I AM NOT A DIABETIC.

Don't Call Me A Diabetic. I have diabetes but I never did like calling people names just because they have a disease or disorder. When you call me a diabetic, you are adding a label that makes it my identity. In 1995, I was told I was about to develop diabetes. I weighed about the same then as I do now and I ate whatever I pleased. They told me that I either had to change my lifestyle or I would be subject to all the complications that develop with diabetes. These include, blindness, loss of limbs, heart disease, stroke, and overall reduced life span. As a result I went on a drastic diet, reducing the amounts simple sugars, animal fats, and overall caloric intake I consumed.



Great Results....For Awhile. I lost almost 20 lbs, brought my blood sugar to normal levels, and eliminated the blood pressure medication that I had taken for 10 years. I considered this quite an accomplishment but I bragged too soon. My weight gradually increased and I had to resume the blood pressure medication. They put me on oral diabetes medication. Although I would have preferred not to have taken this medication, I guess I considered this a small price to pay to live the way my friends and family lived.



Things Got Worse. Within five years, the oral medication was no longer sufficient to maintain my blood sugar at normal levels. Although I resisted, they warned me that I was facing the danger of some severe complications if I didn't do what was required to bring my blood glucose levels down. To make matters worse, they warned that once I begun to experience these problems it would be too late to reverse them. This reminded me of what happened to my grandfather who spent his last 5 years with no legs. He also suffered a stroke and no longer recognized any family members. They gave me a free supply of time release insulin and some needles and told me to try nightly injections for a month. The results were excellent and, although I had really wanted to avoid the needles, I decided the shots didn't hurt too much and a single injection at bed time was not too high a price to pay to avoid ending up like my grandfather.



Fast Forward Five Years. The nightly injection of time-release insulin is no longer sufficient to keep glucose levels within the desired range. They decided that the best way to remedy the situation was for me to test my blood sugar at each meal and inject myself with a fast-acting insulin before eating. I gave up and decided to try it. Again, it was not painful but it severely cramped my style. I did what they said........sorta. On my last visit, after being on this regimen for 6 months they asked me to wear this device that would give them a continuous reading of my blood glucose levels. Then they could tell me more precisely when to make these injections and in what quantity. It was at that point that I decided to try something on my own.

Here Are Some Steps I Plan To Take. 1. Strict low carbohydrate diet with an emphasis on protein. 2. More diligent exercise levels. 3. Eliminate fast-acting insulin injections. 4. Lose at least 15 lbs. Why am I telling you this? Because I plan to write about my progress once a week and going on record with my plans should provide some extra motivation to stick with it. Another, more important, reason is that I think improved awareness of diabetes risk factors might benefit my readers. Diabetes is approaching record levels in this country. Granted, better detection and monitoring is responsible for part of this; however, obesity and inactivity are other major factors. Type two diabetes levels are endangering our children as they are developing this at far earlier ages than in the past.

Weight Loss Is a Major Issue For Now. My friends tell me I don't need to lose weight. When I went on a major weight loss program 20 years ago, my friends told me I looked like "a refugee from the Bataan death march." That being said, I know losing some weight would be beneficial. As of today, I weigh 173.5 lbs. I will write again next Sunday and report my progress. Another major factor is called hemoglobin A1c, which is a measure of average blood glucose levels over a 3 month period. As of my last visit to the clinic this level was 7.7. Over 8 is considered dangerous and the real goal is 6.5 or less. A new result will be available after October 21 and I will report that then. In the meantime, I will work on my weight and report on the results. This should take less space than this post and I will resume writing about our financial choices in this most difficult of economic environments.