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VIDEO: Meeting MC recalls diabetes care over the decades
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SAN DIEGO — In this video exclusive, Endocrine Today Diabetes in Real Life columnist Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, speaks with actor and master of ceremonies for this year’s meeting Jim Turner, who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1970. Turner was diagnosed before “diabetes educator” was a recognized profession.
“In 1970 you were trying to control diabetes with a hammer, some nails and an old rusty saw — that’s what your tools were” Turner said. “I would have loved to have had a diabetes educator.”
One major improvement in diabetes care over the decades has been the ability to check blood glucose levels more often. “I found out my blood sugar every 3 months or 6 months, whenever I went to see my doctor” Turner said. Now, “I test all the time.” Turner said the piece of advice he would give to a person diagnosed today is to remember that diabetes doesn’t go away. Until there’s a cure, living with diabetes must remain a constant consideration during every activity.