Category Archives: women with diabetes book

Diabetes Books on my Bookshelf, (Diabetes Monitor)

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in diabetes, diabetes blogs and websites, posted by Amy S. Mercer, women with diabetes book

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We all know that books offer an escape from reality. At the end of the day as we slip between the sheets, exhausted, we reach for the book by the side of the bed and escape into another world. Whether you are a lover of fiction, science fiction, self-help, biography, mystery or young adult books, the power of disappearing between the pages is a treat that never grows old. It doesn’t matter if the story comes in the shape of a hardcover, paperback, e-reader or an iPad, all that matters is the author’s ability to transport, to inspire and to educate.

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1985, I was desperate to find a book about diabetes. I didn’t want a medical book or a book on the history of the disease; I wanted a book about someone like me. I wanted to know that I wasn’t alone and searched for years to find that book. All I found were cookbooks. So, I wrote my own book: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Diabetes, Authentic Advice on Everything from Eating to Dating and Motherhood.

This is the book I wanted to write ever since I was diagnosed 26 years ago. It is a both a guide book and collection of personal stories from other women on a variety of topics. The pages are filled with stories, tips and advice from women who have walked in your shoes.

I’m happy to say that the reading choices for people with diabetes have greatly expanded since I was diagnosed 26 years ago. My shelves are full of informative, inspirational, humorous, and educational books about life with diabetes. I’m not a big fan of top ten lists because someone always gets left out, but I wanted to share some of my favorite diabetes books and came up with a list of six favorites.

Read More about my top diabetes books at Diabetes Monitor.

If you feel I’ve overlooked a favorite book of yours, please let me know and I’ll include it in my next Diabetes Books column on Diabetes Monitor!

‘Confidence Gap’

02 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by in diabetes, diabetes health, exercise, interviews, motherhood, Platform, posted by Amy S. Mercer, Smart Women's Guide to Diabetes, women with diabetes book

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As a woman with diabetes how confident do you feel?

A recent survey conducted by MicroMass Communications based on findings from 828 women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes found that:

“Our research shows that women with diabetes have far more confidence in their ability to take their medications than they have in their ability to make basic lifestyle changes. As a result, healthcare providers should be providing education and support programs that help build that confidence so that women can learn how to make the lifestyle changes necessary to successfully manage their diabetes,” says Andi Kravitz Weiss, MPH. Weiss refers to this discrepancy as “The Confidence Gap.”

I spoke to Weiss about the study (and will include our conversation in my upcoming book-A Smart Woman’s Guide to Diabetes), and she said that many of the women in the survey who were under 45 years old reported being ‘too busy to take good care of themselves.’ She realized that in order to close this confidence gap, women with diabetes need to give themselves permission to take care of themselves, to sometimes put their needs first.

After a long week with Christmas and family, I took Weiss’ advice on Friday morning. Our babysitter arrived and instead of running errands: returning gifts and grocery shopping, I drove out to my parent’s empty house and went for a run. It was an unusually warm, sunny day and it felt fabulous. I ran along the road that borders the intracoastal waterway and stole glimpses of the creek and felt the breeze in my hair. I returned to my parent’s house and sat on their deck and looked out at the sparkly water as I stretched my legs. It felt blissfully indulgent and it allowed me to return home to my children and the messy house and prepare for a visit with the in-laws with CONFIDENCE :)

 

 

Diabetes, Eating Disorders and Depression

22 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in depression, diabetes, Eating Disorders, interviews, posted by Amy S. Mercer, Smart Women's Guide to Diabetes, women with diabetes book

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Thanks to Lee Ann Thill of The Butter Compartment blog who took the time to share her story with me of struggling with depression  and disordered eating for A Smart Women’s Guide to Diabetes. I think no matter how long we’ve been “healthy” or “recovered” from an eating disorder, or how long we’ve kept depression at bay through meds and counseling, it is always emotional to talk about these topics. I feel honored that so many women are willing to share these personal stories with me, and I feel a great responsibility to take care with transporting or translating the stories into the pages of my book.

I keep going back to the idea of sitting in a coffee shop with a group of friends sharing stories about living with diabetes. I know these stories of struggle and triumph will help other diabetic women out there, and that is what keeps me going…

A Philosophy of Diabetes…

19 Sunday Sep 2010

Posted by in diabetes, interviews, posted by Amy S. Mercer, Smart Women's Guide to Diabetes, women with diabetes book, writing

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This week I had a great interview with Dr. Ann Albright, a type 1 diabetic for more than 40 years and the Director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control. I was asking her about diabetes and women’s sexuality, and she told me about the importance of having a “Philosophy of Diabetes.” She said no matter what age you are when you are diagnosed, developing a philosophy about how to live with diabetes will serve you well. She said her own philosophy came from her mother who encouraged her to live her life to its fullest, and not be defined by diabetes. A healthy philosophy and how confident you are about diabetes will impact your relationship with your boyfriend, partner, spouse etc.

I like the idea of a “Philosophy” and to me it seems like something that will evolve and grow over time. Dr. Albright agreed and said she sees diabetes as walking on a tightrope and that her tightrope has gotten wider over time. As a visual learner, that image helps me….I’d like to think that my tightrope is pretty wide right now, or maybe even that as I’ve learned to ask for help and have begun to reach out to others, I’ve now got this giant trampoline under my tightrope that will support me every time I fall. Because I still fall. That’s the nature of this circus……