Category: Diabetes

TYPE 1 DIABETES EXPERT

By Sterling Allan
From PHN Issue 55, Winter 2024

Note from PHN editors: This article is specifically about managing type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune problem usually diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood. The author has a lot of experience managing his sugars. What works for him might not work for everyone.

Here in prison, I was able to maintain my A1C in the “normal” range for four years, despite how difficult it is. My purpose here is to share some key takeaways I’ve learned the hard way, so you can benefit from my pioneering efforts without the difficulties.

First, let me say that I no longer target a “normal” blood sugar average, which is 100 mg/dL on the glucometer. My motivation has come from what my doctor told me when I was first diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic two decades ago. He said I could live a full life if I maintained good control of my blood sugar.

Continue reading “TYPE 1 DIABETES EXPERT” →

Medical neglect of elders: Ivan Schweitzer in Pennsylvania

July and November, 2021
Ivan Schweitzer
incarcerated in Pennsylvania

To whoever can help,

I would like to know if I can sue Wellpath or the prison for medical negligence. If so, how and can you find me a lawyer? I have been waiting for 2 years to get my teeth fixed. Meanwhile, a couple months ago 2 teeth broke off and I lost a filling. I have put in sick calls but no response. I have ended up with infected lymph nodes. They gave me antibiotics and said I would get X-rays. 15 days later, no word from dental. With the lymph nodes, I got double and blurred vision. Continue reading “Medical neglect of elders: Ivan Schweitzer in Pennsylvania” →

Eating Healthy with Diabetes in Prison

By Donna Ballard

From PHN Issue 41, Winter 2020

With me being diabetic and in prison, it’s hard to eat healthy. To eat healthy in prison, you really have to go hungry. They serve us a lot of bread, corn, tortillas, and potatoes. We eat a lot of starches and white food that turns to sugar. We have to learn to eat only half of what they serve. If you eat your
veggies, it’s a start. Some meats.

You get a lot of sodium from commissary food, and starches and fatty foods. There are ways to eat better, but it’s always small portions. Now, if you go to the store, you can get stuff for yourself that will help you. At the store, you get peanuts, energizer mix and M&M’s, mix it together to make a snack mix. You can snack on it all week. Jalapeño peppers, meats—some things are good. Check the labels for contents. I hope my sharing has helped.

Managing Diabetes in Prison

By Timothy Hinkhouse

From PHN Issue 41, Winter 2020

I conducted an interview with my neighbor, J. Parker, who is a man I have known for several years. He is a 51-year-old man who has been diagnosed with diabetes for the past 13 years of his life. He has had lots of things on his plate that he has had to face in his lifetime in addition to diabetes. He has been incarcerated for the past 25 years, and he has an out date of 2023. This makes him worried about how he will take care of his diabetes, eat healthy, and still keep his positive outlook on life. In prison, everything has been taken care of for you. Out in the free world, we have to take care of ourselves, which can be scary for someone getting out after spending over half their life in prison.

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Second issue of Turn It Up! prison health magazine now available

Our sister publication, Turn It Up! Staying Strong Inside, has just released its second issue! This is a beautiful, detailed and comprehensive resource for people in prison about how to survive, thrive and advocate for their health. Turn It Up! is published by the SERO Project.

You can read it online here and order a copy for your loved one in prison here.

Visit TheBody for a wonderful interview with the editors.

The Impact of Stress on the Body

By Lucy Gleysteen and Seth Lamming

From PHN Issue 39, Winter/Spring 2019

Everyone experiences stress. Sometimes stress can act to help push us through difficult situations. Not all stress is bad but when stress spirals out of control, it puts the body more at risk for developing serious illness. Stress is not something that is “just in your head,” because it can impact your body, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Being able to recognize stress is one step in reducing its impact. This article will explain the impact of stress, and things you can do to reduce your stress levels. Continue reading “The Impact of Stress on the Body” →

Managing Diabetes

by Julie Carney

From PHN Issue 33, Summer 2017

Diabetes is a group of diseases caused by too much sugar, or glucose, in the blood. Our bodies have a hormone, insulin, which is produced by our pancreas, that helps move glucose out of the blood and into our cells. In diabetes, less glucose enters into the cells, and instead it builds up in the blood, causing high blood sugar. In Type 1 diabetes, the body makes no insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin or can’t use it well. In Gestational diabetes, a person gets diabetes when they are pregnant, increasing their risk of Type 2 diabetes after the pregnancy. Continue reading “Managing Diabetes” →