50 Essential Things to Do when the Doctor Says It's Diabetes [Paperback]

Diana Tonnessen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Medical writer Diana Tonnessen reveals that--contrary to popular belief--the recommendations for staying healthy for people with diabetes are no different from those who do not have the disease. The key is knowing all the facts--and this essential resource is packed with the most current medical information available.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Diana Tonnessen. Plume, $10.95 (220p) ISBN 0-452-27620-9 Tonnessen, coauthor of Living with Diabetes, is a medical writer with a mission: getting newly diagnosed diabetics to take a proactive approach. As articulated in this no-nonsense, well-organized introduction to diabetes, that means first understanding one's condition and then setting up a management plan. Concentrating on the latter, Tonnessen offers a very brief explanation of Types I and II diabetes, before moving on to advice on how to assemble a health-care team and set up a diabetes care plan. Her primary concerns are nutrition, exercise, medication and monitoring one's blood sugar levels, but she doesn't overlook such aspects as emergency situations, long-term complications, illness, pregnancy and stress. Some of the 50 mini-chapters contain multiple admonitions and instructions, giving this basic do's and don'ts book more depth than the title suggests. The focus here is on practical advice. An appendix lists additional sources of information, cookbooks and nutrition guides.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Diabetes need not be debilitating if a sufferer takes a few simple precautions and organizes a care strategy--and sticks to it. So says Tonnessen in this new look at a serious disease, diagnosed in thousands of Americans every year, that can have long-term debilitating effects. According to her, most precautions newly diagnosed diabetics are advised to take--eat a sensible diet, keep a medication record, control stress, etc.--are good ideas for nondiabetics, too. She offers 50 specific suggestions--some obvious (#42: Don't smoke), others less so (#40: Take care of your feet)--and expounds on each. Aimed at helping mitigate and even delay some of diabetes' complications, this book well may enhance the lives of its readers. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Plume (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452276209
• ISBN-13: 978-0452276208
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,708,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent souce of information., April 10, 2000

By 

Richard Engelhardt (Boca Raton, FL United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: 50 Essential Things to Do when the Doctor Says It's Diabetes (Paperback)

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine about diabetes. After talking to her, I realized that there is a LOT I don't know about the disease. This issue is close to my heart because my boyfriend has recently disclosed to me that he has diabetes. He says it's juvinile and that he's been keeping it in check for a large portion of his life, so he can stay of medication.

However, I was still aware that my knowledge of diabetes was very limited and I wanted to know what could possibly happen to my boyfriend due to diabetes.

So I bought this book and it is really worth the money. The author explains things in a very practical and straight-forward manner. She also explains everything (as far as I can see) about the disease. She talks about the physical danger a diabetes patient can be placed in if the blood sugar is not mainained at a certian level. She also illustrates what kinds of medications are out there, what they do, and why a diabetic would need them.

I used to think that diabetes was a serious disease that had serious health defects. However, I did not know that the disease was very treatable and that a diabtic can live as if they don't have the disease at all, as long as they follow certain guidelines. Also, a diabetic's life if not changed in every aspect. After reading this book, I began to see diabetes as an allergy than the life threatening disease. For example, my mother is allergic to lemon. So, to make sure that her throat doesn't close up, she doesn't eat lemon. Nothing big, just a minor boundry on life. Same thing with diabeties, you just have to watch what you eat, that's all.

This book has helped a lot in explaining diabeties. As a result, I now know how to help my boyfriend keep from being conquered by the disease.