Customer Reviews

50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes (Marlowe Diabetes Library)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the mother of two young daughters with type 1 diabetes, I've read a lot of websites and books with highly technical medical information about diabetes.

It was refreshing to sit down and read a book full of stories. When's the last time you read a book about diabetes that was actually hard to put down? This is a book like that.

One can't help but be encouraged by stories like those of the two brothers, ages 87 and 91, who have had diabetes since early childhood. Both have avoided major complications even though they lived most of their lives in the "dark ages" (pre-glucometers). The 87-year-old brother often rides his bike 20 miles at a time. The book is full of stories like these.

Interspersed between the stories of these inspiring diabetic people are the 50 secrets. I'll list ten of them here:

1. Live first and be diabetic second.
2. Control your problems before they control you.
3. Consider being a grazer.
4. Always carry a toothbrush.
5. Erase your mistakes with exercise.
6. Love (and hate) your pump.
7. Involve your family and friends.
8. Have kids if you want to.
9. Understand possible diabetes complications.
10. Respect the power of diabetes.

The 50 secrets aren't earth-shaking but there is commentary from these diabetics on all of the secrets and it is motivating and encouraging. The advice is very, very practical.

The authors don't shy away from the grim statistics: "just by having diabetes, you already have twice the risk of dying young as someone who is diabetes-free." Some of the 50 people in the book share stories about scary hypoglycemic episodes while driving. The authors make it clear that facing the reality of possible complications is much better than denial.

There is some information about type 2 diabetes in the book too. Overall, the book is easy to read and I think every teen and twentysomething with diabetes should read it. Parents of diabetics should read it too. It will wake you up a little and also encourage you.

This is one of the best books about diabetes and people living with diabetes that I have read in a very long time. As a person living with the disease for over 40 years, it was such an inspiration to read about other people that have lived with it even longer than I and to read about others who are dealing with the same issues that I deal with all the time. It is so important for people to know that diabetes does not have to be a death sentence...it is a manageable disease and the proof of that is in reading this book.

I suppose I shouldn't brag too much since I'm quoted quite a bit in this book, but it is truly a book for anyone with diabetes. It is filled with amazing suggestions, (yes, even I learned some new things!) and it should encourage all who take the time to really absorb the contents.

Dr. Sheri and Dr. Steve are both wonderful people and certainly experienced in their field as they, too live with diabetes.

Jane Dohrmann

This is a really informative book for diabetics. It is so nice to know so many others are dealing with this disease. To read of their struggles over so many years of their lives and surviving and thriving is encouraging. There are many practical tips, also. Well worth the time and money to read.

MY HUSBAND HAS HAD DIABETES FOR OVER 60 YEARS AND HE IS IN A STUDY AT JOSLIN DIABETES CENTER IN BOSTON, MA... THIS BOOK WAS AN INSPIRATION TO HIM AND ME. THANKS

I might recommend this book for someone newly diagnosed but it doesn't have anything new or insightful for anyone who has done any reading about the subject before. It tends to be repetitive which makes for a difficult read. If you read the first page and first 2 or 3 quotes at the beginning of each chapter you pretty much have read the entire chapter.

Antedotal stories of long lived people with diabetes of various sorts were nice to read but no big secrets that most people don't already know. Healthy diet, regular exercise, regular monitoring and follow up with providers is key. Now if there were contrasting interviews with people who chose to ignore instruction and made poor lifestyle choices then discussion of various road blocks, consequences and regrets, the book may have been a bigger motivational tool.

While it is true that some of the material is repeated, I think perhaps the authors are trying to stress and reinforce their points.

I already know much of the contents of this book: but I was diagnosed 12 years ago. Because of a combination of limited education available to me and condescending doctors, I inched my way through the years gradually learning all of the tips, techniques, and approaches that could help me. I'm still learning. It's too bad that diabetes education is so scattershot. And also too bad that people don't take their diagnosis as seriously as they should.

I didn't get my diabetes truly under control until quite a while after my diagnosis. If you are diagnosed, or described as a "pre-diabetic" I would urge you to read this book and take it to heart. I also recommend very highly the advice you will find in the books by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein.

Get this book. Get the Bernstein books (Diabetes Solution and Diabetes Diet). And follow the advice! It may seem overwhelming at first but how I wish I had this valuable advice when I was first diagnosed. And how I wish I had taken my diabetes seriously earlier on.

My most salient advice is:
Watch your diet and stick as close to Bernstein's advice as you can.
Monitor your sugars as frequently as you can.
Learn about the effects of exercise: if you exercise, you will most likely need less insulin.
Learn from everything you do. And take it seriously!

I was interested in reading this book because I have had diabetes for 47 years and because I have a very good friend who was one of the 50 interviewed for the book. It was interesting reading and I would recommend it to diabetics for some insightful
education.

I'm not a negative reviewer as a general rule. I order a book because I expect to like it and I did like this book, but I didn't love it. Printed on newsprint the quality seemed cheap as a book and rather thin on content.