Here’s how to get the diabetes support you need to manage your health and avoid diabetes burnout.

Learning you have diabetes can lead to a flood of emotions, both when you’re first diagnosed and as you manage your condition over time — all of which can lead to diabetes burnout — unless you have the right outlook and strong diabetes support.

Denial is a common reaction to being diagnosed with diabetes, explains Barbara Borcik, RD, LDN, CDE, of the Diabetes & Nutrition Center at Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Md. “You might think of a host of reasons why the test results can’t be accurate,” she says. The problem with denial, Borcik says, is that it can get in the way of taking care of yourself. When test results show you have diabetes, your doctor may perform a second test on a different day to confirm. If the results are the same, she notes, “you may be a little more accepting and start to change how you take care of yourself.”

Guilt is another common reaction. “You might say to yourself, ‘If I hadn’t had a soda every day or a candy bar every afternoon, I wouldn’t have diabetes’” Borcik says. The truth is, diet isn’t the only risk factor, and feeling guilty shouldn’t be part of your get-better equation. You need to stay positive and face living with diabetes with an “I can do this” attitude.

Living With Diabetes: Building Diabetes Support

Living with diabetes isn’t as difficult as you might think, even if you need to make permanent lifestyle changes. Your doctor will work with you to develop a management plan to improve your health. Key components are a nutritious diet to reach and maintain a healthy weight, regular exercise, and possibly medication to keep your blood sugar under control. It’s also important to check your blood sugar often and visit your doctor regularly to monitor your condition and prevent complications. Think of all these steps as positive changes you’re making for better health.

Other strategies can also make living with diabetes easier to manage, both physically and emotionally:

Get educated. Learn all you can about living with diabetes, Borcik says. The more you know, the better you’ll cope. For instance, knowing trouble signs to watch for will take away some of the panic and confusion you might be feeling. If you use the Internet to research diabetes, she suggests accessing only sites that you know are reliable and up-to-date, such as the American Diabetes Association. Ask your doctor or diabetes educator for ways to keep up with treatment advances.

Get diabetes support. According to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes. Networking with other people who are also managing diabetes can be both reassuring and helpful. “Realizing you’re not alone can help you stay positive,” Borcik says. Find support groups online or through your doctor or a diabetes educator.

Create a family network, too. Your family and friends often want to help you manage diabetes, but may not know how. Be specific about your needs — you might want a loved one to be with you at doctor appointments, or you might want to share nutritious recipes for healthier meals. “Friends and caregivers can help you problem-solve if you share your challenges with them,” says Laura Rooney, DNP, RN, CDE, who runs the Healthy Eating and Lifestyles Program, a self-management and education program for people with diabetes, for the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Surround yourself with those who support you and minimize exposure to those who negatively impact your health.

Stick to your diabetes management plan. If you watch your diet, exercise regularly, and take any prescribed medications, you can control your diabetes. “When you control your blood sugar, you’ll feel better, and feeling better is a great motivator and mood lifter,” Borcik says. You’ll also sleep better, and that in turn can help you deal better with whatever life throws your way, she adds. Stay in touch with your doctor so you know your numbers — your glucose level, your A1C, your blood pressure, and your cholesterol count. Should they go above the levels that are right for you, look for possible causes and see what happens if you make changes. Your doctor may have additional suggestions for how to get your numbers back where they should be. Don’t delay — if you allow diabetes to get too far out of control, you may start to feel overwhelmed.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Living with diabetes is a ‘round-the-clock reality, and you’re bound to slip up once in awhile. “Just get right back on track the next day,” Borcik says. Don’t let guilt get you down.

Be kind to yourself. “I always tell people, ‘Give yourself a break,’ ” Rooney says. Once in awhile it’s okay to have a small slice of birthday cake or some of Mom’s homemade candy — as long as it’s not a daily habit. Having a small, favorite indulgence every now and then will help you stay on track the rest of the time and prevent diabetes burnout. Also, reward yourself for small victories with treats other than food. Go to the movies, get a massage or facial, or meet a friend for a walk around the neighborhood or a game of golf.

Focus on the positive. “Lots of people with type 2 diabetes focus on what they can’t have rather than all the wonderful things they can have,” Rooney says. Adjusting your outlook can help you stay positive. When you see only the negatives, you sabotage your efforts to manage your condition. Focus on the control you do have over your health and the actions you can take to feel better.

