Healthy Living: How diabetes affects lifestyles

In Part two of our Diabetes Series, we look at the different types of diabetes and lifestyles for diabetics . Healthy Living has details.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
Every year on November fourteenth, millions worldwide add their voices and join efforts to commemorate World Diabetes Day. This day is an effort to spread awareness about a disease that is recognized as “a chronic debilitating and costly disease associated with major complications that pose severe risks for families, countries and the entire world.”

Belize has been facing its own battle with diabetes and we asked Dr. Jorge Hidalgo to explain the real story behind diabetes.

Dr. Jorge Hidalgo, Adult Internist
“Basically, diabetes is a condition where the production of insulin has been affected; could be that the people doesn’t produce any insulin or produce a little bit of insulin and also a situation where the body cannot use properly the insulin. The insulin is a hormone produce by the pancreas that helps the body to transport the sugar to different parts of the body to use as an energy.”

There are three main types of diabetes: Diabetes Type one, Diabetes Type two and Gestational diabetes.

Dr. Jorge Hidalgo
“In diabetes type one the body doesn’t produce insulin or produce a very small amount that don’t allow to deal with the level of sugar. In those cases, the patient usually need to use insulin along obviously with a good meal plan and lots of exercise but basically, patients with diabetes type one are usually dependent on insulin. Most of the times we develop diabetes type in the childhood as a young adult.”

Jessica Rhaburn is one Belizean who has been living with Type one diabetes for the past nine years. With a family history of diabetes, her mother quickly recognized the symptoms that confirmed her diabetic condition.

Jessica Rhaburn, Diabetic
“Yes, at first when I found out I had diabetes it was really difficult for but now nine years with it gone through so much with it and know a lot since I’ve been with the Diabetes Association of Belize. You learn so much about diabetes and ih no dat challenging fi me now.”

Marleni Cuellar
“When you find out that you did have diabetes what kind of changes did you have to make in your life?”

Jessica Rhaburn
“Hmph, stop drink soft drink, stop eat this, stop eat that then I had to take mi medication which is insulin, tek insulin morning and evening, injection because your pancreas can’t produce insulin so you have to put it in and lot more exercise. Basically, whenever somebody get diagnosed with diabetes it give you a whole lot of changes with food, exercise and a whole different thing so it wah be wah whole big thing fi somebody with diabetes and then you have to try get use to that.”

Persons who are diagnosed with Diabetes Type two face similar changes although the root of their condition is different.

Dr Jorge Hidalgo
“Diabetes type one is a condition here the pancreas is still producing insulin but the body cannot use it effectively because we develop something that we call it resistant of the insulin then the body cannot use. We usually we see diabetes type two in patients who are overweight and sometimes the excess of fat tissue that’s make prone to you to develop the resistance to the insulin.”

Ejay Hill felt emotions similar to Jessica’s when he was diagnosed with Type two diabetes.

Ejay Hill, Diabetic
“You feel like the world was just coming down on you. Yes, honestly I look at the doctor and the doctor was just like ‘Mr. Hill welcome to the world of diabetics.’ I’m like my goodness and I had to get up off the couch, stay away from the McDonalds and all that stuff and right now just stop what you doing. I’m not saying stop what you doing completely but eat moderately. It was tough; it was really tough.”

“First of all it’s a lifestyle. You gotta be able to literally understand your body know; what your body is about. It’s not difficult to explain, you just gotta aware of how your body operating on a daily basis. If you don’t then you could end up having problems. For me I’ve had it for the past ten years and I do know how to control it because when my body talks to me right away I know what I need to do. You can either be high or you can be low. When you’re high you feel it and when you’re low, I’m smiling because low is crazy it’s mad dangerous for you and many doctors say that being low is one the things that can really send you to your grave.”

Making a conscientious effort to monitor eating habits is a must for persons living with diabetes along with regular blood/sugar testing.

Jessica Rhaburn
“The only thing I do differently is take my medication and eat small portion of food and some food like sweet food, chocolate and different thing weh I no eat people would could eat. They could drink dehn soft drink and I can’t. My sugar gwein sky high fi dehn body di produce fi dehn own natural insulin so the insulin will produce whatever they di put in. But fi me now I cannot cause then di insulin I di tek and whatever food and the amount a food I eat probably no wah have enough insulin fi bruk down so much weh I have fi di eat. So dat da di only difference wid somebody else.”

Dr Jorge Hidalgo
“The most important thing is prevention. If we have a family history of diabetes obviously those kind of persons are more prone to develop diabetes anytime in their life. However, if we have a very good diet and good habits, knowing that we have a family history, we can prevent or at least delay being diagnosed with diabetes. Once we are diagnosed with diabetes the most important thing is that we need to recognize first that diabetes is not curable and when we are telling the patient for the first time that they are diabetic sometimes it’s a frightening news.”

The most important point to remember is that the condition is controllable. Even if you are not diabetic, knowing your risk factors and getting tested are actions that can work to your benefit.