hits.

David Peaston was also a veteran of traveling gospel plays such as “Momma Don’t.” Singer Cheryl Pepsii Riley toured with him in “Momma Don’t” and other shows. He enlisted on the gospel show “His Woman, His Wife: The Musical,” touring across the U.S. In his last years, he still ran Pea-Stain Productions, his own production company.

Cheryl Pepsii Riley described her colleague, David Peaston as, ”this man with the hearty laugh, great sense of humor, that incredible voice, and he was the most amazing friend.”

What we can learn from David Peaston’s Story

From reading David Peaston’s journey living with diabetes we can assume he had a diabetic foot ulcer that went untreated which developed gangrene and resulted in a below the knee amputation.

David Peaston’s story is a testament that you can still be active and participate in life the way you wish to after experiencing an amputation. He continued to hit high notes on stage until his untimely death.

However, to avoid a similar fate you must practice daily foot care.

Always check shoes for foreign objects, and make sure footwear fits well, and does not pinch the skin. People who try to remove their own callouses, warts, or corns by performing “bathroom surgery,” can give themselves a non-healing ulcer that later requires an amputation. This is why people with diabetes should never try to remove their own callouses, warts or corns. They also should not use any over-the-counter callous, wart, or corn remover products on their skin.

Diabetes can cause neuropathy, making it hard to feel pain in the feet and cause wounds to heal slowly. On top of that, poor circulation, and changes in the shape and anatomy of the foot make it more likely for a person with diabetes to injure their feet which can lead to peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD causes your blood vessels to narrow and reduces blood flow to your legs and increase your risk of amputation. The most common amputations in people with diabetes are the toes, feet, and lower legs.

Let’s talk about some statistics related to amputations in the diabetes community.

Diabetes and peripheral artery disease (PAD) hit harder in the African American population.

African Americans are twice as likely as whites to have PAD, and 1 in 4 older African Americans has diabetes. In a California claims study recently published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, African Americans who had both diabetes and PAD had the highest rates of preventable amputations.

The cost of amputations is high, financially and emotionally.

Amputation doesn’t have to be part of your diabetes journey. If you do all you can to manage your blood sugars and care for your feet as well as visiting a podiatrist annually for a Comprehensive Foot Exam, you’ll reduce your risk of major complications.

https://youtu.be/zOspndjaE9Y

Small steps lead to big changes. ‘Walking With Peety’ author, Eric O’Grey shares how adopting a shelter dog inspired his successful weight loss journey on Diabetes Late Nite LISTEN NOW

Don’t miss our inagural Fandross Festival celebrating the legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes and diabetes health-related complication prevention from May 10 – May 13 in New York City. Visit: divabetic.org

12/12/2017

Our Eleventh Day of Blue Christmas Gift Ideas from Eric O’Grey

On the eleventh day of Blue Christmas my true friend, Author Eric O’Grey sent to me a copy of his book, ‘Walking with Peety’.

Divabetic is celebrating a Blue Christmas to bring attention to the mental health issues related to living with diabetes.

You probably know better than we do how diabetes affects your holiday experience. You might feel the weight of diabetes more at this time, because you can’t let go and celebrate like everyone else. Or maybe you do let go and then beat yourself up over it.

That’s why we asked our panel of experts, friends and past Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests to spread some holiday cheer by sharing their favorite products to help keep you ‘happy and healthy’ all year long.

Eric O’Grey was 150 pounds overweight, depressed, and sick. After a lifetime of failed diet attempts, and the onset of type 2 diabetes due to his weight, Eric went to a new doctor, who surprisingly prescribed a shelter dog. And that’s when Eric met Peety: an overweight, middle-aged, and forgotten dog who, like Eric, had seen better days. The two adopted each other and began an incredible journey together, forming a bond of unconditional love that forever changed their lives. Over the next year, just by going on walks, playing together, and eating plant-based foods, Eric lost 150 pounds, and Peety lost 25. As a result, Eric reversed his diabetes, got off all medication, and became happy and healthy for the first time in his life-eventually reconnecting with and marrying his high school sweetheart. ‘Walking with Peety’ is for anyone who is ready to make a change in his or her life, and for everyone who knows the joy, love, and hope that dogs can bring. This is more than a tale of mutual rescue. This is an epic story of friendship and strength.

