A Blue Pansy for World Diabetes Day.

Good blog, Raquel... and well done on monitoring your diabetes so carefully...

I have a close friend who is a type one diabetic ... requiring regular blood checks, insulin injections etc.

At least, these days, diabetics can be helped...

it wasn't so many years ago, that a Type One Diabetic would have died very quickly .... no treatment available ....

I wasn't aware that Nov 14th was World Diabetes Day,Raquel,and I was diagnosed almost two years ago,with Type 2.,and no symptoms whatsoever..I am the first in my family,as far as I know,to develop it.I only need to take one tablet a day,to control mine,so very lucky,and all my reviews since,show I am on track,and its well managed...I felt a certain amount of anger,more than anything else,as I have never been overweight in my life,eaten fairly healthily,and very active..but my GP said I was just unlucky,as someone has to be the first.I don't beat myself up over it now.,as there is nothing I can do about it,so the only difference is that I am aware,and carry on being sensible,and get on with my life,almost as before...

im a diabetic as well and inherited it from mum and dad,my brothers were not affected(there are six in my immedate family),im on six tablets a day now and still trying to control it,because people cannot see it they dont think your ill,at work i have to repeat myself all the time about breaks,so now take a snack in,my feet are very sensitive and once had a manager laugh at me when i tryed to explaine why i have to wear safe flat shoes(my mums lost four toes)i didnt know about diabetic day,thanks raquel

I am a newly diagnosed type two diabetic (May 2010),as far as I am aware the first in my family.Mine is managed by diet and self awareness. I have just attended a very good informative session at my local diabetes centre,it helped me understand so much more about my diabetes diet, nutrition and exercise.

Very interesting blog i also have a friend with diabetes.

Thanks TT, I try though I am not always so "good"! I give my doctors a hard time sometimes. Yes, the discovery of insulin was life-saving for those with type 1 diabetes...I always think of Dr. Frederick Banting and the poor dogs that sacrificed their lives so he could identify insulin and use it to treat diabetes.

Hi Bloomer, that's the tough thing about type 2 very often one doesn't feel anything...I did because my bg was so high my fingers were hurting and my feet hurt so much it was painful to even take a step...thankfully with better control those symptoms went away...I didn't feel anger that I had it I felt anger that the stress in my life had triggered it...and scared to death.

You're welcome Ladybug 47, sometimes managing diabetes is difficult, I know, especially when people are so insensitive! It is my pet peeve when people say "but you don't look sick!" or worse still when they tell you "oh you poor thing you can't eat this!" while they eat it in front of you...! Exercise has really helped me, as well as medication.

That's awesome, Mavisc52, I was able to do that for about a year and a half, but once I moved to Houston the stress in my life got to be too much and I had to go on medication. I fought it like crazy though, believe me! I still think I could do without it IF I had a less stressful life (or was so laid back nothing got me upset! haha that's not me though!) I walk 40 minutes 3 times a week (though I've gotten lax this semester) and take an aerobics class twice a week, and of course try to follow a sensible diet.

Thanks Clarice, I'm glad you liked it!

A hug to all of you!

Thankyou Raquel for such an awareness generating blog.My brother was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes a couple of years ago.He was a great food lover.My family used to make his every visit special by cooking food that he loved eating.But suddenly there was restriction on his eating.He had to give up many stuffs which were his favourite once.I sometime feel very sad thinking that we can do nothing to make his situation good,better and best.But what can we do..nothing except accepting things that accidentally happen in our life, either happily or angrily.I still coo for him but the things that the doctor has recomended.Now he is in perfect shape.He doesn't take any medicine.He is on diet.He exercises daily and does some yoga too.He looks fit and fine.One thing that I like to share with all of the diabetic friend is that he takes something bitter at least once a day.He says that helps to keep his sugar level in control.He eats a lots of bittergourd.He is happy now and so we are.

Thanks again for sharing it.

Thanks so much Camillia! I wonder what other types of bitter things one could eat? It's wonderful that he has been able to exercise and keep off the medicine! I had a very bad scare with some medication at the end of last year, it turns out I am allergic to Actos and Januvia, and I opted not to take them. Now I just take metformin and I exercise every day for at least an hour. I also take the plant gymnema sylvestre. So far I have lost 13 pounds! I lose weight very slowly, but at least I am losing some. I would like to add yoga, but we'll see...classes can be expensive here in the US. My blood pressure is now a healthy 117/75!! and I have to go in this week for my blood tests, I am nervous but hope they will also have improved. Thank you for posting!