Introduction

You’re reading the 4th edition of Diabetes For Dummies, and you may be wondering why another edition is necessary. The previous edition (published in 2008) had everything you needed to know to reverse the plague of diabetes, yet the problem seems to be increasing, not decreasing. Following are some of the possible explanations for this situation:

Not enough people bought the last edition of the book.

Even if they bought it, not enough people followed the recommendations in the book.

Too many people aren’t even aware that this book exists.

No book or books can stop an avalanche after the snow starts rolling downhill.

Some new information, not available four years ago, may be able to make a major difference toward reversing diabetes.

The real answer is actually all of the above (and probably several more reasons).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently suggested that as many as one in three adults in the United States will have diabetes by the year 2050. The International Diabetes Federation reports that 366 million people had diabetes in 2011 and that 552 million will have the disease by 2030 — that’s one in every ten people on the Earth. In the last edition of this book, I set this figure at 366 million by 2030, so you can see that today’s predictions are even more dire than those of four years ago. This increase is because the population is aging, minority groups who have a higher risk for diabetes are increasing, and, fortunately, people with diabetes are living longer. However, these numbers are based on past trends. The prediction will not turn out to be true if people improve their lifestyle choices through the means discussed in this book.

Over the last decade, a large study was performed in Germany to see if lifestyle change could make a difference. Four major factors were evaluated in over 23,000 Germans. The factors were

Never smoking

Body-mass index less than 30

Exercising for three and a half hours or more a week

Following healthy dietary principles: high intake of fruits and vegetables, eating whole-grain bread, and low meat consumption

The happy finding was that the more factors a person followed, the lower the risk of major chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. People who followed all four had a 78 percent lower risk of those diseases than people who had no healthy factor. People with three factors were a little less protected, with two a bit less and with one even less but still better than no factors at all.

About This Book

So much has changed in the four years since the third edition of Diabetes For Dummies was written that a fourth edition was clearly necessary. I need to tell you about new medicines (see Chapter 10), new glucose meters (Chapter 7), and new ideas about diet and exercise (Chapters 8 and 9). I also need to share new information about diabetes in children (Chapter 13) and the occupational and insurance problems of people with diabetes (Chapter 15). Just about every chapter has something new, especially (obviously) Chapter 16, which deals specifically with what’s new in diabetes care.

A new edition also gives me the opportunity to thank the thousands of people who have thanked me for Diabetes For Dummies. You have given me a sense of enormous gratification for writing this book. You have shared your stories with me, permitting me to laugh and cry with you. One of the best is the following from Andrea in Canada:

My 3-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with diabetes type one. It has been a rough time. To help us out, my brother and his wife bought us your book, Diabetes For Dummies. One day my daughter saw this bright yellow book and asked what I was reading. I told her Diabetes For Dummies. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted it. I didn’t want her to think that dummies got diabetes so I quickly added, “I am the dummy.” Without missing a beat, she then asked, “Am I the diabetes?”

The story doesn’t just end there. The other day she was relaxing on the couch. She looked at me and said, “I don’t want to have diabetes anymore.” Feeling terrible, I responded, “I know sweetie; I don’t want you to have it anymore either.” I then explained that she would have diabetes for the rest of her life. With a very concerned look she then asked, “Will you be the dummy for the rest of your life?”

As sad as it is, I guess you’re right, one must look for humor in everything, otherwise we would have broken down by now.

You’re not required to read this book from cover to cover, although if you know nothing about diabetes, reading straight through may be a good approach. This book is designed to serve as a source for information about the problems that arise over the years. You can find the latest facts about diabetes and the best sources to discover any information that comes out after the publication of this edition.

Conventions Used in This Book

Throughout this book I use some specific conventions to make the text clearer, to highlight information, and to make your read as effortless as possible. These conventions are important to know, so I list them here:

Sugar versus glucose: Diabetes, as you may know, is all about sugar. But sugars come in many types. So doctors avoid using the words sugar and glucose interchangeably. In this book (unless I slip up), I use the word glucose rather than sugar. (You may as well get used to it.)

Emphasis on type 2 diabetes: There are a number of different types of diabetes (see my explanation in Chapter 3), and the most common are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Because I recently published Type 1 Diabetes For Dummies (Wiley), most of what you read here is about type 2 diabetes.

Abbreviations: To save time, I use the following abbreviations:

• T1DM: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (formal name of type 1 diabetes)

• T2DM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (formal name of type 2 diabetes)

Pharmaceutical drug names: When I mention a drug used in the treatment of diabetes, I give the generic name. I provide the trade name in parentheses if relevant.