On December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast we’re celebrating a Blue Christmas. I chose this theme in December because ‘Blue’ is the color that I most closely associate with diabetes and I feel that the mental health issues related to diabetes are often overlooked and ignored. Some listeners may feel that talking about depression is depressing which is understandable. However, I feel it is far more important to reach out to those coping with diabetes distress and burnout and let them know they are not alone. Please join us!

TUNE IN! Don’t miss December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast featuring music by Elvis Presley on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6 PM, EST. We will be discussing ways to not let diabetes make you feel ‘blue’ during the holiday season with our panel of experts. Guests include ‘Walking With Peety’ Author Eric O’Grey, Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, High Voltage. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring songs from the new “Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” album courtesy of SONY Music. The album brings together Elvis Presley’s best-loved yuletide performances from “Elvis’ Christmas Album” (1957) and “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas” (1971) re-imagined with sublime and exquisite new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

NEED MORE INSPIRATION? Our panel of experts, Divabetic community members and past Diabetes Late Nite guests will be sharing more Blue Christmas Gift suggestions on this blog for the next twelve days to help you enjoy the festive spirit of the season without compromising your diabetes health!

Are you feeling ‘blue’ this holiday season?

If so, you’re not alone. While it’s true that sadness and/or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season, people with diabetes are more likely to be depressed than others states David Spero BSN, RN for Diabetes Self-Management.

Diabetes can cause complications and health problems that may worsen symptoms of depression. Depression can lead to poor lifestyle decisions, such as unhealthy eating, less exercise, smoking and weight gain — all of which are risk factors for diabetes.

The good news is that diabetes and depression can be treated together. And effectively managing one can have a positive effect on the other.

If you think you might be depressed, seek help right away. Your doctor or diabetes educator can refer you to a mental health professional.

https://youtu.be/Uwfz5mMLSDM

11/29/201711/30/2017

Celebrating A Diabetes ‘Blue’ Christmas on Diabetes Late Nite

We’re celebrating a Diabetes ‘BLUE’ Christmas with musical inspiration from Elvis Presley on December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast scheduled for Tuesday, December 12,2017, 6 PM,EST.

Feeling blue?

Know someone with diabetes who gets irritated without any rhyme or reason? And it’s hard to guess what triggered the mood swing.

Moods swings affect people living with both type I and type II diabetes alike. It is difficult to say whether diabetes triggers mood swings or living with diabetes makes you moody. ‘Fluctuations in blood glucose level leads to change in levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and 5HT. When this happens it makes one prone mood swings and then to anxiety and depression, in the long run,’ explains Dr. Pradeep Gadge, Diabetologist, Shreya Diabetic Care, Mumbai.

Mood swings are more evident when one fails to express pent up emotions. So whether it is feeling low or inability to concentrate, it is better to talk and express it. If that doesn’t help, writing notes to yourself even on your phone’s notepad can also do the trick. Social interactions can also help in managing moods and emotions.

The holiday season triggers mood swings for many of us. We may stress about finances, fight with family members, feel overwhelmed, slip into bad eating habits, ignore blood sugars and/or gain weight.

We will be discussing ways to not let diabetes dim your dazzle during the holidays with our panel of experts.

