Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to Eat Well, Move and Be Well! This blog is something I have wanted to do for a long time - and I hope those of you who read it will find something applicable to your life as you live with Type 2 diabetes or care for someone living with it. I am no medical expert, but just want to share with you things that I have learned through the years. I might also add that things I mention here are based on my own experience - we are all different - I would never recommend that you make any changes to your medical routine without first consulting with your own doctors!

I think for this first blog I will tell you my personal story so you can have an idea of how I came to be my own health care advocate and took control of this disease so it won't control me. I won't let diabetes define me as a person.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about one year after the birth of my daughter Samantha (now 14), back in June of 1997. I was tired and felt "off" but didn't know why - I just assumed it was the normal thing for a new mom! I finally went to the doctor for a physical and after some routine bloodwork received a phone call telling me I had Type 2 diabetes. I was shocked and bascially in denial. I chose to ignore the diagnosis - there was no way that "I" could have diabetes - well, the worst thing you can do is denial - it almost landed me in the hospital!

About 2 weeks after my diagnosis(still in denial) I was at my hairdressers waiting to get a haircut and started feeling funny - I don't think I had ever fainted before - but I was certainly headed for the floor - luckily the lady sitting next to me was drinking a Coca Cola and she said here - take a drink - are you diabetic? I looked at her and said "yes". That was when I admitted it.

I took several gulps and immediately started to feel better. It scared me enough that the second I left the hairdresser I drove to USA Drug and went to see the pharmacist. We picked out a blood glucose meter and he showed me how to test my blood sugar. I stayed there an hour until I felt comfortable enough to test myself. Then I went home, called my doctor and asked her to set me up an appointment with the nutritionist as she had recommended earlier.

Lesson #1 - Confront your disease! Knowledge is power!
Next blog - How food choices effect your blood glucose
and how I learned what I can eat and how much I can eat!