Diabetes in NDN Country

[jones]

I live with type 2 every day of my life. I wake up, go to work, etc. and my life revolves around my eating/walking schedule.

I like pop. I won't lie about that, but I never substituted it for water. I like junk food and I really like frybread, but I never ate frybread everyday.

I was at a normal weight all my life. I was an athlete too. When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I didnt' fit the picture of a person with diabetes. I wasn't overweight or anything like that. I don't know how I could have prevented diabetes. I really don't eat too much different than I always have, except now I don't have the occassional pop or junk food fix. I always worked out and I still work out. I can gage my workouts on the health of my hunger and how well I ate that day. The better the choices, the better the workout = less symptoms (which are always there).

Eating habits are just that...habits. Change the habits, control diabetes. Prevent diabetes? I don't know. I couldn't.

[onca-pintada]

I am really concerned about our health. Yes, we had a lot of things forced on us along the way, but we can take a lot of it back and re-empower ourselves and the people.

The problem is that we are not eating our traditional foods nor being traditionally physically active. THAT is what it comes down to.

We all like to think 'fry bread' is real NDN food, for example-but it is not. We did not cook with processed wheat flour-it didn't grow here. (bannock is closer to our traditional bread-if made with a traditional, not wheat flour)

I am a registered dietician but I don't work with our people with diabetes, because you don't want to hear what I have to say about the diet part of it (and that makes my training nearly meaningless). How on earth can you support drinking soda and in the same breath say you are concerned about diabetes!!?? Hello!

But do you know what, the most important part of the preventive piece is PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Vigorous, regular, and life-long practice.

So that's my 2 cents:

First and foremost, we need to be physically active. Second, we need to eat our traditional foods without fooling ourselves about what is traditional.

Generally, unprocessed foods from the bottom 2 tiers of the food guide pyramid, along with lean choices from the fish/game/bird/nut group should be the foundation of our diet.

A preventive lifestyle is my passion-while I hate to preach-I love to teach.

Onca


Here are a few helpful websites:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/NAmFGP.html

and

http://web.diabetes.org/NativeAmericans/ATSLow.pdf

[azshinob]

My first symptom was shakey vision. I went to the doc after a couple of days and she did a blood workup and called me a few days later to inform me that i had type 2. One of the foods i hated to give up was bacon and fried potatoes, my ma used to make it every weekend.

[*CherokeeTears*]

I'm very supportive of people who have Diabetes. My mom is a Diabetic. She's been one every since she was a little girl. My grandfather also have Diabetes. They are both constantly checking their sugar. My mom's sugar is always low. I make sure that the both of them get the support they need. Many people have Diabetes. Way more now than what it used to be. But I didn't know that Diabetes was prevalent in the Native Community until now.

[jones]

mouth health

don't neglect your teeth either. Diabetes will destroy your teeth.

[jones]

just a reminder to... that people forget about.. make sure to tell family members to see their opthamoligist. Diabetic retinopathy is a factor that most diabetics forget about.. or dont realize will happen..your vision is so important..

This was my first symptom. I thought I was just tired, but even with rest my eyes were still blurry to blind. I guess I had a combination of symptoms; blurry eyes, very tired, rapid weight loss.

[jones]

I agree more education is needed! I know of people walking around on my rez with blood sugars over 300 every day. (120-130 is my norm.) I couldn't ever think of getting my sugar levels that low without meds. I admit, when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was in denial for a long time. I actually felt okay. But, as I'm getting older, and my diabetes is worse I am shocked that I was able to function without my meds. I feel so much better now that I'm medicated! LOL

I hear yah jones: I think I know what a drug addict feels like.......SUGAR is my drug of choice! I want, FRESH BLUE COTTON CANDY! Oh- and to have a "real" pepsi with ice!!! (HEAVEN!!!)

just made my mouth water. HAH! just thinking about blue cotton candy made my sugar jump! ROFL

[jones]

I like the responses from all of you that posted. I think diabetes is a silent assassin through out NDN Country. I can't name one person that I know who can say that diabetes isn't in thier family. I agree with the post by jones, about education. Some real harsh facts on how this disease can take control of one person's life needs to be published, or something. I have friends where thier parents are dying from diabetes, and they just accept it. Thats not how our people should have to live. Accepting a completely preventable disease is not an acceptable battle to fight this disease....right?

liveable, in some cases reversible, preventable. Most people can't prevent it in time because they aren't checking for it. Their eyes go blurry, they go to the eye doctor. Does the doctor ask about blood sugar levels? Sometimes. More often not.

[jones]

i know how ya feel...my nanas death woke me up thats when i decided to monitore my blood sugar level...eat right and exercise too..sometimes i slide every great one in while thats when i work out 2 times a day instead of once..i think alot has to do with comodity foods given to us..the flour and frying food next to pop is what doesw us in..i given all that up after nanna died...now just stick to water and ice tea , hot tea and great once in while coffee...my great granny was type 2 and then once we just chained the frigerator up because we were all getting scared...when we visited her in new town along with my gramps i dont know how many times we found alotta fried food left overs in her fridge..it was bad enough where she took almost the whole entire sofa...scared the heck outta me that her health was deteriorating...like alota ppl she accepted it as is and it was hard just watch her live like that

Even if you feel fine you still need to check your sugar. It can sneak up on you without a sympton. The more you are aware of how you feel when your sugar is at different levels, the better chance you have to gage your diet. Exercise is a must - WALKING is exercise. Turn your body back into the machine it was built to be.

