Diabetic Friends Action Network (DFAN) Online Diabetes Newsletter - January 1996 (Delphi Custom Forum 255) This document (c) Copyright 1996, all rights reserved. Redistribution of this document is hereby freely granted so long as the document is redistributed in its entirety (here interpreted as all text which was not automatically generated by software as part of the distribution process); in particular, with attributions and this copyright notice. ______________________________ How many times have you asked the question, "Why?" Why has diabetes entered my life? Why has it picked me to play around with? Why doesn't it just go away? Asking "Why?" is a rational response to having a chronic illness like diabetes enter your life. We sometimes refer to diabetes as a living breathing almost human-like creature. At times it does resemble a living, breathing part of our existence. We're forever trying to figure out how to live with it in our space without having it take over and consume us. There's also a fear that goes along with the questions. If we slow down and the diabetes overtakes us then we have to deal with the complications. But the complications can also come into our lives if we take care of ourselves and our loved ones. Then we have to think about having the right tools to fight diabetes. Do we have enough strips, syringes, pills, or the right foods to fight this battle? There's a part of this fight that we all need to work on more. That's where the motivation and will to survive come into play. It's so difficult to motivate yourself. If you're not a child you may not have someone overlooking your every move when it comes to your diabetes management plan. If you live alone you might not have someone who's interested in cooking and who will fix you a variety of foods so you can stick to your meal plans. Those are some of the difficulties that come along with diabetes. What are some ways to deal with these problems? There's no one formula that will work for each person since we all bring different problems into the equation. Knowing that things can get better helps. It doesn't matter how long you've had diabetes. If you're not doing well with your diabetes management plan make a change today. If you don't know how to start just ask. We're here to help you. Control isn't something you have to find. It's there. You just have to reclaim it. As always, we need articles for next month's newsletter. So if you have a story you'd like to tell us, or if you just want to vent a little why not write it out and send it to us. You don't have to be a professional writer either...just jot it down and e- mail it to BELVE@AOL.COM. It doesn't matter if it's you or your child, please send it in. There was a problem with one of our disk drives and there were a few requests to be taken off our mailing list that were not honored. If you sent a request to be taken off our distribution list and it was not honored please send the request again. We send you our apologies. _______________ARTICLE_______________ My Sister's Diabetes by Parker Farabee (4 years old) (Kelsey's little brother) My sister has diabetes. First she was a baby before me. She got diabetes when she was four. If she gets high or low she has to take glucose tablets. She has to take finger pokes and shots. I'm sad because she has diabetes, but glad because she's taking care of herself. The End (Kelsey's article appeared in the December 95' issue of our newsletter) _______________POLL RESPONSES_______________ Here are the responses we received to last month's poll question: Question: We have seen many marches on Washington. Some small, some large. Do you think it would be good for diabetics, their families and friends to have a march on Washington? If so, why? Do you think it would do more harm than good? Why? Response #1: "I really don't see the need or the point of such an event. I don't think I've led a sheltered life, but for me,diabetes is just something that's become a part of my life-wanted or not. At the age of 55, I suspect that it's unlikely that I'll see a cure. I presently have control, hand hope to keep it. I'd vote no." Response #2: "At first let me say that my son, Christopher, is 11 years old and he is the family member who has diabetes. So far (he's had the disease for a year), he's doing pretty well. His social and educational lifestyle has changed little. He doesn't mind the blood letting :)...and rarely complains about the shots. He's very physically active, which I found is the easiest and surest way for HIM to keep his blood sugar levels in a good range. As I tried to formulate an opinion on a march, I kept trying to think of areas in which the federal government has been lacking in either support, education, or funding. And in the end I came up with the conclusion that there isn't much more they can do. I don't think mandates to insurance companies will help, (they'll raise all rates) and education and support is plentiful within organizations such as DFAN. I think energies are better spent enlisting support by way of volunteerism and donations (for example the UPC labels from LifeScan glucose strips)." Response #3: "I can't imagine why." _______________ARTICLE_______________ It's All How You Look At It By Julie & Dave Farabee (Kelsey and Parker's Parents) Top 9 Disadvantages of Parenting a Child with Diabetes 1. Setting an alarm and getting up to do a 2 am blood test. 2. Packing a snack to be eaten after picking the child up from school, doing a blood test and driving to gymnastics. Since she wants a snack no matter what her blood sugar is, the snack bag includes one set of foods in case she's high and one set of foods in case she's low. The trick is to keep them separate so she doesn't see the "low" foods when she's high. Dinner parties could be given with less advance preparation! 