Dear all,
My name is Dr. Salwa Shahbal, the founder of Diabetes Management Centre located on 5th floor of Doctors park, 3rd Parklands avenue, Nairobi, Kenya.
In this first article, I’d like to discuss how the diagnosis of diabetes both Type 1 and 2 can be stressful to patients. In Type 1 diabetes, most often the parents are more anxious than the child being diagnosed. The thought of a complete overhaul in ones’ lifestyle is daunting, not to mention frequent injections and doctor checkups.
What people need to realize is everyone goes through this, even your doctor. With each new patient comes the challenge of trying to manage blood sugars and encourage patients that “its not that bad”. A strong support system from all corners is paramount to make this journey easy. Family, friends and your healthcare provider. I’ve met a few parents who are still stigmatized by people knowing their child has Type 1 and its awfully sad we still have to deal with this in our community.
I would like to stress that diabetic patients can lead a happy healthy life and be anything they can be in this world. As I always tell them the only difference between then and everyone else is they are extra sweet! So let’s all start talking about diabetes to reduce this stigma.
With that being said, feel free to like, share and leave a comment below to let me know what topics you would like discussed.
Kind regards,
Dr. Salwa Shahbal
Kommentare