Diabetes and Denial
Unfortunately Type 2 Diabetes has the highest denial rate of any disease known to man. I know this to be true from my own experience.
When I was diagnosed with having diabetes in the year 2000, I did not change anything about my lifestyle for a long time. It wasn’t until I started having more pronounced symptoms that I made any changes.
What I find interesting is that most doctors believe that denial is part of the normal process in which a patient must go through in accepting the responsibilities of this disease. It’s as if your brain just cannot grasp, at one time, all of the lifestyle changes that will need to be made in order to battle diabetes.
Some of the effects of denial associated with diabetes would be not testing your blood glucose level regularly. You may think that you know what your level is by the way you are feeling. Another would be not changing your diet. What would one bite hurt? As anyone with diabetes knows, testing your levels and eating an appropriate diet are fundamental responsibilities for diabetes care.
Once you get over the initial denial and make the necessary lifestyle changes you will see that you will be happier and healthier for it. But another risk pops up… complacency. When you are having success in your battle of diabetes you may fall back into denial because you think everything is ok. Your sugar levels have been fine so why do you need to keep checking them so often? You haven’t had any sweets for so long, what would one dessert hurt?
It is very common for this to occur. The best thing that you can do once you have noticed yourself slipping is to just get back on track. The longer you go without really taking care of yourself the more long term damage you are doing to your body.
Be proactive, be aware and most of all be happy.
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Precisely today I was chatting with a neighbor who is fearing having type 2 diabetes. Both her parents were diabetic and she’s experiencing many of the symptoms. I immediately gave her the contact info for my endocrinologist (for any other people with diabetes in Orlando, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Victor Roberts!)
I want to take the opportunity to invite you (and your readers) to join TuDiabetes.com, a growing global community for people touched by diabetes.
Looking forward to seeing you there!