Health Care in Canada: Living With Diabetes -- A Family Affair

As a family member who supports diabetics, Watson's new book has been an informative read for me. A diabetic's denial is a heavy burden, as their non-acceptance of lifestyle changes could result in impaired vision, loss of limbs, plus other disease-related ailments over time.

At just over 200 pages, I found her latest work read quickly. It was handy if I just wanted to flip to a specific topic, such as Chapter 2' s diabetic-aligned "Impact on Life". This is a solid overview for people just diagnosed or for those coming from the same perspective as Julie's husband, a survivor of this disease with twenty years of wisdom to offer throughout her pages.

Julie writes from a personal perspective and encouraged her "first name only" contributors to tell their story candidly as well. The language and tone she chose is non-medical and highly accessible, as I imagine she writes her books as she would speak!

A new idea I learned was the concept and use of insulin pumps. As diabetics around me use pills or needles to maintain this disease, I was completely unaware there was a third option in "pumping" insulin on a regular basis into a person's body. From the vast testimonials she documented regarding pumps, this newer method seems to be quite promising for youthful or aging diabetics alike.

I enjoyed Watson's writing style, as she includes as many day-to-day living tips as she could organize for this book. Her insight as the spouse of a valiant diabetic is invaluable to people, as she offers a perspective of doing too much for the person, and not perhaps letting them "own" their disease as soon as they can post-diagnosis.

For example, the embarrassment of trying to eat at regular intervals and refusing foods that are non-compatible with diabetes is tough for some people. Family members, albeit well-meaning, are perhaps ill informed as to what their fruit pies or alcohol drinks may do to their diabetic dinner guest. What she presents well is the complexity of blood-sugar normalization for her spouse, not just for that "I'm off my diet" evening but perhaps for many days ahead.

Her extensive resource list helps caregivers and diabetics find a wealth of information from the Canadian Diabetes Association and their partner organizations throughout our Canadian provinces. As she writes from what she knows, this is a very useful book that I would recommend as a gift to diabetics, including their families and friends

By Sue Andreychuk.

Living With Diabetes: A Family Affair
Julie V. Watson

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