What You’re Not to Read

Throughout the book, you find shaded areas called sidebars. These sidebars contain material that is interesting but not essential. I hereby give you permission to skip them if the material inside them is of no particular interest to you. You will still understand everything else.

In addition, I’ve marked some paragraphs that have a more technical nature with the Technical Stuff icon (see the section “Icons Used in This Book,” later in this Introduction for more information on icons). Although these paragraphs deepen your knowledge of diabetes as well as broaden your vocabulary, you can still understand the text without reading them.

Foolish Assumptions

The book assumes that you know nothing about diabetes. So you will not suddenly have to face a term that you’ve never heard of before and that is not explained. For those who already know a lot about diabetes, you can find more in-depth explanations in this book as well. You can pick and choose how much you want to know about a subject, but the key points are clearly marked.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into six parts to help you find out all you can about the topic of diabetes.

Part I: Dealing with the Onset of Diabetes

To slay the dragon, you have to be able to identify it. This part explains the different types of diabetes, how you get them, and whether you can give them to others.

In this part, you find out how to deal with the emotional and psychological consequences of the diagnosis and what all those big words mean. You also find out how to prevent the complications of diabetes.

Part II: How Diabetes Affects Your Body

Some diseases seem to affect every part of the body. Diabetes is one of them. If you understand diabetes, you will have a pretty good grasp of how other illnesses can change the state of your health.

In this part, you find out what you need to know about both the short- and long-term complications of diabetes. You also find out about some sexual problems related to diabetes and the problems of a diabetic pregnancy.

Part III: Managing Diabetes: The “Thriving with Diabetes” Lifestyle Plan

In this part, you discover all the tools available to treat diabetes. You find out about the kinds of tests that you should be doing on your own as well as the tests your doctor should order to get a clear picture of the severity of your diabetes. I also show you what to do about your specific condition and how to follow the success of therapy.

In these chapters, you also discover the dietary changes that you need to make to control your blood glucose and how to get the most out of your exercise routine and medications. Finally, you find out about the huge amount of help available to you and your family. It is yours for the taking, and you definitely should take advantage of it.

Part IV: Special Considerations for Living with Diabetes

The way that diabetes develops is different for each age group. In this part, you discover those differences and how to manage them. I have a lot more to say in these chapters about children and the elderly with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). You also find out about some of the special economic problems of people with diabetes, which relate to jobs and insurance.

Lastly, this part covers all the new developments in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diabetes and helps correct a lot of misinformation about diabetes treatment.

Part V: The Part of Tens

This part presents some key suggestions: the stuff you most need to know as well as the stuff you least want to know.

You discover the ten commandments of diabetes care and the myths that confuse many diabetic patients. You also find out how to get others to help you in your efforts to control your diabetes.

Part VI: Appendixes

Three special appendixes help you help yourself. One appendix points out hot spots to visit on the Internet to find info about diabetes, another provides you with a handy glossary in case you forget what a diabetes-related term means, and the third appendix helps you improve your diet by giving you some delicious diabetic-friendly recipes to try.

Icons Used in This Book

The icons alert you to information you must know, information you should know, and information you may find interesting but can live without.

When you see this icon, it means the information is essential and you should be aware of it.

This icon points out when you should see your doctor (for example, if your blood glucose level is too high or you need a particular test done).

This icon marks important information that can save you time and energy.

I use this icon whenever I tell a story about patients.

This icon gives you technical information or terminology that may be helpful, but not necessary, to your understanding of the topic.

This icon warns against potential problems (for example, if you don’t treat a complication of diabetes properly).

Where to Go from Here

Where you go from here depends on your needs. If you already have basic knowledge of diabetes and want to know more about complications, go to Chapter 3. If you are a novice, start at Chapter 1. If you want to know more about the medications you are taking, go to Chapter 10. Each chapter title clearly tells you what you can find there, so check the table of contents to find what you need rapidly.

You’re ready to get started on this trip we’re taking together. Welcome! I hope it will be as much fun and as enlightening for you as it was for me.

As you will find out, keeping a positive attitude and finding some humor in your diabetes can help you a great deal. At times you will feel like doing anything but laughing. But scientific studies are clear about the benefits of a positive attitude. In a very few words: He who laughs, lasts. Another point is that people learn more and retain more when humor is part of the process.