BEFRIENDING DIABETES

Mrs Mona Sahay shares her story of diagnosis of her Diabetes to reshaping her life with the chronic condition.

- 

Name: Mrs Mona Sahay

Age: 65 years

Profession: Retired teacher

The journey so far

I have been living with Diabetes for 17 years now. My diagnosis had made me sad and dejected. I do not have a family history of Diabetes and it came as a shock to my family. We were utterly clueless with regards to this new onset and didn't know how to tackle this condition. I have two daughters and both of them were out of the country for studies at that time. It was only me and my husband when I was told I'm a diabetic.

My diagnosis of Diabetes had a deep impact on me. We started consulting a doctor and he immediately started my therapy, diet and exercise routine. For the next few years, I was on a stable dose of anti-diabetic drugs but then my health started deteriorating. We consulted several doctors then. Despite regular walking for 40-50 mins, on-time medications and normal home-cooked food, my blood sugar levels were consistently high. My HbA1c levels were found to be 9 per cent. I had also developed hypothyroidism at this time.

Impact on lifestyle