Stories on Health

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman and take care of my health, especially since I’ve got a family to take care. I can get caught up spending my time tending to others but neglect—or don’t even notice—what is going on with my diabetes and me. Even finding time to make a doctor’s appointment is challenging for me.

But there are lots of things a busy woman like me can do, like taking advantage of any free women’s health screenings I come across at malls or grocery stores, or setting up follow-up appointments before I leave the doctor’s office. Sticking to a schedule for diabetic medicines also helps.

The most beneficial thing I’ve found, however, is to enlist the help of a good girlfriend to help me stay on top of things, to make sure we’re each taking care of ourselves. My best friend and I keep loose (but constant) tabs on each other, then alert one another if we see things falling through the cracks. We’ve even shuttled each other to important appointments just to give each other a break from driving. All you need is one good friend and the security of knowing that someone is looking out for you, too.

It’s impossible to escape entertainment news and information about celebrities, no matter how hard you try. But there are a lot of things you’ll never know about famous people—such as which of them have diabetes. Some, like Wilford Brimley, are spokespersons for their condition. But, I’ll bet you didn’t know that Mary Tyler Moore, George, C. Scott, and even Halle Berry have diabetes. Even though they are in the public eye, it’s their prerogative whether to be vocal about their disease, just like it’s yours.

It’s true that people are naturally drawn to celebrities—the irony is that some people spend more time watching celebrities on favorite shows or movies than they do with their own family members. It makes sense, then, that some people feel “close” to people they don’t even know and will never meet.

If you find yourself spending a lot of time reading about the “goings-on” with celebrities, try turning off the TV (or closing the magazines) and looking at significant people in your life with as much attention as you spend studying the lives and habits of stars in the entertainment industry. You may be surprised how much more interesting they are.

Simply having diabetes adds many more responsibilities to my day. And starting a new job search—whether I am presently employed or not—means that, as a diabetes patient, I’ve got to pay attention to some specific things.

Most importantly, I have to take a proactive approach to career prospects and ask intelligent questions about potential employers’ health benefits and coverage limits. I need to stay knowledgeable about current costs and trends in treating diabetes and choose not only the best salary, but also the best health coverage benefits possible.

Above all else, I’ve learned not to stay in an unhealthy job just because it has “benefits.” Chronic stress will not help you in either your future job search or your present career. Compromising your health in the name of your career won’t get you anywhere, much less further up the corporate ladder.

I’m pretty proficient with my computer, but I was still surprised to learn all the software and tools available for diabetics. I’ve kept a logbook about my diabetes for years, but I had no idea there were so many ways to manage that information neatly and quickly—including data on weight, diet, other medicines, and more.

With just a little searching, I found software packages that let my computer analyze my blood sugar readings, and I even came across some Web-based systems that allow me to track my testing data, create graphs and charts, and print it out to bring to my doctors. Not only that, but they have software to work on an MAC, PC—even my PDA and online.

Since I’ve been using my computer to help track my diabetes, I’ve been amazed to find all sorts of patterns I was never aware of before, such as seeing the connection between my blood glucose numbers and my thirst or hunger levels. Getting to know my body better is key to getting the disease under control, plus I get the peace of mind that comes with having the data ready for my doctors if they ever need it.