That's Fit

Investing in fitness and healthy eating habits now may deliver a big payoff later. New research reveals group-based diet and exercise interventions over six years can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes for up to 14 years. The study was published last week in a Diabetes Special Issue of The Lancet.

This study started way back in 1986, randomly assigning 577 adults with impaired glucose tolerance across 33 clinics in China to a control group or one of three lifestyle intervention groups incorporating diet, exercise or diet plus exercise. Interventions actively continued for the following six years until 1992, then participants were assessed in 2006 to determine long-term impacts of each intervention.

Compared to control participants, the combined lifestyle interventions reduced diabetes incidence by 51 percent during the six-year active intervention, and by 43 percent over the 20-year study span. Average annual incidence of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes was seven percent for intervention participants compared to 11 percent in the control group. By 2006, 80 percent of the intervention group had diabetes compared to 93 percent of the control group. Additionally, the intervention group spent an average of 3.6 fewer years with diabetes than controls.

The Food and Drug Administration has just published new research on the risks of insulin pump use in teenagers. News-wise this story was small potatoes, but if you're tuned into Type 1 (T1) diabetes you might have seen it. As a sister and daughter of two brothers and both parents with T1 diabetes, I couldn't miss it. My brother used to be an insulin pumper, but he nearly lost his life due to a pump-related skin infection and is back to the land of daily injections by needle.

The FDA reviewed a decade of reports from 1996-2005 involving adverse events and deaths in 12 to 21-year-old T1 diabetics utilizing insulin pumps. An alternative to multiple daily injections, the cell-phone sized pumps send a stream of needed insulin into the body through a plastic tube inserted under the skin. Many T1s realize better blood glucose control with pump therapy compared to daily injections.

Reviewers found 13 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries connected with the pumps. Sometimes the pumps malfunctioned (e.g., a blocked tube), others times the teens were at fault. Some dropped 'em -- teens are not exactly known for their rigorous care for gear -- just think of all those forgotten orthodontia retainers sliding off cafeteria lunch trays into the trash. Some teens simply did not know how to use the pumps correctly. FDA researchers called for parent vigilance in monitoring their children's use of the pump, as well as more research to examine pump safety concerns in teens and children. No doubt insulin pumps have improved the lives of many, but they require careful use and are no replacement for the diligent, daily monitoring of blood glucose required by people with T1 diabetes.

If you'd like to read about my brother's insulin pump nightmare, check out my recent post on Trusera. I have started blogging specifically about diabetes over at Trusera, an interactive health website for people seeking answers and a place to vent on health issues close to their hearts. Whether it's autism, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infertility, lyme disease, migraines, Fragile X Syndrome or another condition, Trusera is a safe place to find stories, tell your story and connect with people facing similar health journeys.

Join me as I search my soul for direction regarding my latest pursuit: A tummy tuck. Will I go through with it? Will I "Tuck It In?" Keep reading. Keep coming back. And you'll find out.

March 30, 2008

I knew when I first starting dreaming of a tummy tuck that I'd need to talk with several people who had already received the procedure. I can't go into anything blindly. I need information, opinions, real-world stories. As soon as I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was scouring the Internet for journals and blogs -- anything that would allow me to peek into the lives of women who did battle with this disease before me. It's no different now. If you've had a tummy tuck, I want to hear about it.

My plastic surgeon's coordinator, a tummy tuck graduate herself, gave me the names and numbers of two former patients. I talked with them yesterday. The offered me some pretty good stuff.

Both said right off the bat that they'd have the surgery again, it's that spectacular and life-changing. There were no complications for these women, one of them 50 years old; the other older than 50. Both are a year out now, wearing pants that actually fit their bodies and not just their tummies. Both overwhelmingly recommended the surgery, despite the few drawbacks.

My new tummy tuck friends both said the first week post-surgery is very tough. There will be pain, they said, and it will be hard to get up and down. One recommended a raised potty seat -- I'm in luck: I have access to one. One of the women advised me to stay ahead of the pain by taking meds before it gets too bad. The other said she only took a pill -- a ¼ of a pill really -- when the pain was too much to take.

Drains, in place for about one week after surgery to allow for drainage of excess fluid, will be cumbersome, say these gals. Since they need to be emptied every three or four hours, it can be quite a task. Sleeping in a recliner was recommended for the first few days. Laughing, coughing, and sneezing will apparently be a chore. Help is a necessity, at least for the first night or two. And I'm likely to be fully functioning after just two weeks. Both of these women were back to full-time work within two weeks.

What these women shared with me is so very valuable. No doctor could have prepared me like those who've been in the trenches. There's just something about the power of people -- people who've been there -- to help prepare us for the journeys we take in life.

For more "been there" health stories, check out Trusera.com, an online network of people sharing health experiences so others can benefit.

NOTE: Abdominoplasty is recommended for those whose skin and muscle cannot recover on their own as a result of significant weight loss, pregnancy, aging, heredity, or prior surgery. It is not a substitute for weight loss or an appropriate exercise program. For more information about this surgery, click here

I'm telling my story -- my breast cancer story -- on Trusera.com. You might want to tell yours too. Or read the stories others are writing. Or pass on the mission of this site to someone who might benefit.

Trusera is a free online health community based on the power of storytelling. It's a safe and comfortable environment that connects people who've "been there" to people seeking credible, relevant health information. It's a perfect place for those embarking on a medical journey, those who want a real-life glimpse into real-life health and medical issues, those who wish to share their own healthy tips and tricks.

Want information on nutrition? The community at Trusera has got it. How about diet? Exercise? Aging? Autism? It's all there, at Trusera's one-stop shop. Don't need any information at the moment? Then share what you've got stored in that head of yours. Someone will surely gain from your wisdom. Tell your story. Submit a journal entry. Share a video. Just don't keep what you know to yourself. Get it out there. That's what I'm doing.

By the way, if you have a breast cancer story to tell and you share it before March 30, Trusera will donate $10 to Gilda's Club for the first 500 people. Click here to sign up-and be sure to note "Gilda's Club" on the registration form.