Successfully coping with diabetes

There is no question that managing diabetes takes more than just taking your medicines on time. To help you get a clear picture of your situation, get a pocket book that you can slip in your bag and is easy to carry around. Make daily notes, jot down appointments and doctor visits, and take inventory of your health. This will identify early warning signs, how you respond to treatment and further lifestyle changes you should make. Here are a number of items you need and things you should do to make living with diabetes easier.

Lifestyle changes

·         If you have not done so yet, make an appointment to see a dietician. A G.P. or Clinic Nurse can help you with a healthy, balanced, glucose-controlled diet plan.

·         Have small, regular meals. Use little or no salt. Have sugar-free snacks in the house and in the car. Never miss a meal. Check ingredients on packaged foods for hidden fats, salts and sugar. Take your glasses with you to the supermarket. Check for Low GI foods suitable for diabetics.

·         Don’t forget to measure your blood pressure when you are calm – not during periods of physical stress. 

·         Monitor your progress daily. Measure glucose levels as indicated. Weigh in the mornings after urinating.

·         Blood glucose levels can vary throughout the day so test first thing in the morning, before meals, and one or two hours after you have eaten.

·         Try to drink a bottle of water with every meal or snack. 

·         Do light exercise for at least half an hour a day. If you cannot do much go for a walk to the park or pull the weeds in the garden and potter around. Get a little sun, but not too much. Try to be active. Be on the move; not on the bed or the couch.

·         If you are currently smoking, cut it out. The best way to stop smoking is not to make a party about it, but just stop.

·         If you want to know more about your condition – and you should know more – go online and search for information on how to manage diabetes. Make a list of your questions.  Look at your pocket book notes from time to time. Keep up to date on health news and check for new information all the time. 

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Fighting depression

Are you waking up of late with the same dark thoughts in mind, feeling listless, and believing that you will never step out of it? Take hold of yourself and the situation. The longer you leave depression untreated the worse it becomes. With depression you have to be active and work fast. It is not something to sweep under the rug. It needs to be understood and treated and you need to be made aware of the symptoms, causes, and other factors.

Lifting your mood

Lifting your spirit is literally mind over matter. You have to decide to do something that might be uncomfortable to do at first to change your mood, and then do it. You can’t put it off. You have to think outside the box and force yourself to be present.  The first few times will be literally to force yourself into an activity you don’t want to do to change your way of thinking and not give up. Staying active will keep you from having negative thoughts as you will be distracted. Keeping yourself occupied with things around the house like pulling weeds or watering the garden will help change your thoughts. 

Self-help strategies

·         With depression act sooner rather than later; recovery will be faster.

·         Keep in mind that treating depression is not a once-off or a quick-fix; improvement can take time. Progress is slow and you might feel better before your cloud lifts and you are able to see things the way they are.

·         Whether it is watching a movie or making dinner for a friend, keep busy. Have the music on softly to create the atmosphere you want.

·         Invite your friends over for coffee and cake or go out with them. You do not want to be alone around big birthdays or events.

·         Spend time with your family during the holidays; they are the most precious at times like these.

·         If your depression was caused from pressure and stress at work, divide your workload and do it in smaller chunks.

·         Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Be realistic with what you have to achieve and then do it.

·         Do not engage in negative thinking; change your template immediately and go on to something else.

·         Do not make big decisions like changing your job or ending a relationship while in the grip of depression.

·         Identify at least one solid reason to make it through the day.

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A healthy bowel for healthy living

It must seem like this site is hell bent on matters of a fecal nature but it cannot be helped, especially for Parkinson’s sufferers and those afflicted with a lazy bowel. There is no question that the sooner you address these matters and understand how things works, the better it will be for the one desiring the treatment.  People are different, have different strengths and weaknesses, and chronic constipation can be a real problem if you let it slide. Once you become impacted it becomes really embarrassing as the doctor or carer will have to work on you manually to loosen the stool. 

Research on the internet

There are several products on the market. Check out all treatment sites having to do with a lazy bowel and chronic constipation. The Parkinson’s sites should also reveal helpful treatment as Parkinson’s medicines are known for their Calcium content making for a difficult stool in some cases. I cannot suggest a name but here are three or four of the top treatments, some of which should help you get relief on the same day if you follow instructions carefully.  This writer has Parkinson’s and has found relief with Movicol, a laxative, and Fynbogel, an all-natural product which assists in forming a stool. Fynbogel is NOT a laxative, but helps in stool consistency and formation which gives you a pain-free and push-free stool. For instance, I took a glass of Fynbogel this morning at 7.30 a.m. At 8.00 I was all done with my toilette and ready to start the day.

Regular maintenance of the bowel

We all know how easy this is to neglect. When you are in the throes of stomach cramps and the like you swear that you will eat more veggies, fruit and fiber to assist your digestion, but all too soon you forget and the bowel is neglected. Get yourself a small white board for the kitchen and write down the ingredients you have to buy every day; dark veggies such as broccoli, green beans, spinach and lettuce are particularly good. Have a one-hour walk to the shop or around the park. If it is snowing in your neck of the woods, go on the treadmill. Keep active. Have a favorite fruit or veggie every day. Drink lots of water and keep moist.

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