A Note on Diabetes and Depression

Despite your best efforts, you might feel overwhelmed by your diabetes diagnosis and upset about the lifestyle changes you need to make. You may even become depressed. It’s important to get help for depression right away because it can start a dangerous downward spiral. People with diabetes who become depressed are less likely to take their medications regularly, putting them at increased risk for complications.

A study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania published in the Annals of Family Medicine found that treating people for diabetes and depression simultaneously improved their ability to not only control their diabetes, but also their mood. When people received treatment for both diabetes and depression, the rate at which they had improved blood sugar tests almost doubled (61 percent for those who received combined care versus 36 percent for those who didn’t). The same was true for reduced symptoms of depression (58 percent showed improvement with combined care versus 31 percent without combined care).

Watch for the warning signs of depression. If you feel sad much of the time, overeat or don’t eat enough, notice changes in your sleep habits, or can’t concentrate at work, you may need counseling. Talk to your doctor about getting professional help.

Living with diabetes requires daily commitment, but educating yourself about this common condition and building a solid support network will help keep you healthy and emotionally strong.

If you are a woman who likes to paint your nails, you have to be careful as nail polish can cause diabetes or diabetes.

A recent study showed that chemicals called phthalates that are found in skin care products that can increase the risk of diabetes.

The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that phthalates may disrupt the metabolism of fatty tissue, thereby causing insulin resistance in healthy women.

After examining the urine samples of 2350 women aged 20-80 years, the researchers found two chemicals at a high level, namely mono-benzyl phthalate and mono-isobutyl phthalate. Both of these chemicals increase the risk of diabetes by up to two times.

“This is an important first step in exploring the relationship between phthalates and diabetes. We know that phthalates except in personal care products, also found in some types of medical equipment and medicines used to treat diabetes, “said Tamarra James-Todd of Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Women’s Health was launched via LiveScience (16/7 ).

Besides nail polish, phthalates are also found in many other women care products such as hairspray, soap and even shampoo.

Yes, diabetes can affect libido and sexual response. It does so by interfering with the body’s blood flow, including the blood flow to the sex organs; that can then affect arousal and lead to decreased vaginal lubrication. Additionally, if your blood sugar is not controlled, it can lead to poor nerve function, both in the genitals and elsewhere in the body. The best thing you can do for your sexual function is to keep your diabetes under control by managing your blood glucose levels. To combat vaginal dryness specifically, use water-soluble lubricants and spend plenty of time on foreplay before engaging in intercourse. Finally, be sure to talk to your partner about your concerns and communicate your needs. Although diabetes does create some unique issues in the bedroom, it need not prevent you from having a fulfilling, healthy sex life

People who have type 2 diabetes might be at greater risk for contracting tuberculosis (TB) than people who don’t have diabetes, according to recent research from the University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus (UTSPH).

A press release from UTSPH outlines results from 3 new studies:

• Type 2 diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes involving chronic highblood sugar, is associated with altered immune response to TB, and this was particularly marked in patients with chronically high blood sugar.
• Patients with diabetes and TB take longer to respond to anti-TB treatment.
• Patients with active tuberculosis and Type 2 diabetes are more likely to have multi-drug resistant TB.

There has been a known link between tuberculosis and diabetes for several years. In 1997, a study from Columbia University appeared in the American Journal of Public Health, which named diabetes as a risk factor for tuberculosis.

With the results of these new studies from UTSPH, Joseph B. McCormick, M.D., regional dean, is quoted as saying, “It opens a door to doing something about it,” said McCormick, the university’s James H. Steele Professor. “We can educate physicians and offer more TB screenings. We have an opportunity to make sure patients are diagnosed correctly and that there is no delay in diagnosis.”

What can you do, as a person with diabetes, to protect yourself from a disease like tuberculosis?

• Keep good control of your blood sugar levels. The risk of tuberculosis goes up whenhyperglycemiais uncontrolled.
• Because TB is an airborne disease it is difficult to protect yourself from it. If an infected person coughs, sneezes or otherwise expels respiratory secretions into the air, it places others at risk for inhaling the droplets and contracting the disease. Places that are over-crowded with little ventilation are more likely to contribute to the spread of TB.

There is a vaccine, called the BCG vaccine, that is used for TB prevention in developing countries, but it is usually given at birth. When used in adults, it doesn’t have a good success rate and can even interfere with the results of a TB test.

