November 9th Diabetes Blog Day

I just read on a good friends blog that today is the annual Diabetes blog day.
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Jim had diabetes since he was 39. When he was 38 he started to pee alot in the middle of the night, drink lots of water and look sort of pale. He also lost a lot of weight, but he thought that was because he was working out and such. It wasn't.
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He felt sick one night and we went to the ER. They took a glucose test and it came back at 700. They said they didn't know how he was alive. Anyway that was the start of the diabetes dance.
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He lived with it, suffered with it, raged at it, submitted to it and never beat it. He took insulin shots and watched his diet and cheated on his diet. The diabetes was a good reason why he died. It effects different people different ways. Some lose feeling in toes and fingers and thus lose toes as our friend did and my father did. Others have problems in their heart and other major organs. As Jim did.
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There are so many ways to assist diabetics now and new tcchnology is coming out everyday. The insulin pump is a great alternative to needles. A simple device that monitors levels as you go thru your day. Easier than a shot. Jim had to give himself shots several times a day. I never was able to do this for him. I guess if I had to I would have but it always gave me the jeebies.
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I often tested my blood along side Jim's and was able to learn that my sugar level is under control. I do know that in my family diabetes is not a worry, but blood pressure is.
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Today is Diabetes Blog day. November 14th is World Diabetes Day. Information is sent out to all over the world in many formats...not just blogs.
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http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/the-campaign/about-0
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Their campaign this year is Children and Diabetes - No Child Should Die of Diabetes.
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Here is a quote from their website -
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Diabetes is a deadly disease. Each year, almost 4 million people die from diabetes- related causes. Children, particularly in countries where there is limited access to diabetes care and supplies, die young.
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• Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a build-up of excess acids in the body as a result of uncontrolled diabetes, is the major cause of death in children with type 1 diabetes. With early diagnosis and access to care, the development of severe DKA should be preventable.
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• Insulin was discovered more than 85 years ago. Today children in many parts of the world still die because this essential drug is not available to them.
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• Children with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar regularly to help control their diabetes. This monitoring equipment is often unavailable or not affordable.
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• In Zambia, a child with type 1 diabetes can expect to live an average of 11 years. In Mali, the same child can expect to live for only 30 months. In Mozambique the child is likely to die within a year.

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Be aware for yourself, your children, your loved ones and your friends. Diabetes is just no fun.