MILLIONS of people have diabetes and don’t even know it! Some know it, but wouldn’t accept it! While others may not even know that the ranking cause of death is changing, and diabetes is becoming an increasingly significant cause of death! Statistics have supported this. However, it has been proven that with proper care, this disease can be managed and diabetics can lead a full and active life, if they learn how to take care of themselves.

According to the American Association of Diabetes Educators, when you eat, some of your food is broken down into glucose (a kind of sugar). Glucose travels in your blood to all your body’s cells. Insulin, made by your pancreas, helps glucose move from your blood into your cells. Glucose helps your cells produce the energy you need for healthy living.

Now, glucose from food makes your blood glucose level go up. Insulin lowers blood glucose levels by helping glucose move from your bloodstream into your cells. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make any insulin, enough insulin, or prevents the insulin you do produce from working properly. In the case of Type 2 Diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin.

Research has shown that scientists don’t really know what causes diabetes. They say that one possible cause could be that people with diabetes may be missing a certain gene that protects against diabetes (genes are the blueprints for your body’s design). But they do know that certain things increase the chances of them getting it.

The most common risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes are overweight, high blood pressure, lifestyle habits, or a family history of diabetes. Studies have shown that these risk factors are in no way exhaustive. Some common symptoms are tiredness, thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision, hunger, sudden weight loss, sexual problems, wounds that won’t heal, vaginal infections, numbness, and tingling in the hands or feet.

Some years ago, Maggie took her mother to the doctor. While there, she decided to have a checkup as well, and discovered that her blood glucose level was 1.25mg dl. At that time, she weighed 140 pounds. The doctor considered that situation worth monitoring, and immediately had put her on medication. I listened attentively while she recounted her story:

“When the news that I was diabetic hit me, I was devastated. I immediately went into a state of denial. ‘Me! A diabetic! I eat well (or so she thought); I exercise and sleep early; how can this be!’” Yes. These statements are quite familiar. Many, like Maggie, have lived in that state for years.

“After the effects of the first shock had worn off,” she said, “I visited a number of other doctors, trying to reverse that diagnosis. Some doctors said I was borderline. Some encouraged me to exercise; one even went as far as to encourage me to take a teaspoon of carilla juice every morning along with exercise. One doctor in Washington said: ‘You are getting there.’ And one in Guyana put me on a diet which prescribed rice for dinner, when I had stopped eating rice in the evening a long time ago. But there were also those diagnoses that suggested that I didn’t have it (like that of the nutritionist, who suggested that I needed sex) which scared me most.

“Like many other persons,” Maggie continued, “I was not sick; I would get hungry and thirsty occasionally, urine often, and a tingling sensation in my toes at times. Admittedly, I was always eating and drinking a lot. I ate biscuits, pastries and cakes, chocolate tea with ‘loud’ milk and sugar. Even though the tea was sweet, I never ended breakfast without adding jam or something sweet. And my favourite was a pop tart with a cup of tea at mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Lunch was always special, with dessert and all, and dinner could not be overdone.

“In the course of carrying out my duties, I travelled a lot. Staying at the various hotels, I would eat whatever I wanted, because I had a variety of dishes from which to choose. I look back now with disgust at the time when I would eat eggs and sausage, cheese and jam all at once; take seconds, and still stash some for later, knowing that lunch would soon be served. I was also guilty of eating the biggest ‘Big Mack’ burger, and the largest ‘Cadbury’ whole-nut chocolate, which I would grab whenever I was intransit in Trinidad.”

Maggie said that her daughter told her that she was eating too much, but she was not ready for that disclosure, and couldn’t understand what she was saying either. She thought eating a lot meant that she was healthy. She had to have her cereal, yoghurt, tea bread, meat, with dessert being a must, to balance off.

She recalled the time when she woke up at 2:00pm to prepare a lesson she was to share with her colleagues at prayer meeting. She went to work as usual that morning, and had worked at her computer until lunchtime, and then left for church. As she opened the Bible, the words danced before her eyes. She couldn’t see to read. She declared: “Had it not been for the fact that I had prepared my lesson well, and able to speak ‘off my head’, I would have been very embarrassed.”

Diabetes was silently creeping up on her, as were its friends and associates: The high blood pressure; the rising numbers in the LDL cholesterol, and the triglycerides. She had to contend with the dimness of the eyes, and quickly learnt to wear glasses.

Type 2 Diabetes is a progressive disease, which can be managed with diet, exercise and pills. Some folks believe that they can control it with exercise alone, but once the disease has progressed, you will have to employ some medical therapy by taking Metformin, Diamicron MR, or some other medication, as prescribed by a health care professional. It is to be noted also that pills don’t always remain effective over time; that some people may need to take insulin too. This mystery, as I understand it, is to defeat diabetes with a passion, and to keep the insulin and glucose in balance. As indicated earlier, untreated diabetes also affects the functions of the heart, eyes, and may cause a domino effect by affecting other organs within the body.

