Happy World Diabetes Day!

Hello everybody and happy World Diabetes Day! Why November 14? It's the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin, a very important medicine for diabetics. This month and day are all about awareness, to just know that this disease does exist even if you can't point it out easily, many don't realize they have diabetes. MSN NBC article says that the american diabetes association says daibetes "kills more Americans each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined."( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40130337)Some signs to look out for that i have actually experienced are increase thirst, frequent urination, unexpected weight loss, extreme faitgue and irriabitlity. (for some, like  type 2, there is no signs). There are also more then one type of diabetes: type 1, type 2, gestional diabetes, type 1.5 (LADA). You don't have to be overweight or young to get diabetes, people of all sizes and ages can get diabetes. Doctors aren't sure what causes it but our genetics play a big part as well as our sedentary lifestyles and the processed foods present in our culture.

Diabetes is aauto immune disease (think good guys kill the good guys on accident because they look like a bad guy). I am type 1 diabetic, which means my pancreas doesn't produce insulin, and get this it's just little tiny part of the pancreas that doesn't work!! When you eat food, or carbs, the digestive system breaks it down into glucose, now insulin is a hormone that helps use glucose to energy. Without the insulin to help, the glucose builds up and starts using body fat for energy and then ketones build up in the blood and urine which result in high blood sugars. This happend to me and they call it diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), this happens when the blood sugar is high for to long and the end result could be a coma or death. Luckily for me i was able to visit the ER and get fixed up and that's when i was introduced to insulin. Without this life saving hormone i wouldn't be able to live a normal life. It's been three years since i've been diagnosed and i have learned so much about diabetes. To keep your sugars in check i constantly check my sugars and go see my doctor. I use a pump (omnipod) to help give myself insulin without using needles, and soon i'll be able to usea continuous glucose monitor (CGM, think gps for your sugars, all day  long).

You can find more blogs about my diabetes in my past blogs, everything from dealing with depression, why diabetics don't care of themselves, haikus and some humor. Now that i know about diabetes i can help others because just like me in the beginning i knew nothing about this disease.

I hope i was able to educate and show little about diabetes today, maybe one day we can have a Hug A Diabetic Day in November. Go ahead and hug one anyway!Remember diabetics don't get a day off from the disease, but it's the most manageable disease of them all. So go find the diabetic in your life and tell them how awesome they are!

Some great sites about diabetes:
http://www.diabetes.org/ is the American diabetes association website, join their Stop diabetes Campaign at http://stopdiabetes.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SD_homepage/ and use My Health advisor to determine your risk at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/my-health-advisor/

Need a social network to connect with other diabetics then use www.tudiabetes.com, create your own page and participate in the forum or write a blog. Diabetes Hands Foundation runs this site and other unique ventures like the fun application called Health Seeker on facebook (it helps you create goals, rewards you points, introduces information, and you can challenge your friends to healthy conquests at http://apps.facebook.com/healthseeker/?ref=ts).  This year they came out with a book of poetry written by members on tudiabetes, it follows the diagnosis and hardships as well as the good times that can follow (buy the book here http://store.diabeteshandsfoundation.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=NSAP). And last but not least their BIG BLUE TEST(http://bigbluetest.org/) which encourages everybody around the world to check their sugar and post the results, also this year everybody who watched the video Roche Diabetes Care donated money that DHF used to give to Internation Diabetes Federation and Insulin For LIfe, two organizations that give diabetic medical supplies and insulin to children in poor countries. As of today over 100,000 will be donated!

Also visit the social network www.diabeticrockstar.com, there going to have a cruise!! Here's their mission statement, which i love, "Diabetes isn't a death sentence--Life is a death sentence. Stop with the excuses: Start living, or start dying, the choice is yours."

My friend just started a social network to at http://brdiabetics.ning.com/ called Bat Rough Diabetics, it's for everybody though :) Also props to another friends site, https://1diseaseworldvoice.org/ their name is "1 Disease! World! Voice!" help them get million members!

Most important site that has helped thus far though is Partnership for Prescription, a assitance program that helps determine your elgibitly for possible free medicine for the big companies. Lilly Cares makers of Humalog and Sanofi Aventis makers of Lantus have programs as well on their websites. (http://www.lilly.com/responsibility/servingpatients/programs/ and http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/live/us/en/layout.jsp?scat=A1268951-5BF1-4287-BB19-2F0A9D64F93E) Also don't forget alot of the major companies involed with meters give away free meters, and you can always visit a diabetes educator for more help and possible free test strips (http://www.diabeteseducator.org/)

Here are some super cool diabetes blogs i frequent: www.diabetesmine.com,http://ninjabetic.squarespace.com/,http://www.bradleyandme.net/,http://www.sixuntilme.com/,http://www.diabetiville.com/

and a big thanks to the official website of world diabetes day where you can find information about why it started as well as pictures, stories, and videos about today at
http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/