Diabetic Friends Action Network (DFAN)
Online Diabetes Newsletter - February 1996
(Delphi Custom Forum 255)

This document (c) Copyright 1996, all rights reserved.
Redistribution of this document is hereby freely granted so
long as the document is redistributed in its entirety (here
interpreted as all text which was not automatically
generated by software as part of the distribution  process);
in particular, with attributions and this copyright notice.

_____________________________
We all need help at different times in our life.  It's not a
sign of weakness to ask for assistance.  As a matter of
fact, asking for assistance can be viewed as being a major
strength.  Realizing you don't know as much as you think you
know can be a humbling experience.  It doesn't matter if you
need the help for yourself or for your diabetic child.  If
you need help, just ask.

If you can't call your doctor maybe there's a Certified Diabetes
Educator you can call.  If the CDE can't help you maybe there's
another person who's dealt with diabetes in their life that can
help you.  You can even write to us and we'll do our best to get
you the information you need or we can try to point you to the
right person or organization that can help you.

Knowing when to ask for help is one side of the coin.  Sharing
your knowledge and empathy is the other side of the coin.  Do you
have any special skills or talents you think might be beneficial
to someone with diabetes?  Maybe you have a keen sense of being
able to analyze a problem and give advice to a diabetic who's
having problems coping with taking injections.  You might know
about carbohydrate counting and be able to explain it in a way
that everyone can understand.  Or maybe you participate in an
online for offline diabetic support group.  You may not realize
it but there can be many people who can appreciate and learn from
the words you type or speak.  New people are diagnosed with
diabetes everyday so there are always new people who need to
talk to others who have lived with diabetes in their life.
Share your wealth of knowledge.

The DFAN Diet Club has begun!  This month we began sending
out e-mails to our DFAN Diet Club members!  Five times a
week our club members receive motivational/information e-
mails concerning diabetes and weight loss.  Trying to lose
weight and having diabetes are combination some people find
hard to deal with.  Club member, Kirk wrote an article in
this month's newsletter so be sure to read it.  If you'd
like to join our *D-Friends Weight Loss Club (it's FREE) please
don't hesitate so.  We're here to help to you as much as we can
and that can be in the form of uploading text files to you,
allowing you to "vent" if you need to about the difficulties
you're experiencing, or just letting you share a good day you had
following your meal plans.

If you're changing e-mail addresses or would no longer like to
receive this newsletter please don't forget to let us know so we
can update our distribution list.

We're in need of articles for next month's newsletter.  So
if you have a story to tell please send it in.  We're looking for
true-to-life stories AND fiction.

Please send all stories/comments/questions/vents to:

                    belve@aol.com

_______________ARTICLE_______________

The Big D* and Me
by Kirk Irthum

Upon learning I am blessed with diabetes, my doc gave me
1800 calories to live on daily. 1800 !!  I will starve, I
thought.  Since I am diet controlled, I was warned that
I can't eat anything I want, because I need to lose 20-25
lbs.  A whole new world of info rushed at me:
portions/exchanges/carbohydrates/fats/proteins.  "How in the
world can I figure this stuff out?", I thought.

I have since joined a support group online and at my local
hospital. Together, they showed me a simpler way of figuring
this frustrating system and now it still is somewhat
baffling, but not as bad.

Grocery shopping was the next battle, having to read labels
and stuff--Whew !  Then, on next visit, my doc cut me back
to 1200 because I was not losing weight as fast as I should.
I was told to go for 1200 but not more than 1800,  giving me
some slack.  Then after watching the test strips for the
umpteenth time get dark and 200's showing, it finally
started sinking in that The Big D is mine for life.

Having some diabetic friends helps also because I can ask
them  100's of questions about "the big D".  Nowadays, I am
fairly well controlled, most postprandials are within
normal limits. But I still wish I didn't have to bother with
it.  I may have Diabetes, but it doesn't have me!  Take
care, all..

Glossary:

Postprandial Blood Glucose - blood taken 1-2 hours after
eating to see the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood


_______________ARTICLE_______________
The BG/Stress - Jekyll/Hyde Syndrome

We now know that stress can cause blood glucose levels to go
higher than they should be, but can high blood glucose
levels cause stress levels to rise for a person with
diabetes?

Have you ever awakened only to find that you're in a hostile
mood and you haven't even said "Good Morning" to anyone yet?
Or maybe you're at work and all of a sudden you feel like
punching the wall?  Does your child sometimes get cranky and
irritable for no reason?

You or your child may be experiencing what we will call
"BG\Stress-Jekyll/Hyde Syndrome".  There are many people with
diabetes who experience irritability when their blood glucose
levels are high.  Some might see this as just an excuse for being
in a foul mood but to those who experience this, it is all
too real.  If you go by the experiences of some diabetics this
problem can turn the most docile human being into a grumpy,
tension-filled person ready to bite your head off at any time.

