- Messages
- 280
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi all
This isn't gonna be a cuddly, it'll-be-OK, type post. It's a response to some of the posts I have seen on the various parts of the forum which run along the lines of "I've just been diagnosed and recomended to change my diet/lifestyle/etc. but I just miss pizza/bread/potatoes/beer/sugar/fruit/(insert high-carb food/beverage of choice) too much to give it up etc., etc.,etc....".
Over the past year - since my own diagnosis, I have come to realise, in the starkest possible terms, that diabetes is not an abstract concept that may or may not cause you harm - if you've been diagnosed, then the ball is in your court. Nobody else's. It is down to YOU to preserve YOUR health for as long as possible.
I really get the feeling that people just don't realise the seriousness of our illness - if you neglect it it WILL creep up on you and bite you on the backside. The insidious bit is that at first, you can't feel how much damage the BS spikes are doing to you, creating a wholly-unjustified sense of complacency. It's one thing talking about a "foot ulcer" in abstract terms but quite another to see half your foot hanging off (as per the images) with an amputation the only way of dealing with it (and, unfortunately, this is so often not the last stage in the process). So how do we get the message across that we are not necessarily victims but can actually be in charge of our own destiny?
I think the first step is knowing what the implications of our disease really are - this will be more likely to inspire a diabetic to take action rather that just being expected to shuffle along the corridor of life not knowing what's around the corner - until it's too late!
On a slightly more positive note, having been a member of the forum for just on a year now, I am convinced that we CAN dodge the bullet...if we take positive action (diet, exercise or whatever works) in an appropriate and timely manner.
Yes, I know diabetes is not a very pleasant disease - and in respect of its many victims, I do feel for every one that has been affected by it - my heart goes out to them for the pain and anguish they have been through - BUT if it makes at least one of us think about the implications of what we eat and how we can best look after ourselves, then I will be happy (or at least happier!).
Sorry if this reads a bit bleakly - but we don't have to go there. BUT doing nothing is not an option.
Mod edit to remove links as content is too graphic.
This isn't gonna be a cuddly, it'll-be-OK, type post. It's a response to some of the posts I have seen on the various parts of the forum which run along the lines of "I've just been diagnosed and recomended to change my diet/lifestyle/etc. but I just miss pizza/bread/potatoes/beer/sugar/fruit/(insert high-carb food/beverage of choice) too much to give it up etc., etc.,etc....".
Over the past year - since my own diagnosis, I have come to realise, in the starkest possible terms, that diabetes is not an abstract concept that may or may not cause you harm - if you've been diagnosed, then the ball is in your court. Nobody else's. It is down to YOU to preserve YOUR health for as long as possible.
I really get the feeling that people just don't realise the seriousness of our illness - if you neglect it it WILL creep up on you and bite you on the backside. The insidious bit is that at first, you can't feel how much damage the BS spikes are doing to you, creating a wholly-unjustified sense of complacency. It's one thing talking about a "foot ulcer" in abstract terms but quite another to see half your foot hanging off (as per the images) with an amputation the only way of dealing with it (and, unfortunately, this is so often not the last stage in the process). So how do we get the message across that we are not necessarily victims but can actually be in charge of our own destiny?
I think the first step is knowing what the implications of our disease really are - this will be more likely to inspire a diabetic to take action rather that just being expected to shuffle along the corridor of life not knowing what's around the corner - until it's too late!
On a slightly more positive note, having been a member of the forum for just on a year now, I am convinced that we CAN dodge the bullet...if we take positive action (diet, exercise or whatever works) in an appropriate and timely manner.
Yes, I know diabetes is not a very pleasant disease - and in respect of its many victims, I do feel for every one that has been affected by it - my heart goes out to them for the pain and anguish they have been through - BUT if it makes at least one of us think about the implications of what we eat and how we can best look after ourselves, then I will be happy (or at least happier!).
Sorry if this reads a bit bleakly - but we don't have to go there. BUT doing nothing is not an option.
Mod edit to remove links as content is too graphic.
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