Diabetes Tidbits

Once a month for several months now I have been leaving my house at 6:30 a.m. and driving over an hour to attend a diabetic class. In that class, there has been a pharmacist, optometrist, podiatrist, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist, and this month it is stories from diabetics and a party to end the year.

The drive isn’t too bad, except that it is below zero and there is snow and ice to contend with. My windshield wipers are stuck and won’t move. Thankfully yesterday I didn’t need them. This morning before I leave I will ask my husband to pull them loose.

My husband has big muscles and is very strong. He is going out to unplug my car as it is hooked to a heater and he will start it about 5 minutes before I leave. I am leaving earlier than usual as the traffic may be slow due to weather and road conditions.

It is -19 degrees outside. By the time I drive back though it will have warmed up 10 degrees to -9. You can get frostbite in 10 minutes with skin exposure outdoors today.

I should stay home, however, how can I miss the last day? It may be the last one I attend and I have gotten to like the people who attend. And I like the nurses who are responsible for planning and doing the heavy lifting.

I have had my annual flu and COVID booster. I have been asked to have a mammogram as they got my records from my primary clinic closer to me, and it was past due.

I have been diabetic since 2001. Even though they say it usually took 8 years to diagnose in the past, they got mine early as I didn’t have any of the normal diabetic symptoms that are usually there at the first diagnosis.

Okay, now for some things I have learned. But first I should tell you that I wrote a book for a fundraiser about my diabetes. So, my questions to the professionals were pretty specific.

1. They were not aware of type 3 diabetes. (Dementia/Alzheimers) They will be now.

2. Why foot care is so important. My mother who had diabetes soaked her feet and lotioned her feet every day. I was told that it was not necessary. I was feeling guilty for not doing that.

Footcare is better than it used to be. People were having amputations regularly when my mother first got diabetes.

She was even more diligent when she had neuropathy. It can cause pain and numbness in your hands and feet and even in your bones. It has to do with diabetes affecting circulation and due to the small blood vessels in your hands and feet.

They gave us a long-handled mirror to check the bottom of our feet and a large nail file to file our toenails.

3. There are diabetic shoes that I could get at no cost to me through the Indian Health Service (IHS). No one had them on. I knew they used to be ugly. Apparently, they are better but still ugly.

4. I saw some great-looking eyeglasses and even though I am borderline for needing glasses, I am going to take a prescription in and get some of those nice-looking glasses for when I drive at night. I have been using the pair I got to try for my night blindness that didn’t help but I am wearing them to get used to them now.

5. The information I learned may not be helpful to anyone but diabetics and then, I didn’t learn anything basic. FYI… I started a continuous glucose monitor right after my first class. I didn’t fit the criteria for IHS but I did for the tribe. I started and now IHS fills the prescription.

I had no idea about the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), but I do now because a friend got one and said how nice it is not to stick his finger several times a day. I agree. A break from doing that has been nice.

6. I am not on any diabetic medication and wondered if I should be. I didn’t get a clear answer to that question. I do have the ability to have a visit with the pharmacy staff to go over what I am taking.

One woman said they recommended she go off of 3 things she was taking. It may be helpful to have that consult.

7. The exercise and nutritionist were helpful. They provided delicious overnight oats recipes, which we tried. The morning snacks have been great diabetic-type offerings.

I would have liked to have a few exercises included. They did talk about chair exercises and yoga.

This feels like enough for the tidbits or it wouldn’t be a tidbit.

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First published by Mercury Press on medium.com