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Stack of Donuts [Photo Courtesy: commons.wikipedia.org]

I work with a 47 year old woman who loves to eat. She is a single woman with no children, so she spends quite a bit of her free time going out to eat with her friends. Every Monday morning, she tells me about her weekend, which consists of eating at a local restaurant. She tells me what they had to drink, typically alcoholic drinks, and what they ate. They usually eat salty, fatty foods. Maybe she likes to tell me because I take my lunch to work everyday, and I try to eat healthy. I also try to exercise 30 minutes per day. She told me that she wants to lose weight, and hired 2 personal trainers over the past year. She quit each time the exercising became too strenuous for her. I told her she didn’t need to spend money on personal trainers. All she needs to do is start walking 10 minutes per day. Walking is free. Walking is healthy. A brisk walk will increase your heart rate.

Several days ago, she became ill after eating buffalo wild wings and onion rings. She spent the weekend nauseous and vomiting. She even tried to eat more buffalo wild wings and onion rings the next day, but didn’t have much of an appetite. She also experienced excessive thirst and frequent trips to the bathroom. When she came to work, she looked weak and disoriented. I asked her if she was feeling well and she told me about her weekend. I asked her if she was going to see her doctor, and she said yes. I was relieved, and thought to myself “thank goodness.” I had an experience with a diabetic co-worker several years ago. She suffered a diabetic seizure at work and I had to call 911, put a spoon in her mouth so she wouldn’t swallow her tongue, and keep an eye on her until the paramedics arrived. It was a scary and stressful experience for me and I didn’t want to go through it again!

I asked my co-worker what time her doctor’s appointment and she said 4pm. It was 3pm and she looked horrible. I suggested she leave early and she agreed. The next morning, she called into work and told us that she was in the emergency room at the hospital. Her glucose (blood sugar) was over 600! I was shocked and scared! Scared for her and every person who has diabetes. Diabetes is an epidemic in the U.S.A. The Centers for Disease Control designated the southeastern region of the U.S.A. as the “Diabetes Belt.” Commitment to diet and exercise is a daily challenge. I sincerely hope my co-worker successfully recovers and heals. I hope she can make the commitment to improve her diet and exercise at least 30 minutes per day. I certainly plan to encourage her.

If you are over 50 and have diabetes or know someone who does, please share your feelings or concerns with us at The Fifty Plus Network:

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