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Alert: Product and Recall Notices3 Ways Peer Support Can Help With Diabetes Management
Diabetes is not an easy disease. From diagnosis to daily management, diabetes can cause a lot of self-doubt and at times, make you feel down. Peer support can help you assure yourself you are managing this disease the best you can, and there are ways to live a healthy lifestyle despite all of the negative feelings you may be feeling at the time. Peer support can help you get through the tough times that come with living with diabetes.
Here are 3 ways peer support can help you manage and cope with your diabetes.
1. Insulin Pump Questions
We have all had questions about our insulin pumps from time to time, whether it is a question about a specific alarm, how to use the dual-wave bolus feature, or even a question about an infusion set site. Being able to talk with a peer who has experience pumping, gone through the same situation, or had the same question can help educate, encourage, and provide you confidence in managing your diabetes with technology.
Please always keep in mind you may need to call your diabetes device (pump, continuous close monitor (CGM), blood glucose meter, etc.) manufacturer about specific problems.
2. Health Concerns
During your lifetime with diabetes, you’ll often hear and learn about the potential complications related to diabetes. All of these potential health effects can create a lot of worry about your future health and well-being. Being able to talk to someone about a concern you have about potential health issues can make you feel so much better in two ways. First, just being able to get that concern off of your chest and not have to hold it in constantly. Secondly, sharing experiences and seeing how other people living with diabetes think about and deal with a certain health risk can make you feel a lot more at ease.
3. Just Someone to Be There
This may actually be the most important aspect of how peer support can help you manage and cope with your diabetes. Just having someone who is willing to listen and be there for you is powerful, especially if that person is also living with diabetes. I am the only person in my family with type 1 diabetes. I can talk to my wife, parents, brother, and friends and they offer empathy and support, but it just doesn’t feel the same as when I talk to another person living with diabetes. It is a magical feeling to have a discussion about a concern of mine with someone else who understands what I’m going through and know that I am not alone.
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Editorial Team
LOOP Blog Editorial TeamAt Medtronic Diabetes our vision is to transform diabetes care together for greater freedom and better health. Each word in that statement is important – including the one “together”. We’re a group of passionate people working hard to make a big positive impact on the lives of those with diabetes. But we can’t do it alone. Collaboration is key. With healthcare providers, academic institutions, non-profits and other companies. And, most importantly, with you – the people who live with diabetes every day.
Where do we go to find this peer support??? I cannot find a group for us…
Please help us!
Karen/Bill
Karen,
Thank you for your comment. There are a few places that you can start when looking for a group. You can first try and connect with your local JDRF or American Diabetes Association office. They may have some sort of support group that you can attend.
Also, ask your endocrinologist or healthcare professional if they know of any support groups. Local hospitals will tend to have support groups for people with diabetes as well.
Another great way to find peer support is through online channels. There are many ways to find support on Facebook and Twitter.
If you have Twitter, search the hashtag #diabetes and you will find a lot of people to connect with.
Be sure to check back on here because we actually have an additional post coming that outlines some of these ways to connect with people to gain that support.