#OzDSMS 2020

November 12, 2020 – #OzDSMS

12 hours later and so many thoughts are still swirling around in my head. ??: ???????? ?????? ?????-?? Communication failures added to the anxiety experienced by people with diabetes. Is it that diabetes puts us more at risk for contracting COVID-19 or is it that if we contract COVID we are greater risk of worse outcomes? (It’s the second one.) Do we really understand all those charts and graphs in the news? (Probably not.) Are we clear on what’s required locally in terms of mask wearing, what businesses are open or restricted, etc.? (It depends.) Also, could there be an upside to COVID-19 for people with diabetes? Not being able to go into the doctor’s office has changed the way we take care of ourselves. In some ways we can become more self-reliant. For instance, taking on self-checks of our feet. Also being in our own homes might just equalize

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Diabetes Shouldn't Mean Giving Up Who You Are

Excerpt: Diabetes Shouldn’t Mean Giving Up Who You Are

“Right now, all over the world, there are people successfully managing life with type 2 diabetes. Regardless of our culture, race, or ethnicity, we are living full lives. But even though we have the same condition, we don’t all manage diabetes in the exact same way. Each of us has to find a way to care for ourselves within the context of our own lives, cultures, and values. “In diabetes care, some days it might feel like everything is about the numbers. How many grams of carbs have I eaten today? How many steps did I take? What’s my A1C? Hit the numbers and you’re a “good” diabetic—at least that’s what we’re told. “When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, more than a decade ago, I remember the doctor saying I’d need to drastically change my habits in specific ways to hit these numbers. But change is hard,

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