Diabetics Can Learn to Live With Disease, Lessen Effects

Steven Squires is part of a growing group in America: He is a diabetic.

November is American Diabetes Month, a reminder that diabetes is on the rise in this country. According to the American Diabetes Association, 8 percent of the U.S. population -- 23.6 million people -- have diabetes; 90 percent have type 2 diabetes, and 10 percent have type 1. Diabetes increased 13.5 percent in the U.S. between 2005 and 2007.

"I watched my grandfather being dismantled a toe at a time, until they were up to an arm and leg," said Squires, 49. "I have got to master this. ... I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," he added.

Diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in 2001, he has changed his diet and now uses an insulin pump. The hardest thing from a dietary standpoint, he says, is counting carbohydrates. Guessing wrong can make you feel bad.

"It's not just about sugar. You have to change your whole diet. You have to change how you think about your diet," he said.

Squires stresses the importance of getting as much information as possible. Already diagnosed with high blood pressure when the diabetes was discovered, he had no idea he shouldn't have been taking a diuretic. Getting more information during a workshop at a hospital helped him make a better choice about his blood-pressure medication. Squires sought out a specialist to help him treat his diabetes. "This is a disease you really have to be proactive on," he said.

Robert Beall, also a type 2 diabetic, says he doesn't let the disease overwhelm him. "I don't consider myself going through anything, I am living a life. OK, so there are some bumps in the road. I just put the asphalt where it belongs and keep on trucking," said Beall.

Beall, 68, was diagnosed in 2002. Already having had a heart attack that left him with diminished heart function, Beall sees the disease as something you just deal with. "Worrying won't change anything," he said.

He, too, has adjusted his diet and, like Squires, has turned to an insulin pump to control his disease. Although he plays it down, it has changed his life. Both men agree they have to plan ahead when they go somewhere. They must pack an extra bag with supplies in case something goes wrong with their insulin pumps. It has meant rethinking their diets and making the best choices for their treatment.

Nurse Susan Bruick is an inpatient certified diabetes educator for the Lutheran Network. She has experienced firsthand the life-changing effects of diabetes; she was diagnosed with type 1 when she was 10. Type 1, unlike type 2, means a person cannot live without insulin injections. The body doesn't produce insulin on its own. Now 38, Bruick uses her skills as a nurse and a first-hand understanding of the disease to help others come to terms with it and treat it.

"I can engage patients because of the commonality," Bruick said. "It is our job as educators to help people make healthy choices."

Bruick says monitoring blood-sugar levels and staying on the diet are extremely important in controlling the disease. Whenever a patient eats, his or her blood sugar levels change. By testing blood with a monitor, the patient can tell what to do to level out the changes, whether it's taking a pill or taking insulin.

According to the American Diabetes Association, if untreated, diabetes can cause, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system damage, amputations, dental disease, pregnancy complications, and sexual dysfunction, to name a few. In addition to American Diabetes Month this is also Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month. According to IU ophthalmologists diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans and is one of the most common problems effecting diabetics.