Jane K. Dickinson, RN, PhD, CDCES

Informing the Masses

Posted on April 5, 2013 by janekdickinson

My goal as a health activist is to provide simple, straightforward information about diabetes, in a positive light. I especially want to reach those who are new to diabetes, those who haven’t had sufficient education or have “lost touch,” and those who just need a boost.

And everyone else – the ones who are well-informed and doing just fine, thank you, are welcome to listen as well! I’ve had diabetes for almost 38 years, and I learn more about this disease all the time. I think I have a pretty good attitude about it, and that gets checked every once in a while too.

Just as important to me is educating/informing the general public – those who don’t have diabetes – and clearing up some misunderstandings. Finally, I hope to “close the gap” between health care providers and people living with diabetes (and other conditions). I’ve been on a soapbox about language in health care for at least twenty years now, and while I would love to step down, I think it’s going to take a little more time.

So to recap, my purpose for being a health activist (aka, blogging) is to 1) inform people with diabetes, 2) inform people without diabetes, and 3) inform health care professionals.

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New to Diabetes

Posted on April 4, 2013 by janekdickinson

If you were recently diagnosed with diabetes, you will want to know about resources. Hopefully your health care provider has given you a list of resources in your local area – people and places that can support you in living well with and managing your diabetes.

You will also benefit from a resource that provides clear and current information, ideas for ways to make lifestyle changes (and stick with them), connections with others who have diabetes, and more. It’s so important to start out with a positive approach, so having a resource that’s positive and encouraging can be very effective.

I recommend Diabetes Forecast as a wonderful resource for those who are new to diabetes. Diabetes Forecast is a lay (non-professional) publication about diabetes that has been around for a long time. In fact, I received Diabetes Forecast when I was a kid (30-plus years ago). It is geared toward both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and is full of reliable information, ideas, and encouragement. The editor, Kelly Rawlings, has diabetes and is dedicated to using person-centered and strength-based language in all articles.

In addition, Diabetes Forecast has a great website, and if you prefer to read online, you can access the magazine online and not waste any paper. I hope you will find Diabetes Forecast helpful. And as a bonus, here are some more great websites:

Please share any other websites/resources that you recommend for those who are new at this!

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Wordless Wednesday

Posted on April 3, 2013 by janekdickinson

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Hello, I’m Diabetes

Posted on April 2, 2013 by janekdickinson

I never introduce myself as diabetes. It’s just not the biggest or most important thing about me. I’m Jane – I’m a person first. I’m a woman, mom, wife, friend, sister, daughter, aunt, niece, cousin, nurse, writer, educator, neighbor…and I happen to have diabetes.

I have long felt called to work with people who are newly diagnosed with diabetes. My goal is to help people see that being diagnosed with diabetes does not have to be the end of the world. We can still live full lives and be healthy and happy. Here are some old posts geared toward those who are newly diagnosed with diabetes:

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Why Do I Write?

Posted on April 1, 2013 by janekdickinson

Today marks the start of the third Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge (#HAWMC), and it’s my third year participating. There will be a prompt every day during the month of April, and I will do my best to write every day.

Today’s prompt is to tell a little bit about why I write about diabetes online. I am currently reading an e-book called On Becoming a Writer: What Every Blogger Needs to Know by Denise J. Hughes. Ironically I just read a section called Why Write? that discusses the importance of identifying why I write.

I write about diabetes online, in other words I blog about diabetes, for many reasons. I write for myself because I enjoy writing. I find it therapeutic (except for the times when I feel pressured and find it stressful!) and fun. It’s a great way to document my thoughts.

I also write for others. As a diabetes professional and someone who lives with diabetes, I feel it’s important to bridge the gap. I want to provide a forum where people can see that we really are connected, and that diabetes professionals want the best for people with diabetes. I also hope to help diabetes professionals understand more about what people experience with everyday diabetes. I hope my blog posts are helpful for both groups.

I write for others in order to help people approach diabetes from a positive perspective. While it’s easy to vent and commiserate online (and that’s ok), I hope to maintain a positive place where we can share experiences and learn from each other.

