in Canada:
My 3-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with diabetes type 1. It has been a rough time. To help us out, my brother and his wife bought us your book, Diabetes For Dummies. One day my daughter saw this bright yellow book and asked what I was reading. I told her Diabetes For Dummies. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted it. I didn’t want her to think that dummies got diabetes so I quickly added, “I am the dummy.” Without missing a beat, she then asked, “Am I the diabetes?”
The story doesn’t just end there. The other day she was relaxing on the couch. She looked at me and said, “I don’t want to have diabetes anymore.” Feeling terrible, I responded, “I know sweetie; I don’t want you to have it anymore either.” I then explained that she would have diabetes for the rest of her life. With a very concerned look she then asked, “Will you be the dummy for the rest of your life?”
As sad as it is, I guess you’re right, one must look for humor in everything; otherwise we would have broken down by now.
Throughout this book I use some specific conventions to make the text clearer, to highlight information, and to make your read as effortless as possible. These conventions are important to know, so I list them here:
✔ Sugar versus glucose: Diabetes, as you may know, is all about sugar. But sugars come in many types. So doctors avoid using the words sugar and glucose interchangeably. In this book (unless I slip up), I use the word glucose rather than sugar. (You may as well get used to it.)
✔ Emphasis on type 2 diabetes: There are a number of different types of diabetes (see my explanation in Chapter 3), and the most common are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Because I recently published Type 1 Diabetes For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), most of what you read here is about type 2 diabetes.
✔ Abbreviations: To save time, I use the following abbreviations:
● T1DM: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (formal name of type 1 diabetes)
● T2DM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (formal name of type 2 diabetes)
✔ Pharmaceutical drug names: When I mention a drug used in the treatment of diabetes, I give the generic name. I provide the trade name in parentheses if relevant.
Foolish Assumptions
The book assumes that you know nothing about diabetes. So you won’t have to face a term that you’ve never heard of before and that is not explained. For those who already know a lot about diabetes, you can find more in-depth explanations in this book as well. You can pick and choose how much you want to know about a subject, but the key points are clearly marked.
Icons Used in This Book
The icons alert you to information you must know, information you should know, and information you may find interesting but can live without.
Beyond This Book
In addition to the content of this book, you can access some related material online. I have posted the Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/diabetes. It contains important information that you may want to refer to on a regular basis. I also share some additional bits of information and pointers at www.dummies.com/extras/diabetes that can help you navigate this medical condition. You can find a glossary as well as a reference guide for additional help you can find online to deal with your diabetes.
Where to Go from Here
Where you go from here depends on your needs. If you already have basic knowledge of diabetes and want to know more about complications, go to Chapter 3. If you are a novice, start at Chapter 1. If you want to know more about the medications you are taking, go to Chapter 11. Each chapter title clearly tells you what you can find there, so check the table of contents to find what you need rapidly.
Part I
Getting Started with Diabetes
In this part …
✔ Deal with the diagnosis of diabetes so you can take appropriate action with your doctor to create a treatment and action plan.
✔ Obtain an in-depth understanding of the definition of diabetes so you can determine the severity of your condition.
✔ Clarify