Maggie struggled for over ten years, trying to understand this disease. She continued: “I figured that if I did not eat carbohydrates, I would have no problem with diabetes, because the pancreas would not have much work to do. I even skipped meals. But I learnt very quickly that that didn’t work. The body roamed and stripped itself of structural proteins to convert its fat into glucose, leaving me dry and gaunt. Then I thought, perhaps if I used blood cleansing medicines, the sugar would not linger in my blood, and then I would be rid of the disease for all times. Over and over, I started a course of herbal cleansing, but never completed them because I couldn’t afford it. I even prayed for a miracle, and told myself that I was healed, and all was well.

“Whenever I was abroad, it became very difficult for me to keep track of my glucose intake, and the numbers would escalate. And, as if the diabetes was lonely, it took along with it for the ride high blood pressure and high cholesterol. One day, the doctor took me into his office. He told me that I am a diabetic, and that I should accept my fate. Simply take my medication; keep the disease under control; and learn to live with it. I sat there frozen, as I listened to the truth once more.”

Maggie related how the advice went along with the exercise, portion size, carb counting, exchange lists, and abstaining from certain fruits, foods, and drinks. And how she began to create mental images of a deck of cards she used to play with when she was younger. A poker chip, a hockey puck, four dices and a light bulb. The 1 oz of this; ¼ cup of that; and medium size, half-a-banana and small orange. She envisioned that certain types of foods would have been difficult for her to digest. But, as she said, she had left the doctor’s office that day with one resolution: “I will accept the fact.”

According to the June 15, 2009 edition of ‘Science Daily’, diabetics are encouraged to have regular exercise and weight training to reduce their cardiovascular risk. And according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published recently, it is recommended that people with Type 2 Diabetes should do at least two-and-a-half hours per week of moderate-intensity or 1½ hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, plus some weight training. But the Nutritionist at Providence Hospital in Washington has posited that the following factors be taken into consideration. For example, the number of persons involved, their age group, their ability to achieve the desired intensity, and the extent to which exercise will significantly lower blood glucose levels, rising cholesterol, triglycerides and indeed cardiovascular risk.

Diabetics are encouraged to diet. But despite Maggie’s resolve, the confusion soars. She once heard that she could eat everything, but in small quantities. Then she heard that she couldn’t eat that half banana and raisins she had become accustomed to having with her cereal at breakfast; or the small orange upon waking up in the morning, as these have the tendency to raise glucose levels rapidly. Then her optician told her that ground provisions contribute to the dimness of the eyes. She was also told by one doctor to use an aspirin a day, and subsequently heard the news that two was the dosage. More recently, she was advised not to use any. And there appeared to be some difficulty deciding whether it was whole wheat or whole grains for bread or cereal. In light of those conflicting disclosures, whose report do you think she should believe?

In the various books, the Old Testament and New Testament sets out specific guidelines about foods suited to our general well-being. Genesis 43:11 speaks of nuts; Numbers 11:5 speaks about fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, and 13: 23 of grapes, pomegranates and figs. Deuteronomy 32:14 suggests honey and oil from the rocks, the curd of cows and the fat of lambs. Ruth 2:14 advises bread, vinegar and roasted grain. Surprisingly, Kings: 19:21 and 4:23 was all about meat. The New Testament even speaks about fish, locusts and wild honey. In those days, the people who ate all these foods lived longer and healthier. Is there a problem with the foods we eat today?

Maggie told me just recently that when she visited her clinic, the medex advised her to cut her meals in half, using the other half later in the day when she felt hungry. The idea was for her to eat smaller meals. She also said that it works, because her glucose monitored readings suggest that her glucose levels are now controlled at any time of day or night. She vows to continue to take her ‘meds’ until the doctor says otherwise, but confessed that she will always continue to be baffled over the unpredictability of the illness.

I have spoken with a number of diabetics in Guyana, who, like Maggie, lack the proper knowledge. They struggle with their condition. They are confused and do not understand how the disease operates. None of them even know that there is a Diabetic Association in Guyana and that help is available.

Just recently, Elsie explained to me her confusion. She has even resorted to skipping meals, hoping that that would be the solution to her problem. She says she goes to clinic, takes insulin on clinic days, and her tablets between visits. Yet her blood glucose level remains at 300 mg/dl. Another woman told me that she lost her legs because she could not afford to purchase medication, the foods considered proper, and the strips for her glucose testing machine, which was a gift.

And Steve, who works with a good friend of mine, continues to eat large meals, and loves Chinese dishes. His blood glucose level is 400 mg/dl.

Maggie is grateful to the doctor who has made such an impact in her live. By his early detection, diagnosis and prescription so many years ago, he has enabled her to keep the disease under control. The advice of the Medex, i.e., to test early, to take the prescribed medication, eat smaller portions of food evenly distributed throughout the day, exercise, and avoid stress cannot be overstated.

Her advice to diabetics today is to laugh. “Laughter is a great stress buster; a sense of humour will lighten your spirits and make what is considered life’s insecurities more manageable!”