[wellnessNP]

Diabetes Type II is a symptom NOT a disease. It is very preventable. In the last several years I have successful taken several IDDM patients off the insulin they had been on for years with little more than dietary changes and hormone balancing and it is not a miracle. We must rethink how we educate our patients. The old school thoughts have to go and as Nurse Practitioners we can practice Preventative Medicine.

[wickedrn]

The problem is diagnosing these clients early enough and giving them proper education instead of just handing them a piece of paper and saying "Here do this."
Sadly this was the case with me. I had fallen through the medical cracks for years. My symptoms started in the fourth grade with acanthosis nigricans which is the dumping of insulin in body crevices the neck arm folds etc. I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies at the age of 26 and 28 and have been obese all my life yet not a single doctor ever ever thought to counsel me or test me for diabetes why? Did they think why bother? Shes all ready fat and ruined her life?
So at the age of 30 I saw a Dr that semi cared and gave me a glucose tolerance test which during the middle of the test I bottomed out at a blood sugar of 38 and was diagnosed with DMII and Insulin resistance given a diet on a piece of paper and a glucometer. Do I follow the diet? No do I take my meds yes. Do I still need help YES.