Controlling My Type 2 Diabetes as a Senior Citizen

 

Time was when I could eat almost any food without worrying about its effect on my health. But as I grow older my diet, my lifestyle and my state of mind have an impact on my health and wellbeing. My body’s immune system is not as strong as it used to be when I was young.  

 Several years back I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. To deal with it, I have to follow my doctors’ advice on medications and matters related to the disease. Knowing that I had the disease was bad news for me because diabetes is not curable, and if left untreated and uncontrolled can lead to serious health complications such as going blind, being amputated in the legs, having a heart disease and stroke, having a kidney problem and having a nerve damage.

 I have been to several doctors for consultations and medicine prescriptions. I have also made researches in the internet about the disease and the doctors’ guidance and my research have helped me a great deal to manage the disease. The following paragraphs are my layman’s action in dealing with my illness.

 Diet

 The cause of type 2 diabetes is the excess sugar in the blood stream because the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. Therefore, decreasing sugar level in the blood is a key to bring the blood glucose back to the normal level.

-       Eliminate or minimize my sugar consumption. I get rid of table sugar and shun the consumption of commercial food products with added sugar in them such as three-in-one coffee, ice creams, cakes and pastries, candies, sweetened chocolates and drinks such as coke, canned fruit juices, sports drinks and other sugary drinks.

-       Minimize my carbohydrate intakes. Carbohydrates are essential food nutrients that provide energy for the body to function, but too much of it is not good for a person with diabetes since the body will convert excess carbs into sugar thus spiking his blood glucose level. As a Filipino my main source of carb is rice and consumption of it must be controlled since rice has too much carb. At present I have reduced my rice consumption to just about 1/3 of what I used to eat when I was still a non-diabetic.

-       Eat lots of vegetables. My veggies include carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, okra, ampalaya, eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper and green leafy ones such as cabbages, camote tops and saluyot. I also eat fruits such as apples, oranges, mangoes, bananas, avocadoes and local seasonal fruits. 

-       Eat mainly fish and eggs as my main sources of protein. Eating fish is healthier than eating red meats such as beef, pork, and eggs are cheap source of protein. I also consume red meat to include chicken in limited amount.

-       Choosing healthy edible oil. I avoid vegetable oils specially in frying because they can cause inflammation in the body which can exacerbate diabetes. For cooking, I only use coconut oil which is said to be a healthy oil as well as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO}which is rich in omega 3 fatty acid. The latter is said to be the best and the healthiest edible oil there is, but it is expensive in the Philippines. EVOO goes along with my bread as a dipping, my other bread fillings are cheddar cheese and peanut butter.

-       Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking. I am fortunate that as a person I don’t consume alcoholic drinks or smoke cigarettes, the habits that can worsen various illnesses such as diabetes.

Care of the pancreas

The pancreas is an organ of the body which produces enzyme to digest food especially protein, and makes the hormone insulin which help control blood sugar. It is therefore imperative to make it healthy to maintain my good health. But as a person ages, his pancreas will not be as efficient as he was in his younger years.

-       Having light meals for my breakfast, lunch and supper. Large meals are not good for a person with diabetes because they will put much stress to the pancreas.

-       Having multiple but light meals. In my research, it is suggested that it is more desirable to have four or six light meals including snacks than having 3 large meals. But for me, I opt for just three light meals each day. 

Healthy routines 

Having desirable routines to follow every day is good for my health. One of them is to be physically active always. Similarly, having adequate rest is needed by the body to reinvigorate itself. Sedentary lifestyle can lead to boredom, weight gain and the acquisition or worsening of illnesses.

-       Having a regular exercise. I used to jog regularly to be physically fit. At my older age I want to maintain that routine, but my rheumatic knee won’t allow it anymore. In lieu of jogging I do a lot of walking either near my house or in the malls. I am also doing body stretching, high intensity exercises such as pushups and mountain climbers, and light dumbbell exercises to minimize degradation of my bones and muscle mass because of aging. I do these in an almost everyday basis except Sunday. My exercise session last for about an hour. I alternate the days when I do high intensity exercise and body stretching.

-       Having enough sleep. The quality of sleep can have impact with people having health issue such as diabetes. A person should have at least a 7-hour sleep a day to be healthy. I am always trying to achieve that amount of time when I sleep. However, for me, the quality of sleep that I will have, is also affected by my state of mind and the mood that I am in on a particular evening. It is my habit to sleep early so that I can wake up and get up early in the morning to monitor my blood sugar and to exercise.

-       Blood sugar level monitoring. Constant checkup of my blood sugar level is a necessary measure in managing my illness. Without it I wouldn’t be able to know when my blood sugar is rising and what actions should I take to bring it back to normal. A glucometer is a small investment for that purpose. In my house I always do a fasting blood sugar glucometer test early in the morning to monitor my blood sugar level.

-       Bi-annual blood chemistry test. Twice every year, my blood chemistry test also includes HbA1c which is a measure of my average blood sugar level for the past two or three months.

Positive state of mind

Having a healthy diet and having desirable routines are not complete healing process without dealing with the psychological aspect of the health issue. Chronic mental stress can also spike blood sugar level and worsen one’s health. Controlling the mind to be always on the optimistic state is easier said than done. Demise of love ones, bankruptcy of a company where one works with, financial difficulties, break up of romantic relationship, behavior of people around us, are happenings which are mostly beyond one’s control. And they can give him stress or depression.                   

-       Managing negative emotions or feelings. Anger, jealousy, envy, hate, anxiety are some examples of negative feelings that are stress makers. Negativities can make my stress hormone called cortisol high for a prolonged period which can also raise my blood sugar level. Getting along with others is a simple way to be in a good state of mind.

-       Avoid focusing or thinking on stressful things that are beyond my personal control. Matters beyond my control should be better left ignored as they are because too much thinking on them can give me stress.

-       Thinking positive always. Positive outlook in life brings about desirable feelings and emotions. It will enable a person to be successful in most of his endeavors that can make him happy. Happiness brings about a good state of mind which is also conducive to a person’s good physical health.

With my own effort and with the help of my doctor for her prescribed medicines and guidance, I have been able to bring my blood sugar to a normal level for quite some time; thus, preventing the occurrence of serious health complications caused by diabetes. However, I still continue to take my medicines because, as health experts say: diabetes is an incurable disease. And I will take their words for it. Despite my disease, I feel that I am in good health. I am living a normal life as if I don’t have the disease at all, and that I am as physically strong as other healthy persons who are my contemporaries.