Editor's Note: The sole purpose of any story posted on todayinhealth.com is to encourage hope in people who otherwise feel their life is at an end because of a debilitating illness or condition. Reading about overcoming these situations can help inspire hope and peace of mind in some people. Note that some names have been left out or changed for confidentiality reasons.

Coping With Diabetes

As Told By: Jacqueline

Something felt terribly wrong when Jacqueline returned to her job as a nursing-home aide last January after surgery. "After two days back at work," she recalls, "I felt so weak that I asked one of the nurses to check my blood sugar. It was 380." A normal, nonfasting level is 125 mg/dl or lower. "They rushed me to the hospital. I found out later I was close to death."

Jacqueline was determined not to end up like the diabetic patients she cares for. "I've seen them lose limbs, lose their eyesight, and pass away. I never thought it would happen to me, and I didn't know what to do. I cried."

Everything she ate seemed to raise her blood sugar. The turning point: once she returned to work, she looked for help. "One of the nurses said, 'Eat less. Check your sugar more often. Instead of a whole apple, eat one-fourth and see what happens.'"

She prayed with the nursing-home chaplain. "I remembered that little verse, 'God grant me the serenity...' That helped me a lot," she says.

She also met with a diabetes educator--someone trained to help diabetics deal with nutrition and lifestyle issues--who worked with her to develop a practical eating and activity plan. Jacqueline left the appointment ready to overhaul not just her own life but also her family's. Later, she joined a University of Cincinnati research study that's looking at the effects of portion control on blood sugar.

"I used to eat a lot of meat--I love pig's feet--and bread. Instead, I started having more salad, chicken, fish, and veggie burgers because of everything I've learned. We always had sugary soda pop and chips in the house. That all changed. The kids didn't like it at first. They kicked and screamed. But now they beat me to the refrigerator. They like these healthy foods."

In her kitchen: diet drinks, fruits and veggies, lean meats, baked chips, and low-fat popcorn.

"I try to walk for at least 30 minutes a day and make the kids come, too," she adds. "On Saturdays, we walk to my brother's produce stand at Findlay Market, where I sometimes help out. It's a great place to get fruits and vegetables."

Jacqueline now eats seven small meals and snacks per day, up from two or three large meals. She tracks her carbohydrate intake and measures healthy portions with a clever trick: comparing serving sizes to her hand. "A 5-ounce serving of protein is equal to my palm; a cup of pasta is about the size of my fist. It's a system I can take with me anywhere."

The results? "Now I can laugh at diabetes. At work, they call me Miss Diabetical," says Jacqueline, who also stopped smoking. Gone, too, is her quick temper. "I used to whoop and holler and get mad about everything," she says. "But that really kicks my blood sugar up. It isn't easy, but now I try to pray for someone who's making me mad. I just walk away. We're only here on Earth for a short moment. I have a lot left to do."