This poster was created last year by the American Recall Center with the help of several diabetes bloggers to help educate people about diabetes. I just found it and thought it worth updating you on several things it says here and explaining a little further.

So starting at the top of the maze and going down, “Keeping my blood sugar under control requires both meal planning and exercise.” True. It also requires knowing stress often raises blood sugar as well as being sick.

“Diabetes has to be a factor in every decision I make.” Well, most decisions, and I do spend an exceptional amount of time thinking about it. Except maybe when I’m deciding what color bedspread to buy.

DID YOU KNOW? “Warning signs are excessive thirst & urination, weight loss and lethargy.” Another key sign of diabetes is often blurry vision.

“Sugar alone does not cause diabetes.” Actually sugar does not cause diabetes, period. Best we know, type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics,  being sedentary and overweight. Of course if you eat too many foods with sugar, it’s easy to gain weight. The jury is still out on what causes type 1 diabetes.

“I can quickly go from perfectly fine to dangerously low or high blood sugar.” Yes, one’s blood sugar fluctuates all day – and all night. But “quickly” is debatable. It may not take hours, but it also doesn’t take seconds.

“Diabetes can happen to people who have no apparent risk factors.” Likely the risk factor that’s not apparent is genetics. And, few people know, but 1 in 5 people with type 2 diabetes are slim or normal weight.

DID YOU KNOW? “25 million people in the US have diabetes?” Unfortunately, that’s gone up to 29 million people and currently 86 million people have pre-diabetes (or Stage 1 of Type 2 diabetes.) That’s gone up from 79 million. And, one-fourth of people in both populations don’t know they have diabetes.

“We are capable of achieving anything that a regular person can.” Well, yes and no. Like everyone with diabetes, I want people to know it doesn’t define or limit me, but it does at times influence what I can do. If I’m having a low, you would not want me to do your taxes. And, hmmm…I think you still can’t be a commercial airline pilot.

“Diabetes needs more research & funding to find a cure.” Absolutely.

“There is no such thing as a diabetes diet. Different things work for different people.” True, there is no such thing as a diabetes diet. Not like 42 years ago when they handed me one and told me I could no longer eat candy bars. The diet recommended today for all Americans is also recommended for people with diabetes: lots of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains, low fat dairy, lean meat, healthy fats, occasional sweets. Personally, it’s easiest to keep my blood sugar relatively stable when I eat low-carb, which I do.

DID YOU KNOW? “People with Type 1 diabetes must have insulin to survive.” Absolutely. I’d also add having a loving spouse, furry pet and work or hobby you love is pretty important too.

“My family plays an important role to help me maintain my health.” Hmmm…seems to speak to my point above. However, if you don’t have family or that family, do it for yourself.

The more we educate ourselves, and the public, about diabetes, the better off we’ll all be. If you really want to know about diabetes and how to take care of yourself, out of the goodness of my heart I can only tell you to get a copy of two of my books, “50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life and the 50 Diabetes Truths That Can Save It” and“Diabetes Do’s & How-To’s.”

As Oprah  says, and I agree, absolutely, “The more you know, the better you do.”

CDE/pump trainer and author, Gary Scheiner, is offering free online diabetes classes throughout the month of January. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to relearn carb counting, lose weight on insulin, make better use of your pump or CGM and more. Gary offers 10 different classes to help you brush up on your management.

T1 University’s online one hour classes are available to anyone who uses insulin and parents and caregivers. 

Pre-registration is required, so take a look, check out this 10 minute sample class and then sign up today. 

You’ll be glad you did.

Last Friday I went to the “Diabetes Cook-Off,” an event sponsored by SANOFI and hosted by father and daughter actor team, Paul and Mira Sorvino. The event was a pie competition. Two woman had sent in recipes for their healthy pies and they baked them up with the Sorvinos in NYC where a panel of judges awarded one the winner. (Recipe below) It was a generous event – all invited got to eat pie! 😉

But I was attracted to the SANOFI initiative Paul and Mira Sorvino are involved in, “Diabetes Co-Stars.” It’s awareness-raising around healthy eating and exercise, but also particularly, the importance of supporting a loved one who has diabetes. Paul was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes five years ago. 

I had the opportunity to interview the two actors for a few minutes after the event. (There will be a longer interview in November which I’ll post on the Huffington Post.) 

When I asked Paul Sorvino, “Why do you do this work?” he extolled the pleasure of helping others and gave me a great quote, “I wasn’t going to,” he said. “I was afraid it would hurt my career. But then I thought this is doing something good in two ways, educating others and it makes me more fearless to say, yes, I have diabetes.”

It turns out Mira didn’t even know her father had diabetes until he slumped over his plate during a family dinner. As for Mira, she said, “What can you give someone who’s given you everything, but sticking together through the hard times. It’s about family values.”

It was a lovely morning and all it took was one question to get these two sharing stories, recipes – now I know how Paul likes his salad – and I even have an invitation for dinner at the Sorvino’s should I ever be in L.A.  

But here’s the take-away. If you have diabetes, don’t go it alone. We all do better with support.

Phil Southerland

It’s been a quick changeover to fall here in the Northeast, rain, rain, rain, and I feel myself both speeding up and slowing down. Bizarre.

Over the last week I’ve had the pleasure and privilege to interview three diabetes leaders whose stories will show up in the next two months in my Huffington Post series on diabetes change agents: Phil Southerland, founder of Team Type 1 and author of his early memoir, Not Dead Yet, his indomitable mother Joanna Southerland, who made sure none of the dire predictions for Phil, diagnosed with type 1 at seven months would come true,  and Brandy Barnes, founder of the incredibly supportive space for women around the block and around the globe, DiabetesSisters.

This Friday I take off for the Left Coast where I’ll be doing an A1c Champion program in Portland, Oregon on the 14th and visiting with two other great diabetes advocates, Healther Clute and Jeff Horacek who co-host the program, ‘Transforming Diabetes.” In fact the plan is rather than my making a third appearance on their show, I’m turning the tables and interviewing them. Something to listen for on the show’s podcasts.

So between now and then the husband leaves once again for Holland where he does most of his work, that means cleaning the house after letting things pile up for two months, and I meet with my YMCA coach who’s leading me through a 12 week class of cardio and weight lifting. Oy! 

Maybe packing my suitcase tomorrow will count as weight lifting! Don’t you think?