Diabetes Type 2 Self Management Transcript
Bruce and Rosemary - This friend of mine, he looked really down in the dumps one day, so I asked what was wrong with him. He said that he'd got that Diabetes. I said, ‘so what'. He said, ‘but it's awful!' I said, ‘no, it's not. I‘ve had it for nine years.' But, you know, he sparked up a bit, but he's still down in the dumps with it.
Bruce and Rosemary - People's perception is that when they've been diagnosed with Diabetes, they've been given a life sentence. When in fact, yes they have a chronic disease, but it is a manageable condition.
Cliff and Marcia - Probably the most helpful thing that I've found in managing Diabetes, is having a good medical resource. And the gentleman I go to see some four times a year has been very helpful and practical, and very caring and thorough.
Cliff and Marcia - And you can talk to him.
Cliff and Marcia - And I can talk to him. I appreciate that greatly.
Peter - Certainly education is paramount to understanding Diabetes and how to manage it. Just going to your doctor and getting your medication, without taking some responsibility for your own body and what it is you have and how to manage it. There's just no substitute for education.
Bruce and Rosemary - People who have Type 2 Diabetes, they're seen to by a Diabetes Educator and a podiatrist, they're seen to by the psychologist if they need it. They have an overview by their GP. If they're having problems with it, or some other reason that they need to be sent to an endocrinologist, then they're sent to an endocrinologist. And a dietitian, I forgot the dietitian, my goodness.
Toni - You need to feel comfortable enough in telling them exactly what's going on. How it's going on and how your sugars are going. In turn, they can help you keep on track. Keeping everything monitored and making sure you've got no complications. Making sure you're visiting your ophthalmologist and your podiatrist. Making sure you're getting everything checked over, your kidneys and everything. Without your health care team, well, I wouldn't be able to function without them.
Peter - I religiously keep my appointments. I follow their guidance and direction. I ask a lot of questions, because it's my body, not theirs.
Helen - If you write it down beforehand, and make yourself a little list, well before you go - you'll be thinking things and you'll think, ‘oh, I must ask about this.' If you jot it down and take the list with you, you usually come out feeling as though you've covered everything and your mind is at ease, until the next time that you see your doctor.
John - I've found that the Diabetes education programme in our local community assisted me immensely, especially with the qualified practitioners, to talk about Diabetes. If it wasn't for the people there, possibly I wouldn't have taken the approach that I have. I'd probably still be sitting down feeling miserable with my life.
Bruce and Rosemary - If you're missing out on something, not doing something right, and you go in there, they'll ask you what you did and try to set you right.
John - Okay, what they're saying is, these are the symptoms, which symptoms can I physically change? As opposed to things like age, I can't change my age unfortunately, which I'd like to. Hereditary and so forth... Things like having a healthy lifestyle, which involves diet and exercise, I can change.
Peter - I've never let Diabetes take over from how I live and what I do. It's got to fit in. But, being able to control my blood sugar and get that part of my life balanced, has enabled me to do a lot more things than I was able to do before I had it under control.
John - With regards to my three-monthly blood tests, I now maintain an excellent level, which is 6.0, which is a standard figure. In fact, my doctor mentioned to me that if this continues over the next six months, he may look at possibly stopping the medication, as long as I maintain my diet and my exercise. So, there are some positives to be gained from doing what I've done, and not just doing it on a 20% level. Just going full bore ahead and looking at my goals that I want to achieve on a daily basis and a monthly basis as well. That's reflected in the results that I'm getting on my blood test, and that reinforces that I can do it and I will do it.
