“Life is a joyful blessing,” a short excerpt from my book, The ABCs Of Loving Yourself With Diabetes

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As promised in my last post, I’m going to put portions of my first book here. I will try to do it every Thursday.  

Having the emotional strength and stamina to take care of your diabetes is as essential as understanding how diabetes works and knowing how to take care of it. (Both of which happen to be covered in my two other books.)

I write books because it’s a way for me to share my knowledge and help others do better. I hope these posts provide a little inspiration and help you build your “strengths muscle.”  At least you don’t have to go to the gym!

Excerpt:  

“Living with diabetes is something you learn to do each and every day. On some days you hardly know it’s there. On others, you can hardly forget. But appreciation is what fills our lives with love, joy and deep contentment, even when you have diabetes… 

Diabetes can motivate you to make healthier food choices and improve your fitness. You can take pride in how bravely you are managing it. And, when you’ve lost something, it’s an opportunity to appreciate all the more what you do have… 

Diabetes can be a gift in your hands if you use it to see how many blessings you truly have: loving family and friends, a dear pet, a comfortable home, the use of your body and mind, meaningful work, a favorite hobby, all your simple pleasure, exuberant passions and just the marvel of being you.”

Reflection: Think about, or write, three or more things you are appreciative for in your life right now. Remind yourself of these a few times throughout the day today.

An interruption in a blogger’s life

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Riva and Douglas

If you’ve been coming here for a while you may have noticed this blog, or maybe more apt this blogger, has suffered a recent bout of ADD – attention deficit disorder. In truth, writing my last book, Diabetes Do’s & How-To’s and blogging over at The Huffington Post, speaking at conferences, attending conferences like above, coaching, and somehow finding more newsletters, requests and information flying into my inbox than I can process, I have been delinquent here. My apologies. 

So this is my suggestion and my promise. Browse thru the Blog archive on this site. I’ve been writing some great posts amid the ordinary, since 2007, and the classics are as fresh, meaningful and insightful as the day I wrote them. I know because I sometimes reread what I’ve written and find new insights when I do. 

My promise is I will begin running excerpts from my book The ABCs Of Loving Yourself With Diabetes because I want you to have the benefit of building your positive tank: if you can’t find the internal strength and stamina to do what you need to do every day to take care of your diabetes, it doesn’t matter a wit how many bells and whistles are on your meter.

So don’t give up on me. I’m still here. And I hope you’ll continue to return to continue to learn and keep me company.

Chia seed deliciousness, the power of Omega 3s

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I don’t usually post recipes – scratch that,  I never post recipes, but this one is so simple, so few calories, fat and carbs and such a great way to get your chia seeds! 

Huh? Okay, if you don’t know, chia seeds are an incredible source of omega 3 fatty acids. They provide health benefits on par with fish and fish oil and contain fiber, protein, antioxidants and minerals. They’re the new broccoli!

The trouble with these little seeds is they have no taste and a funny texture. When put them in any liquid, they ooze a gelatinous texture. It’s not really pleasant or unpleasant – just weird. But, with this recipe, you’ll love them.

OK, here goes:

Chill a can of coconut milk overnight – I use Trader Joe’s light coconut milk.

Blend in 4 tablespoons of chia seeds. I get my chia seeds in the health food store, any brand. For the blending I use a whisk which seems to work well to mix in all the ingredients.

Add 4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and whisk. To be honest, I only use two which I find chocolatey enough.

Add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and two packets of artificial sweetener or Stevia.

Whisk all the ingredients and put in the fridge. Overnight it will turn into a miraculous kind of pudding. Kind of like the texture of rice pudding. Fruit on top is optional.

You can calculate the carbs and calories, but it’s not a lot, and it’s an absolutely delicious way to get the benefit of these powerhouse anti-oxidants. It seems we benefit from two tablespoons of chia seeds a day so I eat a few spoonfuls of this pudding each day.

Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy these little seeds.

Take the ADA’s Diabetes Risk Test

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Today, March 26, is the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) annual Diabetes Alert Day. Right now take their online risk test to see if you may be at risk for diabetes or pre-diabetes. It only takes a few minutes.

