Source: www.nlm.nih.gov/.../ency/imagepages/19811.htm
The chronic illness that I am focusing on is diabetes. The reason I chose this topic is because my sister was recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes. She was concerened about her health because she began to urinate several times throughout the night and she was always dehydrated. One day she passed out at the grocery store and the paramedics took her to the hospital and this is how she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes.
My sister was immediately placed on insulin shots because her glucose levels were constantly high. This occurs because, “the body’s immune system attacks the cells that produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose (Alexander, LaRosa & Garfield, 2010).
The Interview:
I began to ask my sister how her day had been today. She stated that she had been battling with her body today because she had previously eaten a lot of sweeties yesterday evening after a dinner. I asked why was she battling or what did that mean? She stated that her “sugar” levels had been high all day and she was having a hard time regulating it. She also, stated that it was making her feel really bad all day and she regretted not eating in moderation because of her condition. I told her to get on her treadmill and do a little cardio maybe that would help. She stated that she would because normally that makes her feel better. I told my sister to remember that she cannot eat all of those sweeties because she has to remain healthy.
My sister has trouble with battling with this disease but she told me when she was first diagnosed that she was determined to get off of using the insulin shots. My sister began to exercise more regularly and began to change her diet. After six months of being diagnosed she didn’t have to use give her body those injections anymore. She had learned her body and regulated herself with the proper exercise, diet, and rest. I am so proud of my sister because she is a living witness for women who are having a battle with this chronic disease. It is possible set your mind to it and just do it.
Reference
Alexander, L.L., LaRosa, J.H., Bader, H. Garfield, S. (2010). Dimensions in women's health. (5th Ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
WOW, Jefrica this subject hits close to home. My husband has type 2 diabetes and it's a struggle with him everyday. He takes oral medication and he's trying to use diet and excercise to control it but like your sister he loves sweets. So I've tried to get him to eat more fruits and vegatables and now we do a lot of label reading, I know everything on the label is important but diabetics have to concentrate more on total carbs and sugars. I think he can be more successful at battling this if he gets more excercise and eats better but it's hard when you work two jobs with crazy hours. So I think preparation,hard work, and success stories like this one can motivate me and my husband too.
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