BATAVIA There are certain things diabetics need to remember and keep track of this holiday season in the midst of COVID-19, a registered nurse and diabetes education and care specialist says.
United Memorial Medical Centers Jill Pickard said its been difficult for everyone during the pandemic, especially for those with chronic diseases such as diabetes.
I dont think it matters whether you have Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes or even gestational diabetes, she said. The difficulty is trying to figure out what services are available. How do I travel out and about safely? Is it safe to go to my doctors office? Is it safe to go to the hospital? Usually, when someone with diabetes becomes ill, if his or her blood-sugar is not controlled, the bodys not going to respond as well to the disease he or she has.
Persons with diabetes, theyre at increased risk of developing severe illness from COVID, especially if they have other conditions like heart disease, which can go hand-in-hand with diabetes if your blood-sugar is not well-controlled. You have a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 just because your natural immune response is not there, she said.
If youre a new diabetes patient or if youre struggling with well-controlled blood sugar, Pickard said, that the first thing you need to do is test your blood-sugar.
If you dont know what your blood-sugar is, how do you know if what youre doing is working? she said. Diabetes is not just about controlling the food you put in your mouth. Its not just about taking your medication as prescribed. Its not just about getting the right kind of diet or exercise and its not just about reducing your stress. Its about all four of those things. Its about lifestyle changes and coming together with a diabetes educator and your primary care physician and your endocrinologist, if you have one. to develop a sound plan that works for you.
FOR COMMON HOLIDAY DISHES, are there recommendations for diabetes patients for substitutes for certain ingredients to products and meals?
Not so much that, but just being aware and counting your carbohydrates. Know what carbohydrates are and follow your meal plan thats been provided to you buy your diabetes educator, registered dietician or primary care physician. When you come to our classes at United Memorial Medical Center, which are called Living Healthy with Diabetes, we talk about a meal plan, not necessarily recipes, but staying within your carbohydrate allowance. We try to spread the carbs out across the day, she said.
For example ... if you want to have a nice dinner and you only have 60 grams of carbohydrates that youre allotted for that meal, than you need to make better choices. You need to be able to count your carbohydrates and you need to stay within whatever is allotted to you, Pickard said. Its not just making substitutions in your recipes, but its about counting your carbohydrates also knowing your portions, reading those food labels.
One of the other things we tell people is, Lose the sugared beverages. That means, if youre a Pepsi drinker, maybe you might want to switch to Diet Pepsi or reduce the Pepsi intake altogether, she said. Look for those foods that are empty calories. Fruit juices are great, but a piece of food is better because theres more nutrition there. Theres more fiber. Theres more nutrition that youre not getting in a fruit juice.
WHAT ARE SOME RESOURCES for people with diabetes in the Batavia area?
Id like to reassure folks that our office is indeed safe, although we require an appointment for you to come in to the office. We offer an American Diabetes Association-accredited classes. Its 10 hours of diabetes self-management education. The course is called Healthy Living with Diabetes and it consists of four classes that are about two-, 2 1/2-hour classes each. The classes are taught by myself and Amy Miller, who is a registered dietician and a certified diabetes education and care specialist, Pickard said. Healthy Livings phone number is (585) 344-5331 for information about our classes. Unfortunately, this past week, weve gone to online classes via Zoom. We just completed our first Zoom class with some patients. This way, you can sit at home in your pajamas and learn about diabetes if you so choose. Pickard said she and Miller are both seeing patients in their offices.
I can also see patients who are diagnosed with diabetes in the hospital setting. I try to see as many of those patients as I can. Thats what we have out here in the Batavia area, Pickard said.
WE ALL FIND IT TOUGH to stay within our meal plans, whether or not we have diabetes or another chronic disease, Pickard said.
I think we have to get back to basics. You have to know what your blood-sugar is. You have to go back, dig those papers out, dig that information out reliable information from the American Diabetes Association if you have to ... Get a carb-counter on your smartphone. You can put it on your iPad. You can buy books online that are carb counting. Then, we advise people to complete a food log. Write down what youre eating. See if you can figure out what is the portion for that. Then, figure out the carb count for that and then stay within your meal plan thats provided by your diabetes educator or your registered dietician. Then, try to have fun with it. There are lots of recipes out there. The American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org has lots of information on their website about converting recipes. There are lots of sugar substitutes you can use.
HOW IMPORTANT IS TIME MANAGEMENT for diabetics and what can happen if diabetes is left untreated?
First, let me reassure everyone that our hospital is safe. If you think youre having an emergency ... If you cant reach your provider or your endocrinologist, you need to come to Urgent Care. You need to come to the emergency department. It doesnt matter where you are, emergency departments are everywhere, Pickard said. Urgent Care or immediate care providers are around. Seek medical treatment. You dont want to delay, especially if you have diabetes ... If you think youre getting sick, call your healthcare provider. Check your blood-sugar more often, maybe every two to three hours. You want to know, What is a normal blood-sugar. Where is my blood-sugar routinely? How far out of that range have I come? Is my blood-sugar consistently very, very high or very, very low?
Those can be medical emergencies that are best managed by your primary care physician or the emergency department. Dont stop taking your insulin, she said. If you have a fever, usually your insulin needs are a little higher. Make sure you drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated. Its very easy, when youre dehydrated, to become ill and that will drive your blood-sugar up.
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UMMC diabetes education and care specialist offers advice on staying healthy during the holidays - The Daily News Online
