Diabetes (Type 2) is the most common lifestyle disease nowadays. In simple words, we say, a person with diabetes has high blood sugar levels. And, this high blood sugar can lead to many health problems. However, diabetes can be managed. The first step to managing diabetes is glucose monitoring. Recently I got to know about the painless way to check blood sugar. Yes, Glucose Monitoring Can Be Pain-free!

I had a chance to attend an event on “Living Fully With Diabetes” where the speakers talked about how Continuous Glucose Monitoring help monitor glucose levels effectively. I got to learn about a device that makes glucose monitoring pain-free.

#LivingFullyWithDiabetes

This event was organized by the Blogchatter team and they invited actor Jay Bhanushali to share his experience as a caregiver to his mother who is a diabetic for the last 10 years.

How to Manage Diabetes?

My husband is living with diabetes for the last 5 years but we still struggle to manage it effectively. He was diagnosed during a routine health check-up arranged by his company for all their employees. He had high blood sugar and was immediately asked to meet the doctor and get all the tests done. And, next came high blood pressure and high cholesterol. That day changed our lives.

Being a caregiver to my husband, I understand the challenges that come with it. And, I can say that living with diabetes is not easy at all. The fight starts with accepting the fact that you have diabetes and now your whole life and the way you live is going to change. It does not just affect the person with diabetes but also everyone else in the family.

However, the doctor assured us that if we take care of a few things, they can be managed easily.

Here are the things he emphasized on, to manage diabetes and to reduce the risk of complications.

1- Healthy Diet 

We were given a list of food items that my husband can eat. The doctor pointed out the importance of having a balanced diet. He talked about eating healthy food in the right amounts and at the right times. We were also asked to meet a dietician to devise a meal plan for him.

2- Physical Activity

When my husband was diagnosed, he was in the overweight category. So, the doctor asked him to focus on achieving a healthy weight by including 1 hour of physical activity in his daily routine. So, he started taking stairs instead of choosing the elevator or escalator. He even bought a bicycle to ride to his office. Within a year, he was able to maintain a healthy weight.

You may also read – 5 Simple Cardio Exercises Best Suited for Beginners!

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3- Timely Medication

Since there is no cure for diabetes, medicines become an essential part of managing diabetes. So, one has to take medicines on time. Additionally, the doctor emphasized on not skipping the medicine even if the blood sugar levels are within limits.

4- Regular Glucose Monitoring

Glucose monitoring is the most important part of managing diabetes. Our doctor suggested we buy a glucometer and check the blood sugar at regular intervals to keep a tab on the glucose levels. This is the toughest part I feel because it is no joke pricking your fingers every 3-4 hours. My husband doesn’t like that part at all, so many times he skips testing just to avoid the prick. Especially while we are traveling.

Living Fully With Diabetes

During the event, Jay Bhanushali talked about how he takes care of his mother’s diet and exercise. I agree with his point that people with diabetes go through various emotions so, as primary caregivers, we need to understand what they are going through.

My husband gets too demotivated on days, he sees his glucose reading is too high. That’s when I have to jump in and be there with him.

During the event, Jay also shared about the continuous glucose monitoring device, FreeStyle Libre, which his mother is using. I found it quite impressive as there’s no painful pricking involved. One has to place the sensor on their arm and use the reader to scan their glucose readings. Another best part is that it can be worn for up to 14 days.

Know more about FreeStyle Libre and Continuous Glucose Monitoring, click here: https://bit.ly/BCRDiabetes

You can buy FreeStyle Libre here.

Conclusion

Diabetes can be managed effectively if one takes care of their diet, exercise, sleep, stress levels, and takes timely medicines. And, of course, monitors their blood sugar constantly.

Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post.

The post Is there a Painless way to check Blood Sugar for managing Diabetes? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hello everyone, as promised I am bringing to you ‘MAA – The Mom Series‘ starting from today where you can read the crude awe-inspiring stories of motherhood and parenting shared by wonderful moms who are not any big writers or famous names but simply next door moms just like you and me. They chose to come out of their comfort zone and share their life’s part with us in the form of articles and that makes them so amazing as this itself requires a lot of courage!

The journey towards Motherhood: ‘Two lines’ to ‘Two smiles’ (Twin Pregnancy) – By Rajavee Gupta

Seeing my two active toddlers playing around makes me feel blessed and happy like all you mums. However, bringing them into this world was not easy and this was all like a distant dream. Though it’s very emotional for me to re-live my whole pregnancy (as some of the instances still give me Goosebumps), I really feel my journey to motherhood could give hope and positivity to many expecting mums out there. Also, I want to highlight we were in Belfast, UK far away from our family during this roller-coaster ride.

Our pregnancy started with the magical moment when we saw those 2 pink lines. On our 1st scan, we both were on cloud nine when we saw those 2 heartbeats (Baby 1 & Baby 2, Yay!). A week later, sickness and acid reflux became my best friends and did not leave me until my labor (Believe me, its worst with the twins). As we were about to enter the 2nd trimester, we met our first nightmare- Subchorionic hemorrhage/hematoma.

Subchorionic hemorrhage- is the pooling of blood (hematoma) between the chorion, a membrane surrounding the embryo (developing baby), and the uterine wall. It occurs in about 3.1% of all pregnancies, it is the most common sonographic abnormality and the most common cause of first trimester bleeding.