Frankly, I think EVERYONE should take the risk test, AND have your doctor test you for diabetes annually. Much to people’s chagrin, 1 in 5 people with type 2 diabetes are not overweight.

A medical test for diabetes is just a simple blood test performed either in your doctor’s office or at a lab. A blood sugar value between 100 and 125 mg/dl, taken before you eat in the morning (fasting plasma glucose test), indicates pre-diabetes. Your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes.

80 million people in the US have pre-diabetes, yet few know it. If you have pre-diabetes and do nothing, within five to ten years your chances are very good you’ll have diabetes. If, on the other hand, you lose a small amount of weight if you are overweight, on average 15 pounds, and work up to 30 minutes of activity five days a week, you will likely prevent, or delay getting type 2 diabetes for years. Trust me, if you can, you want that option. Type 2 diabetes, for most people, damages the large and small blood vessels in the body leading to what’s caused diabetes complications.

A fasting blood sugar test value above 126 mg/dl indicates diabetes. There are 26 million people with diabetes in the US and yet one quarter don’t even know they have it. RED ALERT: TAKE THE RISK TEST. Because by time most people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, having actually had it for on average five to seven years, many already have diabetes complications as mentioned above, like heart disease, vision and circulatory problems.

Risk Factors for Pre-Diabetes & Type 2 Diabetes

• Overweight

• Under active

• Over 45 years of age

• Family history of diabetes

• Woman who gave birth to a baby weighing over 9 pounds

• Belonging to a high risk group: African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders

Pass this on if you know someone else who may be at risk for diabetes. You can potentially save a life today — and it might be yours or someone you love.

Create a personalized pill card

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My husband was just cleaning out his piles of papers, and amazingly found an interesting sheet titled, “Patients Don’t Remember Doctors’ Instructions.”

Shocking as it sounds between 40 and 80 percent of what doctors tell patients they forget – immediately! Only half the information they tell us do we remember correctly, and the more information they give us, the less we remember correctly. Well, frankly, that doesn’t surprise me.

There is, however, a useful tip offered on the sheet if you need a little reminding what pills you take, when and what they’re for. It’s a tool called a “Pill Card.” And the best thing to do is create one for yourself based on what you’re taking. 

The card includes the name of each medicine you take, how much, what it does and then uses pictures to remind you of these things. You can find instructions, graphics and templates at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Have fun. Turns out 94% of people who were given a pill card said it helped them remember the information their doctor gave them correctly.

“Diabetes Do’s & How-To’s” the essential action-book on Kindle!

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As I travel around the country one of the outstanding things I see, and hear, is confusion about managing diabetes. So many of us, whether you’ve just been diagnosed or had diabetes for decades, whether you have type 1 or type 2, truly don’t know how to really take care of it, and ourselves. 

It’s not surprising. We get at most a few hours a year with our doctors and then have to make our own decisions what actions to take during those other 8,700 plus hours. And no one ever gave us an instruction booklet. Think about it – you don’t get to drive a car without first taking driving lessons, yet we’re all walking around with a complicated, life-threatening illness without  instructions.

That’s why I wrote this, my third book. It is the “instruction-manual” for diabetes. The small, yet powerful, doable, “real-life” actions to take – what to do and how to do it – regarding food, medicine, fitness and staying positive so you can live your healthiest life with diabetes. 

For example, you’ll discover how you, or a loved one, can eat healthy, bring your weight down if necessary, without dieting, how you can easily get a little more physical activity, manage your blood sugar much better to avoid highs and lows, keep your medicines stocked, know what you lab test results mean and what to do about them, prevent and delay complications – all that you need to know to live longer and better. Not to mention the incredibly funny cartoons from magnificent cartoonist and fellow PWD Haidee Merritt. Well, I figure there have to be rest-stops and rewards while you’re working.

For health care professionals the book is a tool to help you more easily, and more collaboratively, guide your patients, through steps and worksheets, to healthier behaviors. 