3. Trying to get a drop of blood from a cold finger. 4. Stashing a meter, strips and glucose tablets in your sleeping bag while camping, and hoping a bear doesn't smell the glucose tablets. 5. The inability to go anywhere without taking the meter, strips, glucose tablets, and snacks. 6. On those occasions when you forget, and go somewhere without taking the meter, strips, glucose tablets and snack, hearing the fabled "I feel loooow" (which always occurs immediately following a snack). 7. Explaining to a five year old why those adorable Lion King candy bars are not a good food choice. 8. Hearing "it's not fair" about food related things from both my child with diabetes and her non-diabetic sibling. 9. Spending 15 minutes trying to give a crash course in diabetes to any adult who will be supervising my child for more than 15 minutes. (I can almost remember just dropping her off somewhere . . .). Top 9 Advantages of Parenting a Child with Diabetes 1. Knowing the carbohydrate content of 25 different brands of cereal. 2. Having the ability to answer any trivia question about the pancreas. 3. Impressing people by knowing that 1/2 of a low fat granola bar or 2 Tbsp. of an ICEE equals 15 grams of carbohydrate. 4. Diabetes family camp. 5. Knowing an extra shot is okay on Thanksgiving so that everyone can have seconds. 6. Having Santa magically know which kids have diabetes and providing sugar free chocolate in their stockings. 7. Always having food available - make friends with men, women and dogs who are hungry and not prepared. 8. Getting to know many wonderful people who are also living with diabetes in their families, and who we otherwise would never have had the opportunity to meet. 9. Finding a non-diabetic family willing to learn Diabetes 101 and give insulin injections, enabling our daughter to go on a sleepover. _______________ARTICLE_______________ DFAN Weight Loss Club! Here it is! The new DFAN Weight Loss Club! We're here to give you support, understanding, and knowledge which are some of the things you need to lose weight. If you have diabetes and you're overweight, losing weight is probably one of the first things your doctor told you to do. But how? That's what we're here for! Join our club (it's FREE) and we'll try to stick with you until you reach your goal weight. We have text files available for you to read that will help you gain control of your blood glucose levels as you shed pounds. It can be tough to lose weight, and having diabetes can make it more difficult but it can be done. It doesn't matter if you have Type I diabetes or Type II diabetes. If you need to lose weight you can. We're still looking for a name for our weight loss club. So far we've received suggestions such as "Less Is Best" and "D-Lites". If you have an idea for a name for our club please send it in to us. Since this club is going to start as an online club you have a choice of what you'd like to receive. There are text files available to you. Or you may want to be in our "Day To Day Motivation" section. You'll receive e-mails from the club about four times a week that will include motivational sayings and diet tips that will help you with your weight reduction plan and with your diabetes management plan. DFAN Diet Club Offers: Receive motivational e-mails four times a week. Website referral list - sites of interest to diabetics trying to lose weight Recipes (offered to those who request them. (Kept in a digest form) Articles & Stories dealing with weight loss and diabetes (separate weight loss issue of the newsletter might be published) DFAN D-Buddies (members who want to correspond with other diabetics trying to lose weight) Files Available For Upload To Your E-mail Box: Glycemic Index - What Is It? Free Foods Exercising & Diabetes Exercising With Neuropathy Exercise Tips For A Beginner How To Start Walking For Exercise Alcohol & Diabetes _______________CONTEST WINNERS_______________ Here are the winners in the first DFAN Writing Contest! Adult Category: First Place: "I See The Big Picture" Second Place: "What Would You Do - Sibling Rivarly" Third Place: "A New Lifestyle" Children's Category: Kelsey Farabee - "Me & My Diabetes" Parker Farabee - "My Sister's Diabetes" We'd like to congratulate all of our winners! All prizes will be distributed by February 20, 1996. If you haven't read the winning articles and would like to recieve them in your e-mail box just send a request to BELVE@AOL.COM _______________ANNOUNCEMENT_______________ So far the Meter Bank has helped 20 people get Lifescan Profile Blood Glucose Testing Meters, even as far away as France! The person behind the Meter Bank, Richard Thornton is amazed at how many of you wish to keep your Lifepoint and/or coupons donations anonymous. Your generousity is greatly appreciated. In order to help more people the Meter Bank still needs UPC/Lifepoint symbols from your Lifescan One Touch Strips. They also desperately need the fullfilment coupons that have to be filled