Living With Diabetes On A Low Income.
Diabetes is a difficult disease to control if you have the resources– health insurance, a job, and a supportive partner. But it can be really hard if any of those are missing. Here are some tips that some of my patients have used to make it a little easier.
Affording your diabetic meds can be difficult on a low income.
As a type 2 diabetic, you need your meds to keep your sugars dialed in. But they’re expensive! But you have options.
The first thing that you need to do is to talk to the folks at the Social Security office. You may qualify for financial help with insurance, food stamps, or even income. You don’t know if you don’t ask, and no one is going to fight for your rights to the help you need as hard as you should!
Any help that you get will ease your mind and make this disease a step closer to controlling.
Ask your doc or his staff for help with samples on occasion. Don’t ask every time, and take no for an answer if they don’t have any, but ask.
You may be surprised at how helpful they are.
Contact the drug company that makes your med. They often have patient assistance programs to make their drug more affordable for you. Be prepared to prove your financial hardship but these companies can be very generous.
Some of these tips take some effort and you may have to swallow your pride a bit to ask for the help that you need. But if you don’t take your meds, you may need a lot more help later with complications from poorly controlled diabetes.
Choosing your foods when you’re diabetic can be a challenge with low income.
Many of our cities don’t have affordable grocery stores. “Food deserts” are real! Fresh vegetables and fruits, fresh meats and fish, and fresh eggs and dairy foods can be expensive!
Again, explore your options for assistance from social services with food stamps and other services.
And even though fresh food is difficult to come by, you’re faced with lots of easy, fast, and processed food choices that are much cheaper and less hassle.
All I can say is, “Do your best!”. Try to get fresh foods as often as you can afford to. Try to make your food choices as close to fresh foods as possible.
Have a salad with your burger.
Have the small fries or a bigger salad.
Have the iced tea with a little sugar or a coffee, not the sweet tea, fancy coffee drink, or a soft drink.
Have a double burger with lots of veggies on it and less sauces.
The idea is to eat as well as you can in whatever situation you’re in. Be thoughtful about your choices. Keep your diabetes top of mind whenever you eat a meal. Pick affordable but healthy foods, the best you can with the resources that you have.
Combating depression when you’re diabetic is necessary.
Diabetes is a tough disease. New meds. New food choices. Lots of new “dos and don’ts”. It can be depressing to have all of this loss of control in your life tossed at you at once.
But you need to take care of yourself. If you are depressed, please get the help that you need from your spiritual counselor, mental health provider, or doctor.
Diabetes is a tough disease to control if you don’t have your best interests top of mind 24-7!
You can take back control of your life which can help to ease your mind. Taking back the control puts you back in the driver’s seat. It gives you power over your life and your diabetes.
Get educated about your disease. Be your own rule maker, but make sure the rules help your diabetes. Learn that you have control and it’s much less depressing.
Making time for proper exercise when you’re diabetic with low income is important.
Joining a health club or gym when you work 2 jobs and have a family or other obligations can be expensive and time-consuming.
You can still get the exercise that you need without a lot of time or expense. The type of exercise that you need has to \build muscle. Everyone loses muscle as they age, but diabetics lose it quicker.
The fluctuations in blood sugar that occur even with the best medical control cause the body to lose muscle tissue trying to keep your sugars stable.
Muscle-building exercise doesn’t need to take a lot of time or cost a lot. The internet is full of bodyweight exercise programs, kettlebell routines, and sandbag workouts. All of these are relatively cheap and don’t take a lot of time.
The idea is to take the time to do it. Keep ahead of the muscle loss and you will be well ahead of your peers, even non-diabetics!
Low income and a busy lifestyle don’t have to cause you to lose control of your diabetes.
Get the help that you need financially, nutritionally, emotionally, and physically. You don’t have to do this alone. Get the help you need to tackle this disease. There is more help out there than you think.
You deserve it! You deserve to be able to live with your diabetes, not just survive, no matter your income level.
Yours in empowerment,
Dr. Doug Zale
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If you’d like to learn more about how your mindset, diet, and exercise regimen affect your type 2 diabetes, and if you’re serious about getting your sugars controlled soon, go to my Diabetic Empowerment Audio Course