Testing the blood glucose level is the only real way to find
out if the foul mood might be diabetes related.

Tracy, a 21 year old college student says, "I've had diabetes
for 4 years.  I find that when my blood glucose levels are
high I have a very low tolerance level.  I get agitated
easily and I tend to blow up at the slightest annoyance.  I
am very lucky in that the people that care about me know
enough to tell me to take my insulin and don't take my anger
personally."

Tom, a computer network administrator, states, "Sometimes
my boss or my wife will let me know that I'm touchier than
normal and that I should chill out."  Tom says he tries to
stay away from people until his blood sugars go down, which
is easier said than done at times.  "People just figure I
am stressed out and don't really care if there is another
reason."  Tom has been a Type II diabetic for six years and
uses Micronase/diet/exercise to help control his diabetes.

There are also diabetics who say they don't suffer from
bouts of irritability when their blood glucose levels are
high.

Michel, a Type I diabetic on insulin says, "I have never
noticed that my mood changes when my blood glucose levels
are high.  Michel works in education, a job he considers to
be high stress.

Some people with diabetes also notice a change in moods when
their blood sugar levels are low.  This is a common occurrence
that is mentioned by the vast majority of diabetics who take
medication to help control their diabetes.

Kirk, who was hypoglycemic for eight years before becoming
diabetic says he notices a "thunderstorm temper" when his
blood glucose levels are coming down. "I mutter a lot of
nasties under my breath and try to ignore the situation,
which doesn't work all the time," Kirk says.

Tom has these words of wisdom, "If the diabetic AND their
family/friends are well educated about diabetes, things like
this can usually be overlooked or taken into account.  If
there's no support this can be a real problem because many
people have a tendency to overreact to this which can lead
to even further complications in life."

_______________CORRECTION_______________
We incorrectly listed the winners of our writing contest last
month.  Here's how the winners should have been listed.

Adult Category:

First Place:  "I See The Big Picture"
Second Place: "A New Lifestyle"
Third Place:  "Sibling Rivalry"


_______________POLL RESPONSES_______________

Last month's poll question asked:

When you (or your child, friend, or family member) was diagnosed
with diabetes do you feel you received enough information about
diabetes and how it would affect your life?  If not, what type of
information do you think you should have received?


Response #1:

"No, but I can't say it was the hospital's/doctor's fault.
We were only there  for 4 days so there is only so much that
can be covered in that time period. I do wish there had been
more information on diet and coordination between the doctor
and dietician within this area.   We switched to another
group about a year after my daughter was diagnosed for that
reason. We wanted a more personalized approach to her food.

Everyone thinks about the shots and BG readings when they
think diabetes, but the real restraint is in the food.
Almost anything can be eaten but its the time of day,
amount, and combination that makes it so restricting
(especially to a five year old). Counting carbohydrates has
increased the possibilities. I wish all of this had been
given to us during her hospital stay or shortly after."


Response #2:

"We were lucky, in that our son was admitted to Children's
Hospital in Wash DC within hours of being diagnosed.  He
spent 4 days and 3 nights in the hospital.  Each day we
(Chris, his mom, and I) spent 6-8 hours in classes to
learn all about Type I diabetes.  Instructors included
Endocrinologists,  nurses specializing in diabetes,
nutritionists, and a family psychologist.

Every question or problem we could come up with was
answered.  We were all taught how to test blood sugar, and
give injections.  We were even given a test at the end to
ensure that we all knew what was going on.  Several of the
instructors were diabetics and they gave us some keen
insight.  We feel lucky that our insurance covered this and
that our family physician recommended the program at
Children's Hospital."


Response #3:

"I was in the hospital with a broken arm and I had a
dietician work on my eating plan for me.  However, after
release from the hospital I have gone to three sets of
doctors and from each one all I get from their knowledge is
that diabetes is a blood sugar reading.

They have not taken the time to discuss questions that I
have had.  I have been on medicine that would cause me to
have wide swings in blood sugar readings and all I was told
to do was carry some candy.  Candy was what got me in this
position to start with.  I am overweight and can get
depressed easily.  I want to control my diabetes, but I want
to be with someone that will have more knowledge than I
have."

Response #4:

"No.  I don't recall now what info I did receive, but I
know for the most part I was left in the dark.  As for what
information I should have received, it would have helped a
great deal, if I would have been provided a source of
information to learn more.  Books to read, Diabetes Forecast,
etc."

Response #5:

"I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 36, and I live
in Dunedin, New Zealand - a university town with a medical
school and population about 120000.  On diagnosis a
substantial amount of information was made available about
self-treatment and BG control - I was started on and am
still on a multiple injection regime.  I spent some hours
with the diabetes nurse/educator at the local hospital and
was given an information kit which contained a considerable
amount of reference material on life style matters and
control.

