Friday, November 20, 2009

WORLD TOILET DAY - How your toilet can help you fight Diabetes!

My friend, Rae, posted this on the ADA Type 2 message board yesterday.  I wanted to post this last night but I was waiting for her permission to post it to my blog, so I'm counting this as yesterday's post for NaBloPoMo.  Thanks, Rae!  ;)

WORLD TOILET DAY - How your toilet can help you fight Diabetes!

Welcome, everyone, to our official celebration of the world-wide holiday today that was inspired by a very essential invention - the flushable toilet.

Now, you may be wondering how your toilet can help you manage Diabetes. How often have you skipped doing a finger-stick with your glucometer because you're in a hurry or your day just seems too hectic and cramped to stop and test your glucose? Or you decide that you only need to test when you "feel out of sorts" or "off the mark"? We've all done it at least once.

But I'm sure you find time throughout your day to use the bathroom, right? I mean, when ya gotta go... ya gotta go! And anyone who has ever taken a diuretic or Metformin KNOWS the value of indoor plumbing and has an appreciation for the invention of the flushable toilet. However, while you're "doing your business"... what else are you doing? Yup. Chances are, you're just sitting there, patiently waiting for your body to finish relieving itself with nothing else to do.

I guarantee you're sitting there longer than 5 seconds. 5 seconds is the average time it takes a glucometer to process what your BG level is once you place your drop of blood onto the test strip.

Therefore, while you are twiddling your thumbs in the commode, take the opportunity to multi-task while you are there and test your glucose! Then you have successfully completed 2 things at once - you no longer have the urge to use the bathroom, AND you know what your BG number is. This will aid you in making decisions such as when to eat, what to eat, and (if you're on insulin) if correction dosing is needed at that point in time.

Of course, glucose testing isn't the only thing you can do while you're in the john... those of you who are planning on sitting on the throne longer than 2 minutes (you know who you are!) can also take this time to refill their pill holders for the week. Most people keep their medicines in the medicine cabinet in their bathrooms at home. Those of you who use oral meds to help control your BG can now make sure that you drop one of those things in each day holder case in your pillbox. (Or swallow one now... whatever the case may be!)

Without the flushable toilet, where would those who use Metformin be left to run to? Where would Byetta users relieve their nausea? Where would the pre-diabetics or those not yet diagnosed end up having to go? (Since we know that frequent urination is one of the symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes!) And where, oh where, is Carmen Sandiego?

So next time you "take 5" to go squeeze the Charmin, remember... this is quality time that you could be using to make sure you are managing your Diabetes better!

EVERYONE HAVE A SAFE (and C.Diff-free!) HAPPY WORLD TOILET DAY!

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