Diabetes Patient Presents Understanding Insulin: Myths & Realities

Who: Jim Murphy will be speaking at Northwest Health Services to share his personal experiences with diabetes and taking insulin to help control his blood sugar.

What: Jim Murphy is a member of the sanofi-aventis A1C Champions Program®, which is a patient led approach to diabetes education. He has diabetes and takes insulin as part of his overall diabetes treatment plan including diet, exercise, and other diabetes medications. A1C Champions® know first-hand the challenges to managing diabetes and understand the fear and uncertainty about taking insulin. They share information about diabetes self-management and insulin based on formal training and their personal experiences with diabetes.

During this Understanding Insulin: Myths & Realities presentation, Jim will share:

• Why insulin is not a sign of failure but may help you achieve blood sugar control, as part of an overall diabetes treatment plan
• The concerns he had about starting insulin
• Misperceptions about insulin

Why: Are you aware of your A1C level (the ADA recommends an A1C goal of less than 7%)? Have you talked with your treating healthcare   provider about an A1C goal that is right for you? Hasyour treating healthcare provider suggested insulin and you’ve said “No way!”? Have you just started insulin and still aren’t sure if it’s right for you? This session may be for you. Jim Murphy is a person with diabetes who understands the challenges to controlling blood sugar and starting insulin. Come to this session. Afterwards, you’ll ask yourself, “Why didn’t I talk to my doctor sooner?”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that that nearly 24 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is approximately 8 percent of the population. At the same time, about 40 percent of those diagnosed are not achieving the ADA recommended goal of an A1C less than7%. The A1C test measures average blood glucose levels over a two- to three-month period. Alarmingly, a 2005 survey commissioned by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists found that 84% of type 2 diabetes patients surveyed believe they are doing a good job controlling their blood sugar even though 61% say they do not know what an A1C test is.

Important Safety Information for Insulin
Possible side effects may include blood sugar levels that are too low, injection site reactions, and allergic reactions, including itching and rash. Tell your doctor about all other medicines and supplements you are taking because they could change the way insulin works. Glucose monitoring is recommended for all patients with diabetes.

When: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 10:30 am

Where: Northwest Health Services, 2303 Village Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64506

Contact: Tara Stevenson at 816-901-1013 or tarastevenson@nwhealth-services.org

Sponsored by sanofi-aventis.

To view the informational poster, click here: Understanding Insulin-Myths & Realities