  In general, I feel that the system here made a good
attempt at providing necessary information about self care
and life style matters.  It would probably not be effective
for them to attempt a complete blanket cover of all possible
aspects of living with diabetes.  People vary so widely in
their outlook that the total mass of information required to
cater for all needs would be overwhelming.  The mechanism
used for me: providing basic material and responding to
questions with close supervision in the first instance, is
probably a better model."

Response #6:

"To be quite honest  I feel I have never received enough
information from the local medical professionals about
diabetes.  Living in a rural area and having what we call
"Northern Exposure" md's, each new md has a different
approach to management and control which invariably
conflicts with the previous routine.  The vast majority of
information which I use in my personal management program
has been gleaned through personal reading and research.  I
think a critical aspect of managing diabetes is having those
around you having knowledge to be able to recognize signs of
impending problems.  I have found over the past 7 years,
since being diagnosed, that at times others who are familiar
with me have been able to see an impending hypoglycemic
event before I have been able to recognize it myself due to
preoccupation with the tasks at hand."

_______________ARTICLE (Fiction)_______________

THE DM CHRONICLES

JUST SAY NO...OR NOTHING AT ALL

(No matter how old you are you need to read this story
thinking back to when you were eight years old)

Little Thomas ran from his room, screaming with a shrill
that swept through the house, "Mom!  Mom!  It's after me
again!".  Thomas's face was wet with perspiration and his
clothes were crumpled on his body, as if he had been rolling
around in the yard.

"Thomas!  What's happened now," shouted Thomas's mother from
her bedroom.  Thomas's parents had gotten used to his
nightmares.  The last three nights were sleepless for the
Wilson's.  Thomas was having a problem sleeping and they had
to get up to comfort him at least four times each night.
"Allen, we're going to have to figure out what's wrong with
Thomas.  We can't go on like this," Fran said with a worried
look.  Allen just shook his head and turned over grabbing
the covers tightly.  Fran looked at Allen, "Gosh Allen,
you'd think you were having the nightmares!"

The next morning Allen was trying to figure out the best way
to bring up the nightmares with Thomas.  He didn't want to
scare his son any more than he already was, but he knew he
had to get him to talk about it.  Thomas came to breakfast
with a bright smile on his face.  You wouldn't believe this
was the same boy who was screaming in his sleep a few hours
earlier.

"Thomas, do you remember any of the dreams you had last
night?  Maybe if we can figure out why you're having them
they'll leave you alone," asked Allen.  Thomas looked at his
dad for a few seconds, "It's ok Dad.  They're not that bad."
"Not that bad?," Allen looked confused, "but you're
screaming in your bed a few times every night.  It's got to
be something bothering you.

"Really Dad," Thomas said with that same bright smile, "it's
ok.  I'm alright.  Thomas was eight years old, but big for
his age.  His pants fit him like a sack of potatoes, always
a bit too big.  "See Dad, I've got all my stuff in my
pockets today so I can have a good time in the park.  I've
got my marbles, my sticks, my bottle caps, my..."  Allen cut
Thomas off mid-sentence, "But Thomas, I want to know about
the dreams.  What about the dreams?"

>switch into 8-year-old mode now<

Thomas settled down a bit.  He looked around the kitchen,
then walked into the living room.  He carefully scanned the
living room as if he were on a seek-and-find mission.  Then
Thomas walked back into the kitchen and sat down in the
chair next to his Dad.  "Dad, are you a drug addict?"

"A drug addict!," Allen thought to himself.  Allen finally
spoke aloud, "Thomas, what makes you think I'm a drug
addict?"  Allen was a disturbed about what his son just said to
him, but he wasn't letting Thomas know how upset he was.

"Well, I saw you with some needles the other day.  We had a
policeman come to our school last year and tell us about
drugs.  He said that when people are on drugs that means
they're add...add..", Thomas couldn't think of the word.
"Addicted?", Allen cut in again.   "Yeah, that's it," said
Thomas, "Dad?, why didn't you just say no?"  That's what the
policeman told us.  Just say no."

Allen was sweating more than he thought Thomas ever did
during those nightmares.  "Is that why you've been having
all those nightmares?," Allen asked, this time more
concerned than before.  "Yep, Dad," Thomas said as he sat
with his head hanging low.

Allen didn't know what to say.   He felt like a little child
standing in front of the principal after he misbehaved in
school.  Here he was, a 37 year old man who couldn't tell
his son what was going on.  He finally got up the nerve,
"Thomas, I'm not a drug addict."  Thomas was looking at his
Dad for some comfort, "But I saw you with the needles Dad.
And you were sticking it in your arm!"

Allen was talking slowly, "Thomas, I'm not a drug addict.  I
have diabetes.  I didn't want you to know.  I have to take
insulin to make sure I don't get sick.  I can't believe you
thought I was a drug addict all this time.  Well, at least
that school of yours is doing a good job teaching you about
drugs.," Allen said as he tried to smile.

