Gloria's story
Gloria hasn't always been an active person. Until she retired a few years
ago, she didn't have time, she says. Her job at the local college as an
administrative assistant kept her busy. And after work, she just didn't have
enough energy-or interest-to do any exercise.
After she retired,
there were other things to keep her busy-grandkids, volunteering at the
library, and helping her husband, Al, with his tax business. About a year ago
while doing some work for Al, Gloria had trouble reading the numbers on the checks
she was filing. She cleaned her glasses and put them back on, but it didn't
help.
"My eyes were all blurry. It was really scary," Gloria says.
"It finally went away, but then it came back. My doctor tested me for diabetes.
He said that the blurriness means my blood sugar is too high."
Testing and tracking to stay in range
Gloria started taking pills (metformin) to help lower her blood sugar
levels. And she took a diabetes education class where she learned how diet and
activity can help her manage her blood sugar.
"I got pretty
motivated to take care of myself. I don't want anything to happen to my eyes,"
she says.
She expected to see results right away, but it took
time. It was hard to get her blood sugar in the range that her dietitian asked
her to aim for (70 to 130 mg/dL before meals, and less than 180 mg/dL
after meals).
Gloria kept trying. She used a food log to keep
track of everything she ate. She tested her blood sugar often to find out what
kinds of foods made it spike.
"It took me about 6 months to get
into the range. And I was doing everything right. So I guess the biggest
message is that you have to be patient. If you keep track of your numbers, you
will see them slowly going down. That is the direction you want to go!"
Since she started controlling her blood sugar, Gloria hasn't had any eye
problems. But she gets an eye exam every year to check for problems she might
not notice.
Activity makes a difference
Now Gloria makes activity the top priority of her
day. When she first found out she had diabetes, she started walking laps at
the mall with friends. These days Gloria climbs on a stationary bike in her den
4 times a day and cycles for 10 minutes. She does it once before each meal and
again before she goes to bed.