4.3 Diabetes coping mechanisms
4.3.2. Medication compliance
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Ntombi monitored her blood sugar by using a glucometer; the glucometer excited her and somehow added a fun part to her management of diabetes. She saw her glucometer as a gadget and does not mind explaining to people how it works and how she knows when her sugar levels are high and when they are normal.
“The sugar machine helps me a lot in knowing my sugar levels, it helps me balance the sugar in the blood, it lets me know when it is too high and I am able to act on it” (Ntombi).
Being selective of foods had become a culture to some of the participants; they had grown used to tastes that were once horrible and unusual. They realised that eating a healthy diet improved their management of the diabetes.
Thembi, a 4-year-old mother of two, admitted that she had become more selective of foods and noticed that her sugar levels were under control and she was feeling good.
“I have become more selective of foods that I eat, it really helps with controlling the illness. I have taught myself to enjoy eating healthy foods…
it was not easy adjusting to a new taste though but for the sake of my family had to be done” (Thembi).
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it. Others saved alarm reminders to remind them when it is time to take their medication.
Participants had grown to understand that medication compliance is the most important means of managing diabetes. Some participants relied on both Western and traditional medicines. They believed that both worked and did not want to stop using either one. Participants said that nurses and the Diabetes South Africa team taught them the importance of medication compliance. All the participants knew and understood the importance of medication compliance, whether it was medicine from the clinic or from the healer. All the participants complied with either both or just one medicine.
Zama, a 49-year-old, widowed, diabetic female and mother of six, was diagnosed with diabetes in 1998. Her opening statement was that she knew the importance of taking her medication. She felt that medication was very important for a diabetic; she did everything in her power to keep adherence with her medication.
“It has become a tradition for me to drink my medication; my family reminds me when it is time to take medication”… “My children bring me the pills and water sometimes, immediately after meals” (Zama).
“I only use medications given to me by the nurses at the clinic; I have learned that to keep my diabetes under control I need to stick to medicines given to me at the clinic” (Zama).
Diamond shares these sentiments. Diamond, is a 44-year-old, married, diabetic women and mother of three. She believes that compliance with medication can save a person‟s life. She believes that people should adhere to medicine, whether it was medicine from the nurses at the clinic or medicine from herbalists, or even traditional healers.
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“medicines make a very big difference in my life, I make sure to drink the medicines as the nurses have told me to… my sugar has not given me problems I believe it is because I look after myself and use the medicines as prescribe” (Diamond).
Ella emphasised the importance of medication compliance. She stated that after taking medicines from the clinic her body started feeling much better, the tiredness went away and she felt fresh and rejuvenated.
“Ah, I have felt so much better, ever since I started taking the medicines from the clinic, my illness has never given me problem, I really want to thank the nurses at the clinic” (Ella).
Belief in the types of medicines used were greatly influenced by the belief and cultures that the participants were born into. Some of the participants refused to stop using traditional medicines, as they felt that these medicines played a very important role in managing diabetes. The nurses and representatives from Diabetes South Africa performed well in educating the participants on medicines and medication compliance, but they had no control over the choices that the patients made with regards to the types of medication that they would use.
Before the support groups started I would sit with the women and listen to their conversations.
Some of the women had grown to understand that the types of medication that they use to manage their diabetes has a big of influence on the illness. The medicine will either help you or make you worse. With some it was still not important which type of medicine they used, just as long as they had medicine that they believed would help them. Some participants believed that using more than one type of medicine would be far more effective than using just the pills from
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the clinic. Beatrice started recommending to the woman an imbiza that she was using for the diabetes. She told them how it had been working for her, that it made her forget that she had diabetes. The nyanga she got it from told her that if she uses it for a long period of time it could heal her diabetes. Beatrice‟s story elicited different emotions from the women. Some wanted to know more, so that they could purchase this imbiza, while others remained unmoved. Beatrice admitted that she used both traditional and Western medicines to manage her diabetes but did not want to admit it to the nurses, because she knows that they are not allowed to use alternative medicines.
“I use both traditional and clinic medicines. I don‟t know which one helps me the most between the two but I feel both are good for me” (Beatrice).
Dorah, a 46-year-old, married, diabetic black female and unemployed mother of three, diagnosed with diabetes in 2009, was more than keen to participate in the study. Dorah observed that she believed in compliance with medication to keep diabetes under control. Her husband believes that compliance is important and helped Dorah comply with her medication. She confided that her husband does not understand that they are not allowed to use alternative medicines for diabetes. She said that her husband had a tendency to buy medicines and herbs that are believed to help diabetics manage and even cure diabetes.
“I know he cares and is trying to help me get better, I have explained to him that we are not allowed to use such medicines, but he continues to buy them for me” (Dorah).