Understanding the Lived Experience of Chronic Illness

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background
The Blog
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Diabetes is one of the most common acquired chronic diseases. Australia also has a high incidence of diabetes, and the base and cumulative prevalence among migrants born in Greece is three times higher than among people born in Australia (Montesi, Caletti and Marchesini, 2016, p 38). At the same time, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes is only 10.6%, while undiagnosed diabetes was 34% (Trikkalinou, Papazafiropoulou and Melidonis, 2017, p. 121).

This aspect indicates a lack of education of the population, which leads to a negative development of the trajectory of the disease. Poor diet and improper treatment of the second type of diabetes can cause such complications as kidney disease, loss of vision, micro and macrovascular disorders that impair quality of life, and are lethal (Chatterjee, Khunti and Davies, 2017, p. 2239). However, following the recommendations of doctors allows people with such diagnoses to keep their regular lifestyle and avoid the occurrence of concomitant diseases.

Background

My name is Nick Karras, and I am a 61-year-old Greek who now lives in Melbourne. I was born and raised in Greece, in the city of Egaleo, and when I was 30 years old, I was lucky to find work in Melbourne with only my school education. Now I live with my wife in a private house near my office, where I walk. I am almost not busy with my work, but only helping other employees, but next year I want to resign and enjoy my retirement.

Recently, it has become increasingly difficult for me to take long walks and constantly feel hunger and thirst, but my wife says that these are the consequences of my obesity (Tsirona et al., 2016;). However, I also like to spend time in the company, as each guest brings their favorite dish, and my wife usually cooks something Greek (Pillen et al., 2017). In general, I find my life fantastic as I have lovely families and friends, delicious food in the house, and the job that I like.

The Blog

November 29

Today I was at the doctor and found out the terrible news – I have diabetes! A couple of days ago, I came for a scheduled consultation with Dr. Mewis, whom I have known for 20 years (“Greek community,” 2014, p.5). I told him that I had felt tired for the past few months and had been drinking a lot of water (Chatterjee, Khunti and Davies, 2017, p. 231). He answered me that I need to be tested as it seems to him that I look unhealthy. So, today I found out that I have the second type of diabetes!

Nurse Perry began to tell me about the causes of its occurrence, diet, as well as the consequences. However, as soon as she said to me that diabetes could affect my kidneys, eyes, and legs, I stopped listening to her. All my plans for carefree days and travels are destroyed! Nevertheless, my wife accepted the news steadily, and I was encouraged by her attitude, so after looking at the hospital’s booklet, I started googling everything about diabetes. God, how much I cannot eat! It turns out that I can fall into a coma because of high and low blood glucose levels, and they can cut off my limb if I do not badly monitor my health (Chatterjee, Khunti and Davies, 2017). I know so little about diabetes, and it seems that all my friends know no more (Poulimeneas et al., 2016, 324). I’m scared. I did not imagine my future in this way.

December 26

I just started to think that everything is not so bad! This Christmas was a nightmare because everyone sees me as a sick old man. The first weeks after the diagnosis, I was very sad, and all the time, I checked the tables and books to understand what I can eat. However, later on, I found on one Australian medical site excellent instructions on what foods I can and cannot eat (“Diabetes,” n.d.) It turned out that almost all Greek cuisine fits perfectly into my new diet, and they call it the Mediterranean diet (Radd-Vagenas et al., 2017). Of course, now I eat less butter, and various fatty foods, and the sweet also lies untouched (Simopoulos and DiNicolantonio, 2017, p. 953).

However, in general, my favorite salads and baked fish make me happy, as well as a small glass of good wine at dinner (Farooqui and Farooqui, 2018, p. 218.). Besides, I promised myself that if I lose weight at least a couple of pounds, I can treat myself to Christmas.

Nothing good came of it! The whole Christmas dinner, I was harassed by my wife, then my children, asking me whether I can eat this or that. I ate much more than I wanted because of this jerking and was terribly ill all night. So, I had to go to the hospital, where they gave me a dropper. The worst part is that now my children believe that they are smarter than me!

February 15

Today, for the first time, I felt that my glucose level was low, and I was terrified. I woke up in the middle of the night sweating, and my hands were trembling, and I could not understand what was happening to me! (Chatterjee, Khunti and Davies, 2017, p. 235). My wife immediately woke up and measured my blood sugar with a glucometer. It was much lower than normal, and I was afraid to move because I felt extremely weak. My wife quickly brought me sweet tea, and after 5 minutes, I felt better. For a long time, I could not fall asleep because I was afraid. What if I don’t wake up anymore?