And while a team of top-notch certified diabetes educators consulted with me, and a slew of outstanding medical professionals and patient advocates endorsed it, this is not a “medical” book. It’s me talking to you from my real-life and sharing what keeps me healthy. It’s all the latest national standards and recommendations you need to know, and some pioneer-thinking I embrace. Most of all, it’s the practical actions to guide your steps, at your pace, to improve your health: to get the most reward for your efforts.

But don’t take my word for it, really. My passionate portrayal of the book is only because I want you to benefit. Go on Amazon, Search Inside the book, where you can see quite a lot. 

Also, check out my four upcoming posts about the book on Diabetes Dailythis month beginning next Tuesday. You’ll also get a $4.00 savings off the book (there’s a discount coupon on my posts at Diabetes Daily), so you can give yourself the gift of better health however you like it – in print or Kindle.

If you find the book helps you, share it with a friend. I want nothing less than for all of us to enjoy our best health, and the life we deserve.

Is the cure for type 1 diabetes in sight? The DRI thinks so and it’s called BioHub.

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Unknown

When I was first contacted by the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) that they had news, I was curious. When I read the press release, I could feel the little hairs on my neck stand up. 

When I talked to Dr. Camillo Ricordi, DRI’s Scientific Director and Chief Academic Officer, about how close they feel they are to creating a biological cure for type 1 diabetes, as opposed to a mechanical cure like the artificial pancreas, I could feel both his doggedness and determination; he’s been working toward a cure for decades, and feels they’ve turned a corner. In his words, now all the needed technologies are coming together.

Anyone with type 1 diabetes, heard upon their diagnosis, that there’d be a cure within five to ten years. For me that was 41 years ago. And we’ve all heard lots of studies that report cures in mice. But this isn’t about mice, and whether the BioHub, what DRI is hoping will house islet (insulin-producing) cells that can be fully functioning in the body without anti rejection drugs becomes the cure, we will have to see – you got it, five to ten years. 

But I for one, do sense we’ve taken a quantum leap forward no matter what happens. And so does DRI. 

 

See my complete story on The Huffington Post. 

JDRF’s Type 1 diabetes research summit March 9, all welcome

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huffpost
 Last year I moderated a wonderful event that if you live, or are going to be,  in the Washington DC vicinity on Saturday, March 9th, you should consider attending.

It’s the third annual JDRF Type 1 Diabetes Research Summit. The country’s top scientists and researchers will be sharing their studies and the latest in research.

Topics:

• Artificial Pancreas: Technology and Clinical Trials

• New Pathways for Expansion of Functional Islet Cell Mass

• Lunch / Exhibits Open/ Book Signings

• New Materials and Drug Delivery Systems for Islet Cell Encapsulation

• Commercial Development of Drug/Biological Products to Treat & Cure Type 1 Diabetes

• Panel Discussion with Speakers

Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999 and Executive Director of Bringing Science Home at USF and international diabetes advocate, will be moderating this year. There will be an exhibit hall of T1D education, resources and technology, a Youth Program with speakers and games for the kids to play, and educational and networking opportunities with the T1D community.

Last but not least it’s FREE!

Last year the Summit attracted 600 individuals from the Eastern Seaboard, and while I’d like to think it was because I was hosting, chances are it had more to do with the speakers.

If you plan to attend, please register. And while there’s no charge, including lunch, if you want to make a small donation, it will go toward speeding research even further and faster.

Last year I moderated a wonderful event that if you live, or are going to be,  in the Washington DC vicinity on Saturday, March 9th, you should consider attending.

It’s the third annual JDRF Type 1 Diabetes Research Summit. The country’s top scientists and researchers will be sharing their studies and the latest in research.

Topics:

• Artificial Pancreas: Technology and Clinical Trials

• New Pathways for Expansion of Functional Islet Cell Mass

• Lunch / Exhibits Open/ Book Signings

• New Materials and Drug Delivery Systems for Islet Cell Encapsulation

• Commercial Development of Drug/Biological Products to Treat & Cure Type 1 Diabetes

• Panel Discussion with Speakers

Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999 and Executive Director of Bringing Science Home at USF and international diabetes advocate, will be moderating this year. There will be an exhibit hall of T1D education, resources and technology, a Youth Program with speakers and games for the kids to play, and educational and networking opportunities with the T1D community.

