Care
YOUR ANNUAL DIABETES REVIEW What does your diabetes annual review mean to you? Anita Parkinson is an Auckland Practice Nurse with many years’ experience specialising in diabetes care. She explains all the ins and outs of the yearly check-in, and what you will get out of the visit.
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oming into a medical practice is, for some, a considerable undertaking. This is either because the visit has to fit around work or because poor health or complicated social circumstances make it difficult to get there. It is a common misconception that this appointment is a review of how poorly you are maintaining your health, almost akin to a visit to the headmaster’s office. This is not so. The annual diabetes review is all about how we, as health professionals, can help and enable you. We will do this without judgement or admonishment of perceived failures. You are a human being, not a machine. You are not expected to be perfect and, most of all, diabetes is not your fault. Please believe this fact. FINDING YOUR ‘NORMAL’
I ask patients, ‘How do you manage your diet?’ The usual answer is, ‘You know, just normal.’ Finding out what you perceive as normal is the first measure of where we are heading. I ask what you usually have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes, I hear some
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Autumn 2023
shame that bad foods have been eaten. The thing to remember is there is no such thing as ‘bad’ food. It is all about balance – eating particular foods occasionally and in small quantities. But others should be eaten most days, as staple foods. That familiar line about diet and exercise ‘Eat your greens and go for a walk’ has probably made your ears close because you’ve heard it so many times before. I acknowledge that change is really hard, particularly if you have a family to fit in with. It is always worth giving it a try to improve your eating. Help is out there, including the Diabetes Self-Management Education programme (DSME), which is run by each region’s community coordinator. There you will meet experienced dietitians and gentle health coaches. We are all here for you, and programmes are funded. ‘YES, BUT…’
We often have barriers to doing exercise, but regular movement goes hand in hand with healthy eating. Have you heard yourself say, ‘I could do that, but my life
is too busy’? All these ‘buts’ are self-imposed barriers. They are not your friend nor protector, and they inhibit you being able to move forward. In the review, I might suggest setting a small goal, such as getting out of the chair and walking around the house three times per day. Then slowly add to it. Trying is so important. Please remember, your efforts are always worthwhile. SELF ESTEEM
Low self-esteem can be a huge barrier to making healthy choices. It is not uncommon to find talking about one’s self-esteem a challenge in itself. I usually start by asking where patients place their selfesteem and well-being in their lives. Often, we deflect our own needs in favour of those around us. Those of us with busy lives tend to leave our health hidden and uncared for, and I often have to deflect a few ‘yes, buts’ at this stage as well. But the truth is people often don’t consider their own needs as important as those around them. Sometimes, I invite a patient to
