We have been checking out the HAP Balanced Living blog and recently found this awesome article – Facing Diabetes on Her Own Terms: How One Woman Took Control of Her Life. This article is about Shannon, a woman diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, who found a way to manage her disease without medication, through motivation and focus.

Shannon had a family history of diabetes, so when she was diagnosed, she regarded the situation very seriously. She knew that she needed to make changes, and when she had a physically adverse reaction to metformin (a drug used to control blood sugar), she became determined to find an alternative to medication. To learn more about managing diabetes, Shannon took hospital-based classes for people recently diagnosed with the condition. Then, she also joined the diabetes prevention program at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital which provided great support and education.

Shannon also dove into exercise and improved her dietary choices. She started her exercise routine slowly to work around previous injuries, but she kept going. To adjust her diet, she looked at serving sizes and nutrition information about what she was eating. “The changes needed to battle diabetes can be overwhelming if you try to make them all at once,” Shannon explained, “Don’t be so strict that you set yourself up for failure.”

Healthy Living Medical Supply is in network with Health Alliance Plan of Michigan for diabetes testing supplies, insulin pumps, insulin pump supplies, and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGM). If you are a Health Alliance Plan of Michigan member and are looking for diabetes-related supplies delivered to your doorstep with great customer care, give us a call at 866.779.8512 or send us a text message at 248.577.9903 to start the easy enrollment process.