Customer Reviews

Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am the editor of Diabetic Mommy Online Magazine. I have lots of diabetes books in my personal library and there are a select few that I am always recommending to members on my site. This one is now at the top of my list of essential diabetes books for insulin users, both syringe and pump users.

I found this book at my local library. I thought it had a catchy title and took it home. Cute title aside, this book took me by total surprise. It is now on my wish-list because it will make a tremendous difference in my self-management plus I want to mark this baby up with notes.

If you have diabetes, you might be like me...you read in books and hear organizations stressing self-management however your own healthcare team won't give you enough information to make corrections on your own so you are still dependent on them for every single little adjustment. Busy schedules for all parties mean that a simple correction can be a hassle and a long wait.

This book is not intended to be a replacement for your healtcare team, don't get me wrong, but it provides you with enough information so that you will not be totally helpless and you will have more knowledge to work WITH your team rather than just be the recipient of instructions.

This book covers many topics: Why diabetics need to be in control of their glucose levels, history of diabetes, insulin basics, tips, various methods of insulin dosing, having diabetes in the "real" world, hypo/hyperglycemia, resources, forms, and easy formulas for personalizing your insulin doses and timing, etc. It is the most detailed and clear book on the subject I have seen yet.

Something else this book has going for it is great clear writing and the unavoidable good-humor of the author. He really made me chuckle. If you are a pop-culture fan like me...and you recognize the phrase, "Hi, I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl," Then you'll feel right at home with this book!

I also found very interesting facts that I didn't know before - such as mind work lowers your glucose levels and that caffeine effects your glucose levels.

The only slight problem I had was that the author seems to be a man who really loves sports - while I am a woman who really does not! Many of his analogies use sporting examples which most of the time leave me pretty clueless. In addition, he definitely communicates "man-style." He uses very visual-type examples and explanations.

For example, I feel if the author were to give my husband and I driving directions, my husband would understand right away and take off. (He wouldn't necesarrily find the place - haha) I, on the other hand, would have to review the info, ask for landmarks, and make some notes. (I would find it for sure!)

While the book gives detailed and complete information, I would have found a little summarizing in the form of a cheat sheet would have been fantastic. Worksheets to enter your information and make up your personal plan would be great too. He does have helpful log sheets in the book.

As a result of reading this book, I feel more empowered regarding my ability to troubleshoot and correct. And it will open up a dialogue with my healthcare team and possibly start a battle with my insurance company. I found in my own personal case (and everyone is different), I would probably do best with a pump. In lieu of that, long-acting, short-acting AND an occasional intermediate acting insulin via syringes would be good too. I would feel confident enough to make the suggestions to my team, but I don't know how realistic it would be for them to provide me with all three different types of insulin. I woudn't hold my breath for a pump either!

In spite of this, I still give the book 5 stars because I feel it is so valuable and there is more than enough information for me to make my own info sheets and make suggestions for my care.

I have been a diabetic for over twenty-eight years and have read many books on diabetes through the years. This book , has by far, been the most informative, easiest to comprehend, and I found it quite fascinating. There are many new things to learn. A definite read for any diabetic who wants to keep on top of things. Gary Scheiner really understands the needs of the diabetic. He provides them with skill, knowledge and real integrity. Thank you.
J. Whinston, Cherry Hill, NJ

This is the best money you'll ever spend towards better health and lifestyle if you or a loved one has diabetes. Every practical detail of being in control of your diabetes, eating exactly what you want, when you want to (like "normal" people). He tells you how to match your insulin to your food instead of matching your food to your insulin without being an angel. When your doctor calls you with your A1C results you'll no longer hear the catch-all, meaningless "Watch Your Diet Better". Instead you will hear "Fantastic!", Keep Up the Good Work!, " AND you will feel like a million bucks - You'll be surprised at just how good normal feels again.

This book is credible because the author has researched the facts and has the disease. No laundry list of simple steps but rather a realistic discussion of the many frustrations associated with diabetes, the proactive actions recommended make sense without making it sound easy to achieve. Since this is the reality of diabetes management, the book's tone engages the reader who is has realized this will take commitment but wants to know there is a plan that works.

This book is a great overview of the basics on how to deal with using insulin. At the same time, there are a lot of individualized issues for staying out of trouble that each diabetic learns with time for him/herself that the book doesn't quite get to. With the upcoming availability of continuous sensors for blood sugar monitoring in conjunction with fingerstick testing, this field is going soon to expand into a whole new world of improved management that will require the next edition. I'd recommend this edition right now, though, for a thorough start.

After reading this book going on the 3rd time, I am still discovering more and more ways to improve my insulin regimine. I was diagnosed as a Type I diabetic 06/82 at the age of 13 months old. I will be 26 in two weeks and have maintained acceptable control but felt that I truly haven't gotten to where I want my health to be. After reading hands on information in this text, I am happy with producing an HbA1C of 6.7%, and I look forward to bringing it closer to 6% as possible. This comes after maintaining a 7-8% average over the course of many years and thanfully there have not been any long-term consequences "yet".

To anyone that feels they need some additional help with control, wants to refresh themselves on care methods, or anyone recently diagnosed I would recommend this book to. It is imformative, it is easy to read, and the overall context is a very laid back approach with a semi-humorus attitude at times. My girlfriend just finished reading this book and is already helping me with fine tuning my basal and bolus rates. I firmly believe that with all of this in mind, this book is worth more than it's weight in gold.

A direct approach, with illustrative examples, to creating a protocol to control your blood sugars. It's written in simple language and well organized, providing a step by step approach to figuring out your basal rates, insulin sensitivity, and carb ratios. Provides insights into the many, many, many (many, many, many) factors that can influence your blood sugars. Well thought out and presented graphs illustrate the effects of insulin. Simple tables illustrate averages for basal rates, boluses, carb rations and sensitivity, offering a good starting place for divining your own settings. Some simple tables of carb content and glycemic indexes. An interesting table for calculating the effect of exercise on blood sugar.

I'd recommend for anyone who's BG is on a roller coaster. It's informative but not preachy.

Terry

This book is a must for anyone with Diabetes, either Type I or II.Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin Until the day there is an implantable artifical pancreas for those in need of "a good working one", we must "think like" a pancreas to help meet our insulin needs. This publication helps the Diabetic have more of a sense of what logical assumptions to make about how a pancreas works and how you and your medical team can "tweak" your care plan for ultimate success. I highly recommend this for those of us that are "pancreas challenged".

This book is great. Comprehensive, yet easy to read. Very good practical information with nice handy references in the back. I only wish it was more current. Even a couple of years makes a difference in the world of diabetes. Nonetheless I am glad to have this in my library and intend to refer to it often.

Very helpful in understanding what needs to be done to get the bloodsugar under control. Explains why "sugar free" foods are not always sugar free. Instructs how to adjust insulin to your needs based on activities, food intake, illness, stress etc. Explains the different types of insulin and their rates of absorption. Informative on issue of insulin pumps. Helps to understand and explain how the different foods effect bloodsugar. Overall- very helpful.