"What's diabetes, Dad?", Thomas asked.   Allen knew he had
to have a long talk with is son. He thought he was
protecting his son by not telling him about the diabetes,
but all he was doing was scaring him.


_______________POLL QUESTION_______________

There are certain states that require a doctor's note be
presented before a diabetic using insulin can drive.  The note
should say the person with diabetes is in "good control" and that
they haven't suffered any recent hypoglycemic episodes in the
recent past.

With diabetics being told to aim for tight control, which means
hypoglycemic episodes are MORE common, do you think this is a
fair requirement?

Send us your opinion and we'll put it in the next newsletter!

_______________ANNOUNCEMENT_______________

The Meter Bank is still up and running!  We'd like to help as
many people as we can with Lifescan's offer to send free meters
for Lifepoints/UPC's so please spread the word.  It's important
that people know about the meter bank, especially if they need a
meter.

We're not just requesting Lifepoints/UPC's and fulfillment
coupons.  We also want to know about people who need meters.  You
can request a meter for yourself or for someone you know,  Write
to Richard, the kind person who's running the Meter Bank and let
him know.  Testing the blood glucose is key to getting a diabetes
management plan under control, so please don't be ashamed or
hesistant if you need a meter.  To get in touch with Richard send
an e-mail to:

          batman@phoenix.net -or- arthur@tenet.edu


Keep the Lifescan/UPC points and fullfilment coupons coming in
too!  We really appreciate everyone's generosity, both anonymous
and acknowledged.

            Keeper Of The Meter Bank
            c/o Richard Thornton
            4207 Cantwell Drive
            Pasadena, Texas 77505-4421-07


The Meter Bank is reaching people in the United States, Europe
and Africa!  This project which was just a thought a few months
ago is helping people all over the world.  Any efforts you give
toward this cause are very much appreciated.

The Lifepoints/UPC's on the bottom of your blood glucose stips
can touch the life of person with diabetes in a way that can last
a lifetime.  It doesn't matter if it's 50 points, 500 points or
more, or if it's one fulfillment coupon.  Please send them in.


_______________ARTICLE_______________

DIABETIC WEB SITE WORTH VISITING!

Like just about everything else on the Internet and the rest
of on-line space, support and information resources for
diabetics are fragmented and hard to find. The Rick Mendosa
FAQ is an attempt to bring together, in one place, a
directory of all those places where diabetics can find what
is available.

Unlike other directories, this one includes a lot more than
the Web, although with more than 90 Web links, it
predominates.  But here you can find how to subscribe -- and
unsubscribe -- to all the Internet mailing lists devoted to
diabetes.  Here too are the newsgroups and other on-line
services including CompuServe, Prodigy, American Online, and
Delphi as well as local BBSs.

If you are looking for still more on-line information about
diabetes, you might want to join the increasing number of
people looking at this information packed Web site.

The increased number of hits parallels the increase in the
number of links on this page.  At press time there are 111 links.

The links include the following

7 mailing lists;

3 newsgroups;
62 non-commercial Web sites;
29 commercial Web sites;
4 other major on-line services; and
6 local BBSs.

Please let Rick know of any other diabetic resources that
should be added to this site.

http://www.cruzio.com/~mendosa/faq.html

To look at the glycemic index specifically go to:

http://www.cruzio.com/~mendosa/gi.html

You can reach Rick Mendosa at:

Email: mendosa@cruzio.com
Phone (408) 426-3600; Fax: (408) 426-9385
Office: 660 Nobel Drive, Suite 3E, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3152


_______________ANNOUNCEMENT_______________

There will be a Health Fair at Boys and Girls High School in
Brooklyn New York, March 9, 1995.  We are looking for people in
the field to come and give information to the community about
diabetes.  If you'd like more information about the fair send an
e-mail to belve@aol.com and your request will be forwarded to the
appropriate party.


_______________SLOGAN/MOTTO IDEAS_______________

Some people still think of diabetes as "just a little sugar", and
don't take it as serious as it should be.

Put your thinking caps on!  What slogan/motto would you put on a
bumper sticker or button to let people know that diabetes isn't
"just a little sugar"?  The slogan can be serious or witty or any
combination of the two.  Send us your idea and it will be placed
in next month's newsletter.  We're looking for an official
slogan/motto for DFAN.  Could your idea be our official
slogan/motto for 1996?  Send it in.

Let your children participate too.  If a child submits an entry
please give us his/her age and first name so we can give him/her
credit in our newsletter.


_______________BACK ISSUES_______________

Our back issue list has gotten quite long so instead of placing
it in each issue of the newsletter we've decided to send it to
your e-mail box.  If you're interested in reading our back issues
(they go back to Fall 94') send a request to: belve@aol.com


