WELCOME TO
Diagnosed Not Defeated
Welcome to one of the most dynamic blogs about living with diabetes. Explore an array of informative categories about being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 
and type 1 diabetes. I’ve had the “privilege” of being diagnosed with both types of diabetes. In 2011, I was diagnosed with type 2 and eight years later in 2019, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. As a person living with LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) my platform provides the unique experience of understanding both types personally. Being misdiagnosed has been an emotional experience, but I try to find the light. One way is by reminding myself that I’ve wanted to bridge the types since my blog began and believing that last year God answered that prayer.
I hope you’ll enjoy my posts about living with diabetes. They include topics such as recipes, fitness, travel, faith-based perspectives, and much more. Stay as long as you like and come back often.
” I enjoy Phyllisa’s in-person workshops because she makes diabetes management easy to understand. I have attended a few sessions and I always leave motivated.”
Pam L.
” I am a caregiver and reading Phyllisa’s blog posts give me insight into what my loved ones might be experiencing. They don’t always tell me how they are feeling and I appreciate reading her honest and open-reflections on the challenges and triumphs of life with diabetes.”
Marlene A.
Latest Posts
Better Health Brightened My Day
Yesterday, it came to me like a suffocating wave--I NEED to know other diabetics. The reality that no one close to me understands what I'm going through was weighing heavily on my mind. Since I don't have the telephone number [...]
A Week in France–So Emotional
The worrying started about a week before my departure, but the anxiety kicked in when my first flight had "maintenance issues." The 4-hour delay caused me to miss the connections and changed my location for the PM shot of Byetta. [...]
Give myself a shot? You MUST be tripping!
On my fourth day in the hospital, the night nurse entered my room with the regiment of medications and I said, "Oh no. You've come to give me a shot. I hate those things." She smiled. "No, I am not going [...]
Tribute to Famous African Americans Living with Diabetes
I use to like Patti LaBelle, but now I love her, she is my Shero. I was flipping through one of her cookbooks and when I read "I had diabetes, but I wasn't going to let it have me," I [...]
What in the World Happened? (My Symptoms & Diagnosis)
I came into the new year determined to finally get below 200lbs. I've been talking about throwing a 199lbs party for the past five years. After totally changing my diet and making lifestyle changes rather than settling for quick-fix solutions, [...]
Moving from Why? to When? (Questions for God)
I haven't told many people about my diagnosis because I can't handle all their questions. Very few people have allowed me to say "I've been diagnosed with diabetes" and return that statement with "Is there anything that I can do?" [...]
Why blog? Why now? And, why is race important?
I just got around to searching (or rather Googling) for information about being an African American who has been diagnosed with diabetes. The results were terrifying! It was a bunch of statistics on how many African Americans have it, die [...]
