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Friday, November 23, 2007

Healthy Recipes

Variety, balance and moderation are the keys to healthy diet. Choose foods that you enjoy, if an eating plan doesn’t fit your likes and needs you probably won’t stick to it.

Dates Cake

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup milk
½ tea spoon vanilla
2 tea spoons sesame seeds

Filling:
Blended dates
Desiccated almonds (optional)

Beat the eggs and make dough with all the ingredients except sesame seeds

Spread 2/3 of the mix in greased try, put a layer with the dates and almonds, after that cover it with the rest of the dough, then sprinkle the sesame seeds.
Bake in the oven until it is golden brown
Cut into squares and serve

Sunday, November 11, 2007

In the World

There are about 246 million persons with diabetes
In every 10 seconds one person dies of diabetes
In every 10 seconds two persons are diagnosed with diabetes
In every 10 seconds one foot lost to diabetes

Events

School Children Drawing Contest: 24 November 2007

Diabetes Forum: 24 November 2007




246 steps Walk: 25 November 2007

Saturday, November 10, 2007

In Brunei

Diabetes affects one in 5 adults
Diabetes is the leading cause to almost all cases of lower limb amputation
More than half of haemodialysis patients are diabetic
Diabetes is responsible of large proportion of heart attacks
Most of diabetic people have hypertension and high cholesterol

Read my story

Be positive
In 1986. I was 22 years old; when I returned home after completing my study abroad. A few weeks later the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes was made. I was in hospital for a week before was sent home with Mixtard twice a day. At that time I was devastated and wondered why it happens to me and I also was ashamed of talking about it. Because I know very little about diabetes I began to educate myself about the condition I would have for the rest of my life. Although I had to make some slight changes in my lifestyle, I still enjoy a very active and healthy life. I like to say to those who are newly diagnosed, diabetes might seem to be the end of the world, but it only is if you let it.

Brave child
In 2005, Nazrul was 10 when we took him to hospital with vomiting and stomachache. Initially the doctor thought it is appendix. After having the blood test were told his sugar is very high and he got acid. It was a big shock. We never thought that this could happen to him at such a young age!
Hypos were very distressing. I can’t sleep because I am scared; what will happen if he goes unconscious or fits in his sleep?
Our surprise is the injections didn’t bother him and he was able to do them by himself within a week and he also insists to test his blood 4 times a day. He continued to play sports and get good school reports.

It could have been prevented
“I was first diagnosed with diabetes when I was 30 years old. My sugar has not been controlled for ten years. This did not bother me as I always felt well, until 16th January 2003 at 10 o’clock at night, when all of a sudden I couldn’t move my left arm and leg! I was devastated to learn that I was suffering from a stroke at such a young age.
A year later, my diabetic brother suffered a heart attack and had an operation done. Not long after, he had his left leg amputated.
Now as I ponder on what has happened to me and my brother, when we had gone for years without complications, and then they hit us all at once. Diabetes is a sinister disease. It can lie in hiding and, if ignored, the results can be devastating. I wonder how to cope with all this loss? Especially when you know that it could have been prevented.” M. Ali

Diabetes was ruining my life
“I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 19 years old. In my thirties I collapsed at work due to a heart attack after which I was sent to KL for heart operation. For 14 years I didn’t have sexual activities with my wife, who doesn’t understand and she blamed me of having affairs. Most of the time I don’t take my Insulin injections and other pills for hypertension and high cholesterol as I thought they are the cause of my problem. However things didn’t improve and only got worse. I smoked a lot to relief stress and every night I need pills to sleep.
During one of my doctor’s visit I answered a questionnaire relating to my sexual function and for the first time, I discussed the problem. The doctor explained that I would only get better if I comply with the injections and he prescribed new pills. I was amazed with the immediate effect. For the last 3 years I feel great as I am enjoying every moment of my life.
My advice- if your blood sugar is not under control, don’t wait to start insulin. The sooner you get control back, the better you’ll feel.” Hj Taib

Learn from my experience
I was in tears when I was dictating this letter to the DNE and asked her to post it, so the others will learn from my experience
I was 27,when I was diagnosed with diabetes after a miscarriage. Over the years most of the time I don’t see the need to take medications because I feel well. Until two years a go, when just within few days I couldn’t read or do my sewing anymore. Doctors said I have bleeding deep inside my eyes, had laser
I am not confident to walk, scared of falling, always worried that diabetes might take my kidneys also, now I take all my medicines, sometimes I don’t eat for a day or two, in attempts to keep my diabetes under control. Also bought exercise machine….
With all this effort my eyes are getting worse and I got swollen legs due to kidney damage
I cant have a good sleep because always worried that my husband, who is loving and caring, one day he will get fed up and leave me and also because I feel guilty, I am the one to be blamed for all this misery

It is not always that bad
I am aware of my risk of getting diabetes and since my childhood, I am always scared of losing my foot because of diabetes. Diabetes runs in my family; as long as I remember my father puts saccharin to his tea, he eats sweets only in special occasions, gets excited when he comes back with good sugar report. He was very active man. Though he is doing two jobs at a time, still he is taking good care of his wife and seven children and also his neighbor’s family while the father is working abroad. Now he is 84 and had diabetes for over 40 years. He gave up driving but he walks about 5 kilometers every day to have time with his friends and relatives. My father’s life assured me that diabetes is not really that bad if you know how to live with it.

About diabetes

What is diabetes?
Insulin is a hormone made by pancreas; insulin moves a sugar called glucose out of the blood. In diabetes, not enough insulin is made, or the body doesn’t respond to the produced insulin (insulin resistance), as a result levels of glucose are too high in the blood.
Types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes-Insulin is required for survival.
Type 2 diabetes-satisfactory control achieved with diet, exercise or tablets/insulin. It is the most common form of diabetes, and it is part of a syndrome, which includes other cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol.

Symptoms of diabetes
Weight loss
Excessive thirst and urination
Unhealing wounds
Recurrent infections
Tiredness
Visual disturbances
Tingling feet
most of the people don’t have any symptoms and the diabetes was only detected when a blood test was done for an employment or Hajj medical check up or for some other problem.

How to diagnose
The only way to diagnose diabetes is by blood test; a fasting blood sugar of 7 and above or 11.1 and above at other times confirms diabetes.
(Negative urine sugar test does not exclude diabetes)

Complications of diabetes
Heart disease
Kidney failure
Blindness
Gangrene leading to loss of limb
Stroke
Sexual problems

You are at risk of diabetes if:
Your close relative is diabetic
You are overweight
You had given birth to a big baby

How to prevent diabetes
Diet and exercise can reduce your chance of getting diabetes by up to 60%

How to manage diabetes
Adopting healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone of diabetes management
Diabetes pills and/ or insulin injections will also be needed for almost all people.
It is important to comply with the treatment even if the person feels well.

False believes about diabetes:
Diabetes is caused by eating sweets and it is cured by avoiding sugars
Diabetes is caused by stress in a person’s life
High level of blood sugar is normal for some people
Diabetes and/or its complications are caused by being bewitched or cursed
I don’t need to take my tablets-I don’t feel ill
People with diabetes cannot participate in sports
Type 2 diabetes is less severe than type 1 diabetes because you don’t need injection
Honey, dates, bitter goard and animal pancreas can cure diabetes
Insulin causes impotence