That’s it – 2 minutes.
After a great weekend and time spent on Sunday prepping for Monday, I was ready.
Around 5:30am, this is sitting at the top of my inbox.
And what did I do?
I read the article.
And that’s what started this whole thing.
It’s like I’m screaming in a vacuum!
The article goes into detail how the state of California has been caught off guard by the soaring rates of amputations in type 2 diabetics.
On an almost daily basis, I repeat myself. “There is a tidal wave coming.” “If you think it’s bad now, wait 10 years.” “Over half the population is at risk.”
All of this happens because we do a terrible job – from a health, medical and wellness perspective – of treating the condition. We do a great job of managing the condition, but that has essentially zero impact. So statistics like this will continue and states will be “surprised.”
Managing blood sugar does nothing to improve the condition or reduce risk!
But I repeat myself.
A few of the reasons given for the rise in amputations: No clear cause (seriously, this was a response it was even in the byline of the article!); new medications; too aggressive surgeons; and the list goes on. No one blamed diabetes or how it is managed. It’s almost like they don’t know. Maybe I am screaming in a vacuum.
For those interested, here is the article.
All emotions in one!
It’s frustrating, maddening, overwhelming and sad all at the same time.
It really doesn’t have to be this way.
Some of you know and some of you don’t. For those that don’t, you know now.
This is my mom.
This pic was taken about 2 months before her last bout of pneumonia, which was listed as her official cause of death.
She had type 2 diabetes. Did her best to control blood sugar with medication, just like every other type 2 diabetic. It didn’t seem to help, as she had kidney problems, neurological problems and more. The neurological problems led to chronic pain in her foot. Her leg had to be amputated below the knee. This pic was a few weeks after that surgery.
I’m telling you this because it doesn’t have to be this way!
She loved me. She was proud of me. But she didn’t listen to me. She thought, like millions of others, that her doctor knew best. As it turns out, not really.
She had Stage 4 or 5 CKD (depending on who answered the question). CKD is chronic kidney disease. Her kidneys weren’t working. So her body filled with fluid and dumped it into the lungs – that’s pneumonia.
Officially, she died from pneumonia.
In reality, it was type 2 diabetes. It’s what caused the kidney problems to begin with. It’s what caused the neurological pain to begin with.
It’s also why amputations in California are skyrocketing and “professionals” don’t seem to know why.
At times, it’s like an uphill battle
I get up daily to help type 2 diabetics. At times it’s like an uphill battle.
Type 2 diabetics are stressed enough as it is and stuff like this scares the hell out of them. They don’t want this. But they have nowhere to turn for helpful advice.
Everything they are told is counterproductive to improving their health. When it comes to food, they are told to eat fewer calories. This doesn’t help because they will try to follow the recommendations but their metabolic condition is so jacked up, they will end up being hungry. Then they will give into temptation. Making matters worse, they will be blamed for not having enough willpower to follow the recommendations.
They are told to burn calories with exercise.
“What should I do?” The patient asks. “Exercise” is the response. What kind of prescription is this? It’s nothing. It’s more important for type 2 diabetics to burn calories in a certain way, rather than just burning calories.
No one, it seems, is telling them the right things to do.
That’s why it feels like an uphill battle at times.
You need a plan
You can’t just wake up one day and decide to make changes. You need a plan. We have a bunch of free stuff on our Facebook page to help you get started in creating your own plan. See this post.
If all of the free stuff helps you, awesome! Your job is to tell us how well it helped you and to direct more people to that free stuff!
If you need more help, check out our type 2 diabetes coaching program – this one starts the week of October 2, 2017. The focus of this coaching program is to help you develop your plan so you can improve your condition. It focuses on food and exercise.
And, finally, if you are an employer, you have a problem with type 2 diabetes whether you know it or not. If you are self-insured (or self-funded) you need to address it. Programs you get from your consultant, broker, TPA or anywhere else, will have no impact. They are extensions of what I discuss above. If you would like to see how The Academy may help, fill out this contact form or send us an email. Happy to see if we can help.
PS. If you are an employer that already knows you have a problem with type 2 diabetes and are serious about addressing it, it’s a good idea to contact us quickly. We have a special going on until Monday, October 2, 2017.
The article I read this morning that set all of this in motion bothered me so much, I had to do a live video to get some things off my chest.
Featured image courtesy of Sasint.