Source – Wikipedia

I started bleeding heavily and my husband had to call 999 (the emergency). In the hospital, we both tried to stay positive but deep down we both were dead scared. My husband, he was and is my pillar. There was nothing that doctors could have done to stop the bleeding. However, my tiny bubs were strong and their beating hearts on the scan was our only hope during those darkest hours. I got discharged when the bleeding stopped but spotting continued for a month.

Since then, the hospital became my 2nd home. From a brush with the decision of emergency C-section (2nd nightmare, that’s another story for some other time!) to regular hospital visits, we finally entered into our 3rd trimester. It was a big relief! We really thought we had made through the scary part but at 30th week, I was diagnosed with diabetes (even though I did not touch sugar) and obstetric cholestasis.

Obstetric Cholestasis (OC) is a liver disorder that occurs in around one in 140 pregnancies in the UK, where the normal flow of bile out of the liver is reduced. Chemicals in the bile called bile salts can then build up and ‘leak’ into the bloodstream. This causes affected women to have increased levels of bile salts in their blood.

Source – British Liver Trust

I managed to control diabetes by diet alone (big thanks to my dietician and my ‘masterchef’ hubby) however had to take tablets for cholestasis for rest of the pregnancy.

Now as further weeks passed by, we eventually got relaxed especially my hubby as my parents joined us in Belfast and he could get rid of cooking and other house chores. After entering into 36th week, I was happy to finally get booked for C-section as the weight of my bump, acid reflux and sleeplessness was driving me crazy. My doctors were unhappy with my decision of C-section as they preferred normal (vaginal) delivery for singleton and twin pregnancies.

However, Rishaan (baby 1) decided to come early (36+5). My water broke in the morning (12 Aug. –The D Day) and by evening I decided to go for normal delivery (ha-ha labor had taken over my mind, all thanks to busy OT). The medical team then gave me epidural (NO PAIN now) and Rishaan arrived around midnight, while Samaira (baby 2- breech baby) came after 11 minutes. The delivery went smooth but I must say it was nothing like a movie (I was blessed to have my hubby by my side whole time).

Post-Delivery in the recovery room, when I was exhausted and couldn’t attend to Rishaan’s cries; I witnessed the most beautiful moment of my life, my hubby cuddling Rishaan & singing his first-ever lullaby and that very moment my life felt complete and meaningful (Yes, we did it! Our lovebugs were here!)

From emotional turmoil of Samaira’s short stay in NICU to breastfeeding/bottle-feeding we all came back home after a week (Happy Family!) Many times I think what made us come this far; is undoubtedly my hubby’s love, our positive approach, family (love you all) and friend’s support, dedicated doctors & midwives, AND our LOVEBUGS!

I really want to thank God for our two bundles of joy, Rishaan & Samaira!

I am thankful for my Kids! – By Srishti Singh

I am Srishti Singh, mother of two kids who are not twins but are the same date born. Being a mother is never an easy job but the toughest one when you are a single parent. My daughter was born on 7 Feb 2006, and son on 7 Feb 2009, I worked a lot with them to turn them into a good human being, to educate them and to teach them how to respect.

We moved to the USA to give the best possible life to our kids in 2015. We were a happy family (I think the happiest one) but suddenly on May 11, 2017, my husband passed away in a tragic accident. For me, it was not him who was gone it was me who died. My kids knew the situation and they slept with me holding my hands in the night as they had the idea that mummy is not well.

The day when the accident took place I wanted to end my life, when kids were asleep I tried to sneak out of the room, but suddenly my daughter woke up and asked in her most innocent way, “Mumma aap kaha jaa rahe ho” (where are you going, mom?). I turned towards her and in that moment realized what was I about to do, I came back to my senses and replied back to her, “nowhere, dear”.

My kids saved me from falling into the dark. Today I am doing everything for my little buddies…they are more like friends to me now. It gets tough sometimes to manage everything but yes my kids are very supportive, non-demanding and caring. After their dad passed away, I realized that we gave good values to our kids, they are my strength and not my weakness. I am a proud mother and now a father too.

I realized that being a mother is not about taking care of the kids but to be cared for too. Today when they smile, I feel satisfied from within. We are a family bonded with love and emotions, strong enough to fight all the odds with a smile on our face. Yes, we do break down sometimes as we miss the most important member…but its ok to cry one’s heart out instead of keeping the pain in the heart forever.

Being a Mother is discovering STRENGTHS you did not know you had and dealing with FEARS you never knew existed.

Hope their stories give some strength and hope to mothers who think they are lost. We all face hardships in life but we always find ways to overcome that, we gain experience which if shared with others in need can help them come out of it with just a little effort. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength!

Thanks Rajavee and Srishti for agreeing to do this for me. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into this!

I will be bringing more such stories from mothers, wait till next Monday. And any of you who wants to share your motherhood experience with others, leave me a message on ‘Growing With Nemit‘ Facebook Page and you could be featured in the December Series.

Also, I will be revealing a ‘Big Surprise‘ in the next Monday’s post. So, stay tuned!

Do leave a comment below and show some love to these moms.

The post Motherhood stories of Hope, Support, Strength and Courage! appeared first on Growing With Nemit.