Last but not least it’s FREE!

Last year the Summit attracted 600 individuals from the Eastern Seaboard, and while I’d like to think it was because I was hosting, chances are it had more to do with the speakers.

If you plan to attend, please register. And while there’s no charge, including lunch, if you want to make a small donation, it will go toward speeding research even further and faster.

Happy Valentine’s Day Type 3s! Happy Valentine’s Day Type 3s!

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Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, and especially to our Type 3s – partners and spouses who live with our diabetes – and yet get none of the credit. 

I can only imagine it must be like sitting in the passenger seat of a car wanting to grab the wheel when you see your mate start driving into an embankment or veer off toward the shoulder – feeling powerless and helpless to course correct – and weighing when do you hover, anticipate, plead, get upset or just stand lovingly by. 

So today I’m saluting you, our loved ones who keep loving us with diabetes and who watch over and support us. 

I also want you to know there is a group function just for male Type 3s to come together and share their feelings and frustrations, perhaps see what we live with a little more clearly and learn how to lovingly help in our disease management. 

Diabetes Sisters’ annual “Weekend for Women” conference – May 3-May 5 in Raleigh, North Carolina – offers a parallel track at the conference for male Type 3s called “Partner’s Perspective Program.” It’s for partners, spouses and significant others of we women attending the conference.Brandy Barnes, founder of Diabetes Sisters’, and her very loving husband Chris, saw the need and how such a program would benefit both our men and ourselves. 

From the male viewpoint Chris says, “As partners of women with diabetes, we really do want to better understand their disease and how to best support them so that they can live full lives with diabetes for many years to come.  The success of last year’s program illustrated that this valuable program is filling a large void that has been overlooked for many years.”

The Partner’s Perspective Program kicks off on Friday night from 6-10pm with a fun, relaxing social event.  Saturday morning commences with Partners Perspective attendees walking through historic downtown Raleigh, NC in the Diabetes Awareness Walk to support their partners with diabetes publicly. 10am-5pm partners participate in separate education/breakout sessions  chock full of educational information about diabetes to help them better understand and support their partner. There will be lots of “how to” discussions from leading experts who understand the physical and mental challenges faced by women with diabetes. Then, partners join their loved ones for a celebratory lunch and watch their spouse/loved one be publicly recognized for the number of years she has lived with diabetes. Sunday, partners will join back together again for a fun social activity in downtown Raleigh, NC.  

“Weekend for Women” runs May 3-May 5 in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’ll be there, among many experts, leading a workshop on how to “Ignite Your Diabetes-Power.” Join us and make it an event you can go to with your partner and both go home and talk about. Register here. 

When I told my husband, now of 11 years, shortly before the wedding, “Maybe you want to think twice about this. You know life with a diabetic will be uncertain…” he didn’t miss a beat. “I’m with you and you’re with me,” he said, and he’s been saying it ever since.


 

Spare a Rose, Save a Child, Share the love

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Several in the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) including Kerri Sparling, Kelly Close, Manny Hernandez, Bennet Dunlap, Adam Brown and Jeff Hitchcock have joined up with Johnson & Johnson to help raise funds forLife for a Child, the International Diabetes Federation’s humanitarian program that gets life-saving supplies, education and care to children in need in developing nations.

The initiative is called “Spare a Rose, Save a Child” and here’s how it works. Instead of buying a dozen roses this Valentine’s Day for your amour, buy 11 roses and take the savings from that one rose and contribute it to IDF. Kind of a win-win-win. Your loved one gets a beautiful bouquet of roses, a child gets help to live and you get the joy of giving twice.

The program is occurring all this week from February 10-16th. Just make your donation here. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, spare a rose, save a child and share the extra love you’ll feel with the lucky one who already has your heart.