out to receive the free Profile Meters. Remember,these points and fullfilment coupons are helping other diabetics get some much needed equipment to help control their diabetes. If you, or someone you know needs a blood glucose testing meter but can't afford one please send an e-mail or write to the address below. Send e-mail to: batman@phoenix.net -or- arthur@tenet.edu Send snail mail requests for meters and/or Lifescan UPC's/Lifepoints/Fullfillment Coupons to: Keeper of the Meter Bank Richard Thornton 4207 Cantwell Drive Pasadena, Texas 77505-4421 _______________ARTICLE (Fiction)_______________ Frank faxed his blood glucose results to his doctor every week on Friday. He had everything organized and ready to go by 9 a.m. The data would fly across the phone lines with electronic speed. It would only take ten minutes for Frank's doctor to call him back with his thoughts on the numbers. Frank had gotten used to waiting for the call. His blood glucose readings had been very good for the past six months so all the doctor really had to do was give Frank a pat on the back. The phone rang and Frank answered it on the first ring, "Hi doc. Things are still looking good, huh?". "Frank, I must say that you are one of the most motivated diabetics I've dealt with in a long time. I can't believe how good you're doing. I wish all my patients could be in control like you." Frank hung up the phone and decided to walk to work. He decided to get on a "health kick" when he was diagnosed and walking to work had become as common as brushing his teeth some weeks. It only took him a half hour to walk to work but that was a half hour of exercise. This was a morning when Frank wouldn't walk by himself. When he reached the end of his block he saw his friend Daniel. "Daniel sure doesn't look too happy," Frank thought to himself, "I wonder what's wrong with him." Before Frank could ask Daniel about what was bothering him Daniel spoke up. "Frank, I found out that I have diabetes. I'm real scared. You know me. I'm a man's man. I can't see myself taking needles and poking myself all day long. And oh yeah, that would look real good if I faint while I'm working." Frank didn't know what to say. He knew he had good control over his diabetes but how was he going to make his friend feel the same way? "Daniel, all I can tell you is that I've had diabetes for the past six months and things are going well for me. I'm not taking insulin though, I'm Type II." "That's what they say I am," Daniel said, "Don't you ever get tired of sticking yourself all the time? Doing all those tests?" "Sure, sometimes I don't like it, but if I don't do it then I'd have to deal with other things. I don't want to end up in the hospital because I didn't take care of myself when I had the chance." All Daniel could do was look at Frank. Here was Frank, a bit overweight and not the type of man Daniel would say was a "control freak", but he was dealing with things ok. Daniel had to go back to the doctor in a week but he decided to try something. "Frank, would you mind if I stuck around for a day with you. I don't know how I'm supposed to act now.". "What do you mean?," Frank asked. "Well, I just think that if I stuck around you for a day I'd know how I'm supposed to take care of myself. My doctor just told me that I'd have to change some things in my life. The nurse gave me some pamphlets to read. That's about it." Frank thought about it for awhile and then decided it might be a good idea for Daniel to be his "D-buddy" for a day. The next day Frank didn't change anything in his schedule. Daniel showed up about 7 a.m. so he could see what Frank ate for breakfast. He was surprised to see Frank eating an egg and english muffin. "Eggs?...you eat eggs?" Frank paused for a bit and then responded. "Sure I eat eggs. I don't eat them every day and I don't fry them too often, but you can eat eggs Daniel. You're not going on a crash diet. You just have to learn to eat in moderation. This is something we have to do for the rest of our lives. If you make it into something you hate you'll never stick with it." The rest of the day Daniel watched Frank test his blood glucose levels and get his daily exercise (Frank's walk to work). Daniel was amazed at how Frank was able to live a somewhat "normal" life. When Daniel got his diagnosis all he could think about was needles and sitting in a rocking chair for the rest of his life. That day with Frank really opened his eyes. _______________POLL QUESTION_______________ THIS MONTH'S POLL QUESTION: When you (or your child, friend, or family member) was diagnosed with diabetes do you feel you received enough information about diabetes and how it would affect your life? If not, what type of information do you think you should have received? _______________ARTICLE_______________ Do you get angry, upset, or go into a rage when your blood glucose levels are high? Does this seem to happen to your child? We're looking for people to interview for an article that is going to be in a future issue of this newsletter. The interview will be conducted online (via e-mail). If you'd like to participate in the research for this article please send an e-mail to BELVE@AOL.COM BACK ISSUES: If you'd like to receive any or all of our back issues just tell us which ones you'd like uploaded to your e-mail box. If you need to see our list of back issues just send an e- mail to BELVE@AOL.COM