By Salihu Lukman, PhD
Twitter Handle: @SalihuLukman

Posted on my Facebook Wall: November 16, 2019

As a sequel to sharing my article titled, ‘HOW I FOUGHT DIABETES TO A STANDSTILL IN JUST 15 MONTHS‘ (Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3) in commemoration of World Diabetes Day held on November 14, 2019 coupled with my desire and passion to assist diabetics in combating or containing this endemic disease (based on my experience) which has affected about 10 million Nigerians (5 % of the population) and still counting, I have concluded to take my campaign to the “Next Level” by forming a Telegram group called Diabetic Monitoring Forum (DMF) whose details are provided below.

In addition, when I sent this article to Daily Trust to be considered for possible publication and copied the amiable Dr. Ibraheem Dooba, I learned another success story from him where he successfully transitioned from pre-diabetic to normal. It is my belief that there are many other success stories where people fought diabetes to a standstill that remain untold. Through this forum, we can all meet and share our various success stories of how diabetes was defeated so that other diabetics can learn and adopt some of these proven strategies and methods. Anyone who wishes to join the forum MUST read the following and do the needful. Together, we can do this. Let’s join hands.

GOALS

1. Dissemination of relevant articles on diabetes and nutrition in order to keep members enlightened. Articles would be posted weekly and members are expected to read the articles and can ask questions related to the articles if the need arises. /li>
2. Counseling of diabetics in terms of what foods they can eat.
3. Ensure proper use of glucometer and adequate monitoring of blood glucose levels.
4. Share proven diabetic meal recipes for maintaining optimal blood glucose levels and losing weight.
5. Answer any questions from members on diabetes, complications and effective management.
6. Follow-up on diabetic members to ensure that their blood glucose levels remain within the normal ranges at all times. Please note that the forum CANNOT substitute your regular hospital visits (if you are diabetic) to follow-up with your doctor. It is only meant to compliment your regular hospital visits.

MODUS OPERANDI

(1) Membership
This is open to all irrespective of sex, religion, region, country, health status (diabetics and non-diabetics), marital status, etc.

(2) Registration
(a) Ordinary Membership: This entails just clicking the group’s invite link and you will be automatically added to the forum as an ordinary member.
(b) Special Membership: For diabetics, pre-diabetics or those who wish to lose weight and need a thorough analysis of their current status so that they can be guided appropriately in line with goals 2 – 6 above, there is need fill an online form (questionnaire) in addition to joining the forum using the above invite link. Even if you are diabetic you can choose to be an ordinary member, but you will not enjoy goals 2 – 6 to the fullest. In addition to submitting a filled Special Membership Form (SMF) online, one MUST be in possession of a functional glucometer (for measuring blood glucose levels) or can have unrestricted access to one. You can fill and submit the form and purchase the glucometer thereafter or gain access to one. Your blood glucose CANNOT be adequately monitored with it. However, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you buy your own glucometer set (glucometer pack, test strips, lancets) which sells for about N13,000 in Nigeria and about SR 130 – 200 (on saudi.souq.com). From the foregoing requirements for special members, it is clear that special members MUST have SELF-DISCIPLINE and be ever ready to join hands with the admins to do the needful. Any disease management entails high sense of self-discipline in adhering to medications and doctor’s advice. This cannot be over-emphasized.
(c) Form: Filling this questionnaire is a PRE-REQUISITE for one to be registered under the special membership category. The form consists of 3 sections (A, B & C) and about 50 questions. These questions have been carefully created to capture all the required information necessary to understand the patient’s current health condition and diet. Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are MANDATORY and must be filled before you can submit the form. It takes about 20 min to fill it online.
Section A: Consists of patient’s basic data such as name, email, address, occupation, etc.
Section B: Consists of diabetic-related data such as weight, height, diabetic history, glucometer use and readings, insulin injection, etc. Some of the questions can apply to anyone who wishes to lose weight only.
Section C: Consists of the patient’s dietary details such as one’s specific meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, fruits, etc.

To fill the form, login with your Google account login details. If you don’t have a Google account but already have an existing email address, you can create a Google account using that email address. If you don’t have an email address, then, you can create one with Gmail. When you are done filling the form, you should click on the ‘SUBMIT’ button. Admins will review your forwarded filled form and give you feedback. If there is need to find out more about your filled form, you may be contacted privately via Telegram or mobile phone by one of the admins.

(3) Group Admins & Roles
There shall be 2 admins for now. This can be increased later to welcome more volunteers such as doctors (any specialization), nurses (with experience in diabetes management) and nutritionists. The door is open.

1st Admin (My humble self)
(a) Manages the forum’s email address.
(b) Posts relevant and simplified articles on the forum’s Telegram group for members to read and be enlightened.
(c) Liaise with the 2nd admin who is a medical doctor on submitted forms to ensure that patients who submitted their filled forms get feedback promptly.
(d) Follow-up with the patient to ensure full implementation of the feedback received from the 2nd admin while keeping the 2nd admin updated on the progress.
(e) May attempt to answer or comment on questions posted by members on the forum’s Telegram group where applicable.
(f) Ensure that members’ posts are appropriate as per the forum’s guidelines for posting presented below.

Other Admins (medical doctors, pharmacist, etc.)
(a) Closely study all submitted forms and provide feedback.
(b) May follow-up with the patient to ensure the full implementation of the feedback.
(c) Posts relevant and simplified articles on the forum’s Telegram group for members to read and be enlightened.
(d) May attempt to answer or comment on questions posted by members on the forum’s Telegram group where applicable.

(4) Posts
ONLY diabetes, weight loss or diet-related articles should be posted on the forum’s Telegram platform in addition to asking the admins any related questions for clarification.