My diabetes journey ...
Many of you have been sharing your story. Most of you know that I share pictures of diabetic complications from time to time to help wake people up to the reality of this disease. Today, I thought I would do both. This collage is from a staph (MRSA) infection that I had in 2010. I didn't know I was diabetic until I hit the ER that week. I ended up spending 10 days in the hospital. My blood sugar (fasting) upon admission was 380. My A1C was 12.1%. Scary? Yes, it is. But this is the truth about what uncontrolled diabetes can do. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
After my diagnosis, I was gung-ho about changing my lifestyle and took my meds daily. It wasn't long, however, that depression set it. Combined with financial stress and being unable to pay for Dr visits, labs, and meds, I basically gave up. Yes, even after the picture above took place, I gave up. For some, this may be hard to understand. For others, you understand exactly what I was going through. So I spend the next three years doing nothing about my diabetes and eating whatever I wanted. I began to notice pain in my feet. First it was a tingling sensation or pins and needles, like when your feet fall asleep. Then it began to be painful, like my feet would ache or be on fire, despite the fact that I really had not been on them much at all. Then there were stabbing pains. I can't even begin to explain how much this hurts. I knew then it was time to take this disease serious again.
The real turning point for me was last Thanksgiving when I spent some time with a friend who had recently lost both legs below the knees to diabetes complications. It all starts with an infection. It runs rampant with high blood sugar (turns out bacteria feed on sugar). Uncontrolled, it leads to an amputation. If the infection spreads to the bone, more amputation. It was really sad and eye-opening for me to see, especially considering he is younger than me - in his 30s. He had lost over 200 lbs during his time with this disease. He was in good control for a long time. But when he fell off the wagon, he fell hard.
So I went back to the doctor in December to get my head extracted from my rear. My A1C at that time was 12.1% (again). Triglycerides were at 712. Cholesterol was at 250. Fasting blood sugar was 285. Today, my A1C (last month) is 5.4%, triglycerides are down to 180, my cholesterol is at 207, and my fasting blood sugar is normally between 70-99. My numbers rarely go above 140 at any time. I've done this through diet and exercise, along with glimeperide and metformin. Slowly, I am now coming off of glimeperide, with the directions of my Dr. I'm losing weight and looking forward to the day when I can control this disease with just diet and exercise alone. I know I can do it.
This group has helped save my life. It's my hope that I can help do the same for at least one person here. Look at the recipes. Check out the LCHF lifestyle, that is what has worked for me. You don't have to deprive yourself. You don't have to feel like you can't eat good tasting food anymore. If I can do this, trust me, you can too. It's time to get serious about diabetes, because I promise you, it won't go away and you will get complications from this disease. Own it. Change your lifestyle. You won't regret it, and that's a promise. To be continued in the future! ...
Michael is a member of the type 2 diabetes support group and the type 2 diabetes weight loss group
Many of you have been sharing your story. Most of you know that I share pictures of diabetic complications from time to time to help wake people up to the reality of this disease. Today, I thought I would do both. This collage is from a staph (MRSA) infection that I had in 2010. I didn't know I was diabetic until I hit the ER that week. I ended up spending 10 days in the hospital. My blood sugar (fasting) upon admission was 380. My A1C was 12.1%. Scary? Yes, it is. But this is the truth about what uncontrolled diabetes can do. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
After my diagnosis, I was gung-ho about changing my lifestyle and took my meds daily. It wasn't long, however, that depression set it. Combined with financial stress and being unable to pay for Dr visits, labs, and meds, I basically gave up. Yes, even after the picture above took place, I gave up. For some, this may be hard to understand. For others, you understand exactly what I was going through. So I spend the next three years doing nothing about my diabetes and eating whatever I wanted. I began to notice pain in my feet. First it was a tingling sensation or pins and needles, like when your feet fall asleep. Then it began to be painful, like my feet would ache or be on fire, despite the fact that I really had not been on them much at all. Then there were stabbing pains. I can't even begin to explain how much this hurts. I knew then it was time to take this disease serious again.
The real turning point for me was last Thanksgiving when I spent some time with a friend who had recently lost both legs below the knees to diabetes complications. It all starts with an infection. It runs rampant with high blood sugar (turns out bacteria feed on sugar). Uncontrolled, it leads to an amputation. If the infection spreads to the bone, more amputation. It was really sad and eye-opening for me to see, especially considering he is younger than me - in his 30s. He had lost over 200 lbs during his time with this disease. He was in good control for a long time. But when he fell off the wagon, he fell hard.
So I went back to the doctor in December to get my head extracted from my rear. My A1C at that time was 12.1% (again). Triglycerides were at 712. Cholesterol was at 250. Fasting blood sugar was 285. Today, my A1C (last month) is 5.4%, triglycerides are down to 180, my cholesterol is at 207, and my fasting blood sugar is normally between 70-99. My numbers rarely go above 140 at any time. I've done this through diet and exercise, along with glimeperide and metformin. Slowly, I am now coming off of glimeperide, with the directions of my Dr. I'm losing weight and looking forward to the day when I can control this disease with just diet and exercise alone. I know I can do it.
This group has helped save my life. It's my hope that I can help do the same for at least one person here. Look at the recipes. Check out the LCHF lifestyle, that is what has worked for me. You don't have to deprive yourself. You don't have to feel like you can't eat good tasting food anymore. If I can do this, trust me, you can too. It's time to get serious about diabetes, because I promise you, it won't go away and you will get complications from this disease. Own it. Change your lifestyle. You won't regret it, and that's a promise. To be continued in the future! ...
Michael is a member of the type 2 diabetes support group and the type 2 diabetes weight loss group
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