A Diabetes Life Coach Helps You Manage Your Condition

Most people with diabetes know what they should NOT do, but do not fully understand WHAT they should do. They struggle with putting the information into practice, in their everyday life in a sustainable way. According to Healthline, "It's no secret that we PWDs are suffering from a lack of support. There are just about 15,000 Certified Diabetes Educators in the U.S., plus about the same number again who aren't certified, but 26 million people with diabetes. The numbers are not exactly in our favor. Plus time constraints, distance, and insurance limitations can further hinder our ability to see a helpful medical professional more than a couple of times a year."

I am not a trained medical professional. I am a person who has lived with diabetes for over 20 years and has gone from being a T2 insulin-dependent diabetic diagnosed with Diabetic Macular Edema and Retinopathy who injected five times a day just to survive down to no longer depending on insulin and looking forward to waking up every day. I do not just understand day-to-day D-struggles, I have lived them and conquered.

Your doctor or diabetes educator is not going to be there with you each time you have to make a choice about what and how much to eat, what physical activity to perform, and how much insulin or medicine to take. That is where people with diabetes can benefit from a diabetic coach.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and AADE recognize that the work of a diabetes life coach in concert with a physical and diabetic educator can keep a person progressing and reaching their goals.

I work with clients remotely, through phone calls, Skype, and emails, which makes it a convenient alternative to a Certified Diabetic Educator. I will work with a client for a set period of time, between three and six months, sometimes longer or shorter. I will also host group sessions or one-on-one meetings via WhatsApp or Zoom.

The primary responsibility for managing your diabetes rests with you, not with your health-care providers - but that does not mean you have to do it alone.

Because there is much more to keep track of and manage than just your BgL

This year I established a personal blog about my experiences as a person who enjoys planing and is living with Type 2 Diabetes, recently diagnosed with Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Macular Edema.

In 1999, I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2. I found myself with enormous amounts of information to sift through and no readily accessible system, process, or tried-and-true practices on how to keep track of it all.

There are numerous groups that educate us about Diabetes, and a plethora of information to sift through - but I could not find a single one about how to organize all the information; no routines or outlines, no systematic approaches, that automated the steps so you do not have to think or remember every. single. thing. you need need to manage your Diabetes effectively - because let's be real here. There is much more to keep track of and manage than just your BgL levels!

Enter: The Diabetic Plannerista.

I have been using a digital calendar since 2003, a ring-bound paper planner since 2014 and in between have always kept notes and records in some form or fashion. Then, in 2018, I was diagnosed with Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema (DME).

For years I winged it and struggled without a systematic approach to it all but that is when I had enough and started searching in earnest for systems, tools, apps, and approaches to streamline everything as much as possible while still being thorough. So I am on a mission to curate, develop, and implement planning tools specific to diabetes management whether you love paper planners, prefer digital, or a hybrid system.

Now more than ever, there are all types of planning tools to make managing my T2D easier. I wanted to record my findings all in one place and share my story - unfiltered and unrehearsed.

Diabetes and Eye Disease: What I wish someone had explained to me when I was first diagnosed with DME.

If you are reading this and you have DME, you have probably done a search on Google looking for information and most of it was either confusing or not very useful.  If you are anything like me, you had never even heard of it.

People tell you that if diabetes goes untreated all sorts of scary things can happen, including going blind. No one informed me that even treating my diabetes - this can happen.

What is Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) in plain English?

The macula detects light and sends signals to the brain, which interprets them as images. The rest of the retina processes our peripheral (side) vision. Macular disease causes loss of central vision.

What are the symptoms?

Images that are right in front of you may appear wavy or blurred like you are looiking through water in certain spots.  Colors may appear “washed out”.  The room appears dark at times like when you walk in from the sun.

Diabetic related eye disorders can go unnoticed for years. Mine was detected during a routine eye exam where I paid for the extra "optional" exams - long before I recognized the symptoms.  I was always told it was possible, but when I was diagnosed I remember feeling shocked and relieved at the same time. Shocked that I had developed it, yet relieved I caught it in time to treat it.

When I was first told I had anything wrong, I did not receive a name for what was going on. I was told that my eyes were leaking blood and lipids that distorted my vision and that was the reason they could not get my prescription right.

I had no idea that meant I was developing Diabetic Retinopathy or Diabetic Macular Edema until I saw a specialist.

For that reason, persons with diabetes are highly encouraged to have an annual dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist. This eye examination is comprehensive and should include visual acuity testing, eye pressure examination (tonometry), pupil dilation examination, and more. By doing this comprehensive examination, your eye doctor looks for leaking blood vessels, nerve tissue damage, and swelling. Early detection and treatment offer the best chance at preserving vision. Do not treat it as an option.

How did I get it?

I got it from my BgL being out of control for years. That is the long and short of it. Why it was out of control is another story.

How do I treat it?

I am currently being injected with medicine in both of my eyes. It was not the first medicine they tried on me and I am not promoting any particular medication or treatment. I am not a doctor.

Is there a cure?

Multiple treatments are available to reduce swelling of blood vessels and slow down fluid leakage (laser treatments), as well as injections to reverse abnormal blood vessel growth. For more information on diabetes and diabetic eye disease, check out www.DiabetesSightRisk.com. In addition to eye disease information, check out the resources tab for information on finding an eye doctor. Don’t forget your FREE diabetes-related items, too.

Time Management

Time management is one of the hardest things to teach anyone including a diabetic. Diabetes can be overwhelming trying to figure out meals, blood sugar monitoring, medications, physical activity, and just life in general. Suggestive steps to managing diabetes more efficiently:

1. Utilize a calendar system and record your “schedule”. Include meal times, work schedules, family events, doctor appointments, blood sugar checks, medication dosing, and exercise time. Add phone alarm reminders.

2. Organize your diabetes supplies. Keep in one location so you are not searching for everything. You will also notice quickly when supplies are running low and when to refill them. Update your medication record with new medications, dosing information so you and your support team are aware of the changes.

3. Create a diabetes travel kit to include medication, testing supplies, snacks, water, and glucose tablets to treat your low levels.

4. Plan a 7-day dinner menu; create your shopping list and then food shop. Add options to your menu to cook once and dine twice such as roasted chicken one dinner and then remake into chicken fajitas the next night.

5. Create a support system so you are successful to include your family, friends, and health care team including a dietitian and diabetes educator.