In the morning, I talked about this to the nurse, and she recommended that I always keep something sweet, such as juice, next to the bed. I also told the nurse that I would like to go on a trip, but I’m afraid that I might feel worse. What if I have a low sugar level and fall into a coma? The nurse assured me that I had nothing to fear and spoke about her patients who conquer the mountains. She said that for me, the main thing is to have something sweet with me, my pills and glucometer, and not to eat all the croissants in Paris. This answer was good enough for me.

March 16

Today was a great day! My wife had a birthday yesterday, and we celebrated it very well in the company of friends. I ate everything I wanted but counted carbohydrates, so my sugar level was within the normal range. I was also at the reception of Dr. Melvis, and he told me that my tests were good and praised me for losing my weight. He said that most likely, the Mediterranean diet, which for me is regular food, together with carbohydrates counting gave such a result, and that this will help my heart also stay healthy (Thodis et al., 2017, p. 45). Apparently, diabetes, in my case, is not such an awful diagnosis, since it practically does not interfere with my habits, plans, or even my food preferences.

Conclusion

Writing a blog helped me see the patient’s experiences and feelings and the health system’s flaws. Firstly, I learned a lot about the characteristics of Greek Australians, such as the importance of being close to medical staff and relatives. I was also surprised that the number of Greek Australians with diabetes is so high, although they generally maintain a healthy lifestyle. In addition, I found it interesting and useful that Greek food is suitable for a diabetic diet, and overall is pretty healthy. I also deepened my knowledge of meals that people with diabetes can eat. However, the main benefit to me came from understanding the patient’s experiences when I imagined myself to his place.

The essential nursing actions, in my opinion, are educating the patient and providing resources, as well as communicating with his or her family. Many people do not know the features of diabetes, diet, and its complications, and concentrate only on the negative aspects of the disease. However, a detailed and calm explanation of all the nuances of the diet, habits, and conditions of this diagnosis will help the patient not to be afraid and recover faster from the shock. Besides, after a conversation with patients, it is also necessary to provide him or her with reliable sources in which he or she can find or verify the information.

Reading blogs often has more negative health consequences than diabetes itself. Also, an important aspect is a talk with the patient’s relatives, since questions, control, or pity cause unnecessary stress for everyone. The understanding of the fact that diabetes is a controlled disease by close people will help the patients quickly come to terms and return to their regular lives. Therefore, the moral and educational support of the patient is the main task of the nurse in providing care for diabetic people.

Reference List

Chatterjee, S., Khunti, K. and Davies, M. J. (2017) ‘Type 2 diabetes,’ The Lancet, 389(10085), pp. 2239–2251.

Diabetes NWC & Act. (no date). Diabetes: making healthy food choices. Web.

Farooqui, A. and Farooqui T. (2018) Effect of Mediterranean diet components on type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, in Role of the Mediterranean diet in the brain and neurodegenerative diseases. New York: Academic Press, pp, 209-222.

Greek community cultural profile (2014). Web.

Montesi, L., Caletti, M. T., and Marchesini, G. (2016) ‘Diabetes in migrants and ethnic minorities in a changing World,’ World Journal of Diabetes, 7(3), pp. 34-44.

Pillen, H. et al. (2017) ‘Retaining traditional dietary practices among Greek immigrants to Australia: the role of ethnic identity,’ Ecology Food and Nutrition, 56(4), pp. 312-328.

Poulimeneas, D. et al. (2016) ‘Diabetes knowledge among Greek Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients,’ Endocrinología y Nutrición (English Edition), 63(7), pp. 320–326.

Radd-Vagenas, S. et al. (2017) ‘Evolution of Mediterranean diets and cuisine: concepts and definitions,’ Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 26(5), pp. 749-763.

Simopoulos, A. and DiNicolantonio, J. (2017) ‘Mediterranean diet: ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids and diabetes.’ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 106(3), pp. 953–954.

Thodis, A. et al. (2017). ‘Observational study of adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet, sociocultural characteristics and cardiovascular disease risk factors of older Greek Australians from Mediterranean Islands (MEDIS-Australia Study): protocol and rationale,’ Nutrition & Dietetics, 75(1), pp. 44–51.

Trikkalinou, A., Papazafiropoulou, A. K. and Melidonis, A. (2017) ‘Type 2 diabetes and quality of life,’ World Journal of Diabetes, 8(4), 120-129.

Tsirona, S. et al. (2016) ‘Prevalence and determinants of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Greek adult population,’ Hormones, 15, pp. 88–98.

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