3 Things I Have Done To Save My Own Life

You are Diabetic! Three words that will change your life forever. Three words that will turn you entire life upside down. Three words that can be controlled and that you can live with.

When I found out I was diabetic I did not take the news seriously. For about 4 years I "played" with the idea I was diabetic and it almost ruined my life. It took a nasty little leg problem called Cellulitis to give me a much needed wake up call. I was on the fast track to amputation and ultimately a life restricted to a wheel chair and possible death. Yes, diabetes is a very serious issue and I wasn't serious about it. I had to make changes and make them fast. Here are three things I have done to "save my own life."

Life Saver Tip 1: Change Eating Habits. This was easier said than done. A lot of my favorite foods were killing me. Pasta, potatos, bread, rice and sweets. I had to re-educate myself on what a good carb and a bad carb is; what starches do and how my body reacted to everything I eat. Change was not easy but it has had a positive impact on my life.

Life Saver Tip 2: Excercise. That's right. I heard it for years but never did anything about it. I was in the Navy for 7 years and when I got out (20 years ago) I swore to myself I would never engage in PT (physical training) again. No one was going to make me get up and run every morning. Over the years the pounds were added on, the blood pressure went up and the diabetes set in. Now I exercise. I walk every day and sometimes I walk twice a day. It doesn't matter how far I go as long as each walk is a minimum of 30 minutes no stop each time. Why do I walk twice a day? Diabetes has another side effect called poor circulation. Walking helps keep that circulation to the lower extremities going. If I had walked and moved more I would not have developed Cellulitis. Walk and move as much as you can.

Life Saver Tip 3: Monitor Blood Sugar Levels. Learn how your body reacts to different foods, stress, illness and excercise. Use your glucose monitor throughout the day to see what effect lunch had on you. Find out what foods cause your sugars to soar out of control and which foods you can eat without worry. See what excercise does to your blood sugar levels. Record the ratio between time walked and excercising and drops in glucose levels. Understand that stress and illness will cause your sugar levels to go up and when you find yourself sick or stressed monitor your sugar and take the appropriate action to lower it. Your glucose monitor is your window to how sugar works in your body.

Here is an added tip and a piece of personal advice: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BORDERLINE DIABETIC. EITHER YOU ARE OR YOU AREN'T.

Learn as much as you can about this disease. Learn to control it and live with it and use these three life saving tips to make your quality of life go up.