Diabetes Awareness: Diabetes on the Job
When you go to work, your diabetes goes with you.
You get up, get showered, get breakfast, get to work. You have bills, therefore you have a job.
But you also have diabetes. You have to care for your diabetes while you're at work. Here are 10 tips for merging your diabetes care with your career.
1. Wear medical identification jewelry
- If you ever need medical assistance at work, the emergency medical personnel will know you have diabetes.
2. Decide who to tell
- All things being equal, it might be in your best interest to let a few trusted co-workers or your boss know. Just for your own safety.
3. Give your co-workers a chance
- Don't just assume that your boss won't accommodate you, or that your co-workers won't be helpful. Give them a chance to grasp what diabetes is and understand how they can help you, particularly if you've been diagnosed since starting your current job. Diabetes may be as new to them as it is to you.
4. Get it in writing
- If necessary, get a doctor's note. It may help to get a medical statement from your doctor saying what your diabetes care needs are. Present it to your company nurse or human resources department, and make sure your supervisor gets a copy.
5. Be your own advocate
- Your local hospital or diabetes center may offer programs through which diabetes educators can come to your workplace and explain to your human resources department, supervisors, or co-workers what diabetes is and how they can make the workplace more diabetes-friendly. See if your employer is willing to host such a program.
6. Don't abuse the system
- Unfortunately, there are people who claim extensive health challenges and reap disability benefits their situation may not warrant. That makes it harder for everyone. It's best to save sick days and disability pay for when you really need them.
7. Plan ahead
- The biggest challenge many people with diabetes face is access to meals and breaks. Have snacks readily available should you need to treat a low.
8. Take your equipment with you
- Keep your blood glucose meter and supplies where you can reach them. Don't leave blood glucose meters or insulin in the car. Extreme temperatures can affect them.
9. Watch out for stress
- Stress can wreak havoc on your blood sugars. Stress can cause either high or low blood sugar. It differs from person to person, and sometimes from situation to situation in the same person. Stress may mask symptoms of low blood sugar, or prompt completely different symptoms. Frequent monitoring is your best defense.
10. Keep good diabetes control
- The best thing you can do to remain productive is to stay healthy. Don't let your diabetes get so far out of control that you're not able to work. If you're eating well, exercising, and controlling your blood sugars, you will have a productive work life.
The payoff from a job well done is that if and when you need to take time off for your diabetes care, your boss and co-workers will remember your good track record and be that much more willing to cover for you or help you with scheduling. By communicating with your employer and taking responsibility for your care, you can incorporate your diabetes care into your work life successfully.
If you feel that your employer is not making reasonable accommodations to allow you to care for your diabetes at work, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at: (800) 669-4000 or (800) 669-6820 TTY.
Ask your doctor about diabetes and have your blood sugar checked several times a year.
For more information about diabetes, including a Diabetes Quiz and a Free booklet, visit the Hope4Diabetes website at: http://hope4diabetes.com/info
This 20 page FREE booklet will provide you with in-depth information on comprehensive diabetes care. The 7 principles, or steps, will help you to understand, manage and diagnose your potential diabetes risk.
It could help you live a longer and more active life. The booklet is Yours absolutely FREE - No Risk! Share it NOW with the people you love and want to Keep alive!
David Anderson is a freelance health writer for Hope4Diabetes.com. Awareness is the first step to preventing the onset of diabetes. Visit our website at: http://hope4diabetes.com/info for more information and a free book.
MORE RESOURCES:
 The Guardian | Diabetes quadruples birth defects risk, say researchers BBC News By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News The risk of birth defects increases four-fold if the pregnant mother has diabetes, researchers say. The Newcastle University study, published in the journal Diabetologia, analysed data from more ... Diabetes 'increases birth defect risk' Birth defect risk heightened by diabetic mums Women with diabetes warned to take precautions when having a baby |
 Science Codex | Diabetes study from Sanford-Burnham finds pancreas can 'taste' fructose Orlando Sentinel “We know a lot about how glucose interacts with the pancreas, but we didn't think the pancreas had much to do with fructose,” said Bjorn Tyrberg, adjunct assistant professor in the Diabetes and Research Center at Sanford-Burnham, and senior author of ... Pancreas May 'Taste' Fructose, Hinting at Links to Diabetes Tasting fructose with the pancreas |
 Waterbury Republican American | Paula Deen talks diabetes, recent controversy Fayetteville Observer By Jennifer Calhoun When celebrity chef Paula Deen announced she has was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago, no one seemed shocked. But many were frustrated, including local diabetes educators. After all, the down-home, Savannah-based ... A diabetes dialogue |
ACP Guideline Addresses Pharmacotherapy of Type 2 Diabetes Medscape February 6, 2012 — Metformin should be the initial drug for most patients with type 2 diabetes refractory to lifestyle modifications, with a second drug added if needed, according to a new clinical practice guideline from the American College of ... Metformin Preferred Drug for Type 2 Diabetes, Experts Say New Guideline: Metformin Best to Control HbA1c Metformin Is Type 2 Diabetes Drug of Choice |
Diabetes counsellors' crunch ails Bhopal Times of India BHOPAL: With an estimated two lakh people in the city having diabetes, there are barely a couple of diabetes counsellors, according to Centre of Diabetes and Obesity Management (CDOM). Experts view diabetic care not only in terms of equipment but, ... |
 Press TV | Diabetes takes toll on women's hearing Florida Today Diabetes is associated with hearing loss in women, especially if the blood sugar disease isn't well-controlled, new research indicates. The study, done by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, examined the medical records of 990 men and women ... Uncontrolled diabetes can cause hearing loss in women Study links diabetes, hearing loss in women |
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The Curse of Amylin's Diabetes Drug Approval TheStreet.com ... after more than two and a half years, two FDA rejection letters, and at least a dozen amendments to the application, Amylin Pharmaceuticals(AMLN) received FDA approval for Bydureon, a once-weekly formulation of its existing diabetes drug Byetta. Amylin takes 4Q loss as Lilly partnership ends Amylin Pharmaceuticals Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Financial Results Inside Wall Street: Is Amylin a buyout target? |
Hypertension, diabetes rife in Ahmedabad: AMC survey Times of India AHMEDABAD: The entrepreneur Amdavadi across various economic strata now shows chronic signs of being both stressed and diabetic. In one of the recent comprehensive medical camps run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), for citizens across its ... |
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