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Easter Chocolate

Posted on March 29, 2013 by janekdickinson

This Sunday is Easter, and although Easter is not about chocolate and jelly beans, they are abundant at this time of year. In fact, I just purchased a chocolate bunny for my daughter a little while ago (my son doesn’t like chocolate bunnies so he will get cold, hard cash).

All that chocolate in the store reminded me of the fact that I gave up chocolate for Lent. I didn’t think it would be too big a deal because I don’t typically eat a ton of chocolate, however, I do have a little dark chocolate after lunch and dinner most (and I mean most) days. Well, it was actually very hard to go without my dark chocolate. At least for the first several weeks.

I am reminded of a post about the benefits of dark chocolate from over a year-and-a-half ago.

So enjoy your chocolate bunnies and other delicacies of the season. And make it dark chocolate, if possible. I am definitely planning to have some dark chocolate on Sunday, and my plan after that is to have it after lunch or supper and not both. We’ll see how that goes. Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

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Richard Rubin

Posted on March 27, 2013 by janekdickinson

A big name in the diabetes professional community is gone. Although I did not know Richard Rubin personally, I heard him present at diabetes meetings, I read his work, and I heard and saw his name a lot. Dr. Rubin was a professor at Johns Hopkins and received numerous awards. He was active with the American Diabetes Association for many years.

I know that Dr. Rubin’s research, publications, presentations, teaching, and interactions with patients made a difference for people with diabetes everywhere. I know that he will be sorely missed by all.

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Emotional Eating

Posted on March 25, 2013 by janekdickinson

Emotional eating affects more than just those with diabetes, but when you have diabetes and you find yourself eating emotionally, it can be complicated. I just read Ginger Vieira’s new book, Emotional Eating with Diabetes. This is a wonderful resource and an easy read!

I especially liked the short, personal stories from several people living with diabetes. The book also includes worksheets that provide a great way to think about eating habits and emotions. Finally, I like the suggestions for how to deal with emotional eating and several examples of where this can happen in our diabetes lives.

I would add another time when I find myself eating emotionally: when I’m relieved. I find that when I have some big event looming, once it’s over, I have a tendency to eat out of relief! When do you eat emotionally, and what tricks have you developed for dealing with it?

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Books and Diabetes

Posted on March 22, 2013 by janekdickinson

I’ve decided that writing/publishing a book is like managing diabetes. Well, there are many parallels, at least. For starters, you make yourself extremely vulnerable when putting a book “out there,” just as you do when you visit a new provider or tell friends/family that you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes.

You have to figure out what your purpose is for writing the book. And in managing diabetes, it’s pretty important to know what motivates you (your purpose) to take care of yourself.

You need commitment to get a book published, and you need commitment to stay on track with all the various aspects of managing diabetes.

There’s a lot of self-talk involved!!

With both endeavors, there are a lot of mistakes and a lot of learning (from them) too! And all this learning leads to growth – whether or not you were expecting it. New experiences, new ideas, new perspectives.

And as a result of all of the above, writing/publishing a book and managing diabetes lead to confidence – even though it doesn’t always feel like it.

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Fasting and Diabetes

Posted on March 20, 2013 by janekdickinson

Some suggestions for the next time you have to fast for labs:

1) stop eating 12 hours before the lab draw

2) leave a note on the bathroom counter (or someplace you’ll see it in the morning) so you remember not to take breakfast insulin and/or eat breakfast

3) check with your provider beforehand to find out if it’s ok to treat a low (and what you can use to treat it, for example, are glucose tablets ok?) if you do go low prior to the blood draw.

And here’s a bonus suggestion: 4) drink water the morning of so they have an easier time getting blood!

As you may have guessed, I recently had a fasting blood draw and I messed up on most of the above. I ate something 11 hours before the blood draw, I took my insulin like a diabetes robot the morning of the blood draw, and I went low and ate glucose tablets prior to the blood draw. The good news: I did drink water and there was no problem drawing my blood. Now we’ll see if the results were skewed and I have to do it all over again…

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