If you have diabetes and a chronic cough, ask to be tested for tuberculosis, especially if you have recently been to, or live in, an area where the rate of tuberculosis is high.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include:

• Cough
• Chest pain
• Coughing up blood or bloody sputum
• Nausea

Diabetes increases a patient’s risk for heart disease, stroke, and circulation problems. Diabetes can also damage the heart if it’s poorly managed over the years, which in turn reduces circulation of blood and oxygen. Smoking adds to the risk of developing all of the health conditions that diabetes predisposes a patient to. In some cases, smoking can double the likelihood of these conditions, as well as double the chances of suffering from kidney problems. It’s no secret that smoking hurts your lungs and your heart. It lowers the amount of oxygen that gets to your organs, raises your bad cholesterol, and raises your blood pressure. All of these can raise your risk of a heart attack or stroke. For type 2 diabetics, the major cause of death is cardiovascular disease, specifically heart attacks and strokes. Stopping smoking is not only important for overall health and wellness but for diabetics it reduces the risk of developing major diabetes-related complications. Many diabetics don’t stop smoking because of concerns over weight gain. Some studies show that the benefits of giving up smoking as a diabetic outweigh any negative effects caused by weight gain.

Diabetic cystopathy is a complication of diabetes in which the nerves to the bladder are damaged, leading to problems with bladder control and function. As a result, the bladder can become too full, leak urine, become difficult to empty, and cause urinary tract infections.

This condition is usually treated with medicine. Sometimes it is treated with special urinating (voiding) techniques, surgery, or other methods.

Whether you’re a brother, mother, aunt, boyfriend, wife or best friend, knowing how to support the people in your life who live with diabetes isn’t all that easy. In fact, it can be very tricky. Mostly, because:

• We all have different needs when it comes to the kind of support we want in diabetes.
• You, as the person who loves us, really want to make sure we’re safe and healthy, and sometimes that might come off as overbearing or controlling or nosey…but really, you just really love us.
• We don’t always behave the most wonderfully when we’re having a high blood sugar or a low blood sugar. And while we can’t always control that behavior, it does make communication a lot harder for you, the person who loves us.

To help you be the best support system you can possible be for the person in your life with diabetes, here are a few tips:

• Ask us what we need. Personally, I don’t need someone to remind me to check my blood sugar or help me count my carbohydrates. That would irritate me. On the other hand, it is incredibly helpful when my boyfriend reminds me to take my Lantus before bed, and I sincerely appreciate when he asks me what my blood sugar is after I check. To me, that’s great support. I want him to know what my blood sugar is so he can be aware of how my mental state is. For others, those things might drive them nuts. Giving us support we don’t want isn’t going to help; in fact, it might lead us to blocking you out of our diabetes management altogether. Let us tell you, in our own words, how you can support us.
• Please don’t lecture us.Telling a person with diabetes what we should or should not be doing is only appropriate when we’ve asked for your insight. Telling us that we shouldn’t be eating that or shouldn’t be drinking this comes from your heart, we know, but 99% of the time, those lecture-like comments from you are going to come off as controlling. To add to it, we are in-charge of what we put in our bodies. If we choose to make less-than-healthy decisions, that is our responsibility. Sometimes you eat unhealthy things, too, right?
• Be patient when our blood sugars are too low or too high.This one is really hard, because sometimes when we’re having a low blood sugar, we seem more or less fine. We’re making coherent decisions, we’re moving our bodies normally–but inside, our brains are desperately begging for sugar in order to operate correctly. When our blood sugars are low, we literally do not have the fuel we need to think and communicate well, making it almost impossible to handle normal conversation. Instead of trying to talk to us, help us get glucose and don’t expect anything else from us until our number has come back up within the next 15 to 30 minutes.
  When our blood sugars are high, we really want to curl into a ball and close our eyes. It doesn’t feel good. Sometimes, it feels like a really quick bout of the flu (even when there are no ketones, and my blood sugar is barely over 200 mg/dL). To you, we might look fine because we can move and speak clearly, but we just don’t feel right. And we need your compassionate patience. If our blood sugar is high, please think of us as someone who is sick with the flu for a short-period of time, until our number comes back down. Sometimes, a quick walk can help. Other times, lying on the couch and waiting is the best idea. Let us tell you.