Guests include ‘Walking With Peety’ Author Eric O’Grey, Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, High Voltage.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring songs from the new “Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” album courtesy of SONY Music. The album brings together Elvis Presley’s best-loved yuletide performances from “Elvis’ Christmas Album” (1957) and “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas” (1971) re-imagined with sublime and exquisite new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

TUNE IN: Click on this Diabetes Late Nite link for inspiration to live healthfully during the holiday season.

https://youtu.be/Uwfz5mMLSDM

09/20/2017

Overweight Dogs by Debby Kay

It is a well-documented fact that more people living in the USA are overweight than any other country. This also seems to be true for American dogs as well. Research has shown that being overweight not only causes dogs to suffer more frequently from joint disease and related problems but it also reduces their life span by up to 30%. Yet people for whatever reason continue to feed their dogs too much food.

In my 40+ years of dealing with people who overfeed their dogs I have noticed that most of them do not even recognize that their dogs are overweight. So how do you tell if you have a fat dog. The easiest way is to compare it a chart that Purina research has put out that shows what the differences in weights on dogs looks like. Even with this great chart many people still cannot tell fat from muscle. Muscle is lean and when a dog is in proper weight you can see the cuts in the muscle very distinctly. Fat will make a hard rounded appearance and a very obese dog will have sides that roll back and forth like Jello™ when they are trotting towards you. The ribs of the dog should be easy to feel with lean muscle over them just enough to cover but not hide them.

If you have determined however, that your dog is overweight here are a few tips to help you get those pounds off.

1. Cut the amount you are feeding in half for one week. If let’s say, you are giving 2 cups of dry food in the morning and the same in the evening, then cut back to 1 cup for each meal.

2. Snacks should be meat or raw veggies like carrots and nothing else.

3. Double the exercise and make sure this is aerobic exercise. For example, if you take the dog on a walk to park once a day, keep that but add in another session where you jog instead of walk. Or if your dog likes to swim, add in a session of 30 minutes of vigorous swimming.

4. If you don’t jog you can put your dog on a treadmill for 30-60 minutes a day. I have one just for dogs with a longer base but, if you do things slowly, your dog will adapt to a human treadmill no problem.

Once you get the weight off keep it off by regularly weighing your dog at the vets. They don’t charge for it and it will give you a good guide that those pounds are not creeping back on when you thought you have gotten them all off.

You might want to switch foods as the one you are feeding may have too many carbohydrates or grains in it. A good grain free, balanced food like Rachael Ray’s Nutrish Grain Free diets might just the ticket to keeping those pounds off.

Debby Kay has been a pioneer in scent detection work for over 40 years. Debby teaches Super Sniffer® workshops for amateur dog owners and professional trainers alike. She has set up several non profit organizations worldwide for Diabetes Alert Dogs and her Sweet Snoopers program is now in 22 countries around the world helping people manage this disease better through the use of trained alert dogs.

Debby is a founding officer and lifetime member of the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac, and a member of the Labrador Retriever Club Inc. She is a professional member of the Dog Writers Association of America, The Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and the International Association of Canine Professionals.

DIVABETIC BOOK SHELF: ‘Walking with Peety: The Dog Who Saved My Life’ by Eric O’Grey

Eric O’Grey was 150 pounds overweight, depressed, and sick. After a lifetime of failed diet attempts, and the onset of type 2 diabetes due to his weight, Eric went to a new doctor, who surprisingly prescribed a shelter dog. And that’s when Eric met Peety: an overweight, middle-aged, and forgotten dog who, like Eric, had seen better days. The two adopted each other and began an incredible journey together, forming a bond of unconditional love that forever changed their lives. Over the next year, just by going on walks, playing together, and eating plant-based foods, Eric lost 150 pounds, and Peety lost 25. As a result, Eric got off all oral medication, and became happy and healthy for the first time in his life-eventually reconnecting with and marrying his high school sweetheart. ‘Walking With Peety’ is for anyone who is ready to make a change in his or her life, and for everyone who knows the joy, love, and hope that dogs can bring. This is more than a tale of mutual rescue. This is an epic story of friendship and strength. ORDER NOW

Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Author Eric O’Grey on Diabetes Late Nite scheduled for Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6 PM, EST.