Feature Columns
Diabetes causes a drastic change
By Dan St. Yves
Wednesday, November 12, 2008

About eight or nine years ago, I had a perfect storm developing within my body. No, sorry, I‘m mistaken – it had really been brewing long before that. About eight or nine years ago, the storm blew right on in. And concerning this particular metaphor of my life, I had neglected to pack myself a shiny yellow rain slicker, or even a compact umbrella.
The elements of this storm started many years ago. Remember how way back when, you were a brooding young rebel growing up, all you could think about was when you finally moved out of your parents‘ home, nobody was going to be able to tell you what to do? You could sleep in until noon (not an unlikely scenario at all for a freelance writer), leave your bed unruly and never eat another vegetable again in your life? Turns out, that‘s not such a great idea.
A sedentary lifestyle, along with bad eating habits (like regularly consuming ice cream sandwiches for breakfast for example – not that I personally ever really did that) can set you up for a nasty surprise when you get a little bit older. In my case, thanks to an additional predisposition via my family history, along with the aforementioned lifestyle akin to a lethargic sloth with a sweet tooth let loose in a salt-water taffy factory, I had introduced diabetes into my world.
Prior to being diagnosed, my family doctor had in fact warned me that I was heading for some trouble if I didn‘t change my lifestyle. That would have been the stage of pre-diabetes, where I could have held the disease at bay. However, at that time, I was still in my ‘nobody is going to tell me what to do‘ stage and was personally trying to see just how many fried foods a person could work into the average daily meal planner. There are some records you ultimately just don‘t want to hold.
Of course, when you first learn that you‘re diabetic, you can be in a state of denial. Carrot cake had to be better than cheese cake, right? I could always just have more pancake with my syrup in the morning. Once potatoes become chips, aren‘t they still technically vegetables?
Sadly, this disease has some pretty harsh consequences, if you fail to keep it under control. You risk heart disease, blindness, and nerve damage if you allow diabetes to progress, to touch on just a handful of the complications.
Once I came to terms with being a diabetic, I was introduced to some of the resources that are available to people struggling to maintain that control. In addition to your doctor, there are a number of other health care professionals that can guide you along. Ask to be pointed in their direction.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, with November 14 designated as World Diabetes Day. Over 2.4 million Canadians are already diagnosed, and the numbers are growing at an alarming rate. If you or someone in your life is affected by this disease, you can access a world of resources on the Canadian Diabetes Association website (www.diabetes.ca/).
With all the information and help available, you shouldn‘t be caught without your shiny yellow rain slicker. Be informed and be proactive. Diabetes is no laughing matter, and the more you know, the better off you are.
- Dan St. Yves is a humour columnist. His column appears each Wednesday in eVent! Check out Dan’’s website at www.nonsenseandstuff.com or contact him at ThatDanGuy@shaw.ca.