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Black Collegian News & Views
Living with Diabetes is Difficult but Not Impossible
By Desmond Nugent
Black College Wire
For James Wallace, director of assessment and career services at
Langston University, diabetes runs in the family.
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Shamia Jackson/the Gazette
Hart Jackson-Abanishe, an administrative specialist at Langston
University who has had diabetes for 11 years, pricks her finger
using a glucose meter to test her blood sugar. |
"Diabetes has not skipped a generation in my family," Wallace said. His
father and older brother have diabetes; his brother, seven years younger
than Wallace, who is 58, died of the disease at 45."My brother's
death opened my eyes, and it made me reflect on what it is that I need
to do if I want to live. He wasn't doing what he was supposed to do," he
said.
Watching what you eat is always beneficial, but for people with
diabetes, it's not an option. According to the National Diabetes
Clearinghouse, diabetes caused the deaths of approximately 224,092
Americans in 2002, making it the sixth-leading cause of death in the
United States that year.
Diabetes results when the body does not produce or properly use
insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into
the energy needed for daily life.
Wallace takes his diabetes medicine three times a day. He takes the
pills at 7 a.m., 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. To stay active, Wallace helps his
wife, Thelma, with her gardening, and as she walks around to "every
store in sight" at the mall, he walks along with her for exercise.
There are mainly two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Living
with either can be difficult. To prevent complications, diabetics are
advised to monitor their blood-sugar level multiple times a day, visit
their doctor frequently, watch their eating habits and exercise.
Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes
mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, type 1
diabetes may account for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases. The
disease hits about one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents.
Researchers have found that an exposure to an "environmental trigger"
can cause type 1 diabetes; for example, an unidentified virus stimulates
an attack against cells of the pancreas in some genetically predisposed
people.
People who are obese or have a prior history of impaired glucose
tolerance, chronic stress, low birth weight or a family history of
diabetes are more likely to get type 2 diabetes, which may account for
up to 95 percent of all diagnosed diabetes cases.
Symptoms include frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained
weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden vision changes, tingling or numbness
in the hands or feet, feeling very tired much of the time, very dry
skin, sores that are slow to heal, more infections than usual, vomiting,
nausea and stomach pains.
If not controlled, diabetes can lead to heart disease and stroke,
high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease,
amputations, dental disease and pregnancy complications.
Despite the hardships people with diabetes might face, diabetics are
still able to lead fulfilling, long lives.
Hart Jackson-Abanishe, an administrative specialist at Langston
University who is 29, has had diabetes since age 17. She uses an insulin
pump to measure her blood-sugar level, which she says lowers her risk of
further complications. Jackson-Abanishe says she controls her diabetes
mainly through exercise.
"My form of exercising is different from everyone else's. I don't
drive around campus; if I need to do anything on campus, I walk," Hart
said. She also believes in taking the stairs, and if she needs to talk
to someone on the phone, she walks to that office.
Karen Clark, chairman of the communications department, was diagnosed
with diabetes 20 years ago.
"I have been able to enjoy all the benefits of life, and I have been
able to work. The only thing that I have to maintain is my blood-sugar
level each day," Clark said.
Clark takes basic diabetes medication and tries to keep her blood
sugar at a standard level.
"The hardest part of having diabetes is not being able to enjoy my
favorite dessert, cheesecake," she said.
For more information about diabetes, visit
www.diabetes.org
Desmond Nugent, a student at Langston
University, writes for the Gazette. To comment, e-mail bcwire@hotmail.com |