If I had only had this knowledge 20 years ago.

[musicedu77]

It is a well known fact that diabetes is prevalent in Native communities. Therefore, we all must do what we have to in order to prevent it. My grandfather died two years ago of diabetes related complications. He had to get one leg amputated, then a year later the other, then became confined to the bed, developed bed sores and paranoia and hallucinations and all sorts of stuff. My family does not believe in putting our family out, so we (my mom, my 18 year old brother, and an aunt and uncle) took on the brunt of caring for him. It was about a 6 month long, horrendous and cruel death. I was 28 years old, and my grandfather was my life. When I was about 15 he had to undergo quadruple bypass, and we thought we were going to lose him then. After that time, I spent my life trying to prepare myself for his death. I could not imagine life without him...I thought my world would end when his did. Anyway, this thing kinda woke me up. I decided from that moment on that I was not going to have that happen to me. I decided that I don't want to be a 50 year old woman who has to lose 100 pounds or whatever. So I began doing what I need to do...eating right, exercising, what not. I've lost quite a bit of weight, and still need to lose more, but I know that I've got to do what I got to do to prevent the same thing from happening to me. Everyone in my family gets diabetes around the age of 50-55, and my dad was diagnosed when he was 46. So, as I said, at 28 years old (now 30) I made the decision to do whatever it takes to prevent myself from developing diabetes, delaying its onset as long as possible.

i know how ya feel...my nanas death woke me up thats when i decided to monitore my blood sugar level...eat right and exercise too..sometimes i slide every great one in while thats when i work out 2 times a day instead of once..i think alot has to do with comodity foods given to us..the flour and frying food next to pop is what doesw us in..i given all that up after nanna died...now just stick to water and ice tea , hot tea and great once in while coffee...my great granny was type 2 and then once we just chained the frigerator up because we were all getting scared...when we visited her in new town along with my gramps i dont know how many times we found alotta fried food left overs in her fridge..it was bad enough where she took almost the whole entire sofa...scared the heck outta me that her health was deteriorating...like alota ppl she accepted it as is and it was hard just watch her live like that

[musicedu77]

my family is big time with diabetes thats why i watch my weight and my helath in general..my nana had it and died from it...that tore me apart just watching her go through this next to alzheimers...but diabetes can be managed as long as ya wacth what ya eat...ya can make alot of stuff without useing sugar..i been looking through diabetes recipes...betty crocker cook book i believe it was...i have alot of diabetes books ..ill go through them sometime this week and post them on here..

[azshinob]

I'm a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed in 03 had blood sugars of 294 fasting. I'm on the meds, dieting, exercising kind of hard to keep it up though. Once in a while i go off the diet get a burger, fries, and pepsi. I usually keep my sugars around 120,but i seem to still be gaining weight, 220lbs currently.I was recently diagnosed with glaucoma got some drops for the pressure (shucks),got high blood pressure, had a heart event in 02 got a stent implant all this and i'm only 41 yrs old. My doc says that my kids have a 50/50 chance of developing type2.I must say, I hate pricking my fingers! So eat well, exercise!

[scorpiostwin11_76]

I like the responses from all of you that posted. I think diabetes is a silent assassin through out NDN Country. I can't name one person that I know who can say that diabetes isn't in thier family. I agree with the post by jones, about education. Some real harsh facts on how this disease can take control of one person's life needs to be published, or something. I have friends where thier parents are dying from diabetes, and they just accept it. Thats not how our people should have to live. Accepting a completely preventable disease is not an acceptable battle to fight this disease....right?

[Cutbead Queen]

More diabetes information would be good. We need to educate those that aren't diabetic so they understand the disease and how to try to avoid it in their lives. What I would give for the freedom to eat without any negative reactions. I think I eat the biggest, greasiest burger with the coldest, largest COKE (not that sissy diet stuff either)

I agree more education is needed! I know of people walking around on my rez with blood sugars over 300 every day. (120-130 is my norm.) I couldn't ever think of getting my sugar levels that low without meds. I admit, when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was in denial for a long time. I actually felt okay. But, as I'm getting older, and my diabetes is worse I am shocked that I was able to function without my meds. I feel so much better now that I'm medicated! LOL

I hear yah jones: I think I know what a drug addict feels like.......SUGAR is my drug of choice! I want, FRESH BLUE COTTON CANDY! Oh- and to have a "real" pepsi with ice!!! (HEAVEN!!!)

[NDNKIDZ]

just a reminder to... that people forget about.. make sure to tell family members to see their opthamoligist. Diabetic retinopathy is a factor that most diabetics forget about.. or dont realize will happen..your vision is so important..