When I moved house a few months ago, I did some serious maintenance in my bookcase. The books I love moved to the ‘hall of fame’ and the less nice ones I put on sale or gave away. This means that there is now room on the bookshelf in my new house for some new books! So since I found myself a good excuse to buy new books, I started looking for books on diabetes. And I found some very interesting books that I would like to share with you!
I have never read a book about diabetes
For someone who is approaching her five-year diabetes anniversary, this may sound unexpected: I have never read a book about diabetes. I never got much further than magazines and articles, because I noticed that that was enough for me. But after almost five years, I have my own experience, my own opinion and my own life with diabetes. Something that’s important for me to have before I start reading about other people’s stories and experiences. I’ve always been ‘afraid’ that I would just blindly start copying others. And that may work for some, but not for me, I think. I prefer to read about someone else’s experience and then, based on my own experiences, pick up the lessons and tips that might be useful to me.
Where are all the books on type 1 diabetes?!
It sometimes surprises me how few books have been written about type 1 diabetes. If you search for diabetes at the average online bookstore, there are hundreds of results, of which only a few are related to living with type 1 diabetes. Within this small number I have found a few books about diabetes that I am very curious about!
Think Like a Pancreas from Gary Scheiner
A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin
This is perhaps the best known book written about type 1 diabetes. That is why this book is often recommended to read after the diagnosis. Think Like a Pancreas: After all, that is what is expected of you. Think, but also try to act like your own pancreas would normally do. The book seems to be mainly informative and to have a medical angle. But I am very curious to see how much new there is to learn.
Doe mij maar diabetes from Loes Heijmans-Beek
About challenges, dreams, fear, frustration and true love
Last October I visited the EASD in Berlin, one of the biggest diabetes events in Europe, together with the Roche bloggers crew. During this trip I met the Dutch Loes and found out pretty quickly that she is not only a great travel companion but she has also written a book! The book, which is translated as ‘Just give me diabetes’, is about the period in which she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and about all the challenges that have come her way since then. There is now even a sequel to the book, in which she writes about her pregnancy and motherhood.
Bright Spots & Landmines from Adam Brown
The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed Me
The book at the top of my wish list is the one written by Adam Brown. I have heard such good stories about this one! The book is divided into four categories; Food, Mindset, Exercise and Sleep. Brown also gives practical tips. According to the author, ‘bright spots’ are the things that are going well and that we can continue to do, or even should do more often. The landmines are things we can better avoid and that don’t work so well. I am very curious to see how many of the tips I can apply to my own life with diabetes.
Which books about diabetes are on your wish list?