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News & Publications
Learning to Live Successfully With Diabetes
By Zita Taksas-Raponi
With Christmas 1997 approaching, Michael Mortin noticed that he was rapidly losing weight, felt tired all the time, was insatiably thirsty and was waking up during the night to go to the bathroom. After a simple blood test, Michael was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and referred by his Doctor to the Oakville Diabetes Centre at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (which has since expanded to the Halton Diabetes Program).
But Michael was apprehensive. This dark, slim man of West Indian culture fully expected to be lectured on what he couldn't eat and told what he had to do. Instead Michael got a new lease on life. The Oakville Diabetes Centre put Michael in the driver's seat, and set him off on a challenging journey in which his first task was to take charge of his condition.
The roots of the Halton Diabetes Program date back to the 1970's when it began as a Diabetes educational and group counselling program at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. In 1997 this service was formalized as the Oakville Diabetes Centre, a one year pilot project, funded by OTMH, designed to increase accessibility. (It is here that Michael was referred by his doctor.) Based on the success of this project, a group representing communities in the region worked together to develop a regional program which began in 1998. Today, the Halton Diabetes Program helps adults with Diabetes in Oakville, Milton and Burlington cope with their disease and has become an important resource to healthcare professionals both within the hospitals and these communities.
"Our goal is to empower patients with the tools, knowledge and the support they need to self-manage their condition," explains Cathy Benbow Plewes, Coordinator of the Halton Diabetes Program. "By understanding their disease, their medications and how their eating habits and activity impact their condition, the patient becomes a better decision maker on the road to achieving a healthier lifestyle."
Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot properly use or store fuel from the foods you eat. Type 1 Diabetes (insulin dependant diabetes), most often seen in children, occurs when the pancreas produces no insulin. Type 2 Diabetes, or adult onset Diabetes, occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or when it develops a resistance to the insulin it does produce. People at highest risk are those with a family history of Diabetes, who have a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight.
"Due to fast food and too little exercise in an aging population, Type 2 Diabetes is increasingly more common and constitutes the majority of cases seen by the Halton Diabetes Program," explains Dr. Grahame Owen, Chair of the Halton Diabetes Program Coordinating Committee and Liaison Physician with the Oakville Program. "There are 27,000 people in Halton who have this disease and unfortunately up to one-half of them are unaware of it."
But Type 2 Diabetes can also occur in active slim individuals like Michael. Due to insufficient amounts of insulin, Michael's body could not store or use the energy from the food he ate so he began losing weight as his body started using up its reserves.
"Diabetes is a silent disease because often, by the time it is diagnosed, the patient is already experiencing some of its complications. Unlike Michael not everyone has warning," explained Dr. Owen. "You can live with the condition for years before it is caught. Your first sign may be an actual heart attack, problems with your eyes, or numbness and tingling in your feet."
Michael's apprehension quickly diminished once he met Jane Harper, his Dietitian, and Helene Rudichuk, his nurse, at the Halton Diabetes Program. "They took a real interest in me. They asked about my West Indian culture, my eating habits and my lifestyle," explained Michael. "They asked me to bring some of my West Indian foods so we could design a meal plan that I could live with."
The first step in managing Diabetes is developing healthy eating habits. "In my culture, we believe that you have to get all your work done before you sit down to eat. I used to skip breakfast and start my day with just a cup of coffee. When I finally did sit down, I was starving -so I usually over-ate," recalled Michael. "Now I start my day with breakfast, eat smaller portions but more often and I monitor my blood closely before and after each meal."
The Halton Diabetes Program has a team of experts including doctors, dietitians, physiotherapists, chiropodists, pharmacists, social workers and stress management therapists who offer specialized information (one on one or in group sessions) on a range of topics from medication and footcare to stress management and physical activity.
The first group session Michael attended was an interactive session called "Quick and Basic", intended to introduce patients to the Program. "Instead of lecturing, Jane and Helene asked questions and encouraged us to share our experiences," recalled Michael. " We were invited to discuss anything we did not agree with or believe."
"Newly diagnosed patients are often overwhelmed, scared and in denial. Sometimes they feel guilty that their poor eating habits caused their condition. We try to dispel their misconceptions with information and replace their fear, anger and confusion with a sense of control, " continued Jane. "Our message is 'You have Diabetes, but its going to be okay. We are here to help you learn how to help yourself'."
"We encourage patients to make small but significant changes. That way their changes become ingrained as part of a healthy lifestyle. Eat a little less, do a little more and opt for healthy choices," continued Jane.
"But we are not here to judge," added Helene. "We can put you in the driver's seat and teach you how to drive but you have to negotiate your own turns and live with the consequences of your choices."
Michael hit a roadblock when he realized that his condition was progressing and that he could no longer control it with his meal plans and the pills he was initially prescribed by his Doctor. Michael knew he needed insulin, but his fear of needles and his reservations about starting insulin held him back. In November 1999, two years after his initial diagnosis, Michael was wasting away as his blood sugars soared. His weight had dropped from 165 lbs. to 127 lbs.
"Diabetes must be taken seriously. There is no such thing as borderline Diabetes or just 'a touch of sugar'. Left untreated or improperly managed, the excess sugar in the blood slowly damages the small and large blood vessels which can lead to heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, leg amputations and impotence," explained Dr. Owen ."The good news is that these complications are not inevitable if the Diabetes is brought under control. Even if complications have already developed they can be slowed, stopped or even reversed in many instances."
Michael finally overcame his doubts and fears and decided to give insulin a try last November (1999) after meeting endocrinologist, Dr. Ronnie Aronson. "Having seen the insulin pen, I realized it was a very tiny needle which you could hardly feel," recalled Michael. "It was so easy but it made such a difference. I started feeling more energetic and within a few weeks I started gaining weight."
Today Michael feels great. He has regained most of his weight and is grateful to have his life back. He is very comfortable with his meal plans and insulin and he can make adjustments to both with ease. "I don't feel deprived in any way. I am grateful to have my energy back. Finding my way to the Oakville Diabetes Centre, (now the Halton Diabetes Program) at OTMH was possibly the best thing I did for my health."
How to Access the Halton Diabetes Program
While patients are usually referred to the Halton Diabetes Program by their family physician, the program will also facilitate referrals for patients who wish to make the first contact. To reach the Halton Diabetes Program please call the site closest to you. Call 338-4104 for the Oakville site, 878-2383 for the Milton site and 633- 7070 for the Burlington site.
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