Diabetes:
Sugar-coated Crisis
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The Art of Getting Well
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David Spero, RN

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Staying ahead of the curve

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A crucial element of self-care is conserving energy for healing. It's amazing how much people can improve when they cut back on work or some other demand. Mary, one of the students in my self-management class, had diabetes and arthritis that were worsening rapidly. She didn't have time to eat right or exercise, because she was taking care of three generations of family, she told me. Some of these family members were 28 years old! The class got on her about letting her family members pull their own weight, and maybe some of hers, too. She needed to rest; she needed to walk. By the end of the six-week program, she was getting a nap most days, and her blood sugars were better controlled.

Folk wisdom says, "Illness is Nature's way of getting us to slow down." I think Nature needs another way, because this one isn't working. We're rushing through our lives faster than ever before. When we're dealing with chronic health conditions, though, we really need to slow down (unless we're complete couch potatoes, or in some cases, severely depressed.)

It's a question of energy. Like all creatures, we each have a supply of energy, a level that can be increased with various health practices, but will always be limited. That energy has to serve us for work, social and mental activities, growth, and also for our bodies' healing and maintenance. I believe that if we give all our energy to work, worry, and other demands, or to entertainment, our bodies' defense and repair systems won't have enough to do their job. If we want to get better, we have to save some life force for ourselves.

Many of us refuse to cut back at all; others will reduce our schedules to accommodate health problems, but only by the minimum amount possible. Maybe we can keep working 35 hours a week, say, but only by giving up everything else. So our health continues to deteriorate; we grudgingly cut back more, and pretty soon we're totally disabled. That's the curve of chronic illness without self-care.

We need to get ahead of the curve. Cut back more, if you possibly can; consider going on disability, at least temporarily; let some other things go; do whatever must be done to get time and energy for healing. Not just to lie around vegetating - activity is important, too - but to find help, connect with our bodies, figure how to make our lives work. Much as society hates it, it's OK to take some down time.

Life on the dog track

In this society, most of us are moving way beyond our healthy speed, as illustrated in this story that Cajun psychologist Wayne Sotile tells to illustrate, "the difference between going 30 and 130."

Mrs. Boudreau hears an emergency announcement on the radio. There's a crazy man driving the wrong way on the freeway. She immediately calls her husband's car phone.
"Boudreau," she says, "if you're on the freeway, you got to get off. The radio says there's a crazy man driving the wrong way."

"Call 'em back," yells Boudreau. "Tell 'em there ain't just one. There's hundreds of 'em!"

Mr. Boudreau was only a little bit over the line. For many of us, modern life feels like a dog track, where we live like greyhounds chasing mechanical rabbits, (such as money, happiness, or doing good), while simultaneously being stuck with cattle prods, (like fear of poverty, or low self-esteem,) from behind. The race runs through our waking hours and often invades sleep. We fear the ever-rising tide of responsibilities will overwhelm us if we slack off, even momentarily, or that we will miss some vital opportunity. Meanwhile, the pain builds in our organs and muscles, the healing systems start to wear down, and the next thing you know, the doctor is recommending a triple bypass.

When we get sick, it's better to take the opportunity to stop and listen to our bodies. We may have to figure ways to cut expenses; we may have to ask for help; we may have to change our view of ourselves, from worker bee to something more relaxed. If we judge ourselves by how much we get done, slowing down can be hard on our self-esteem. We need to learn that we can be valued and loved for who we are, not just what we do.

Setting priorities

It's not always other people's needs and wants that make us crazy. Just as often, our own desires for material possessions, recognition, power, or personal growth cause us to overwork and drive our bodies like beasts of burden. We don't just burn our candles at both ends; we vaporize them with a blowtorch! Sometimes, we find ourselves wanting to have, do, and be more, when we really need to rest, to get ahead of the curve

We also have to learn to set priorities. Some things are really crucial, more important than health, even, but a lot of things we treat as necessities are really optional, and we can conserve energy for ourselves by letting them go. Is Better Homes and Gardens coming over for a photo shoot today? Is royalty coming to visit? If not, maybe cleaning behind the refrigerator can wait. Do we have to go to the next town to buy from a particular hardware store or bakery? Do we need to go to that meeting we know will be a waste of time? Do we really need another car or a bigger home?

The answer is usually "No." If we do cut back; if we get ahead of the curve, we often find that seemingly uncontrollable health problems can become stepping stones to more comfortable, better lives. If we refuse to give in, and insist on keeping up an unlivable pace, the curve may roll over us, and it probably won't be pretty.

Excerpted from David Spero's book, "The Art of Getting Well," available online at Amazon.com and Hunter House as well as fine bookstores. David is a nurse with multiple sclerosis, who counsels and coaches people with all types of chronic conditions. Learn to overcome barriers to self-care and gain more health and quality of life.

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