If there could be such a thing, I reckon I must be a prime candidate for that less than savoury role. Diabetes type 2 is a condition that develops when your insulin producing cells kind of say enough is enough’. Thereafter, the problems start to begin, and life becomes even harder than it is for ordinary folk – as if it wasn’t difficult enough! So the insulin is a hormone that gets to work on your glucose that is created in your blood after eating. This turns the glucose into energy and everybody lives happily ever after. Except for us diabetics, you see, the insulin is either not there, or it just doesn’t do its job properly.
And Then…
So we end up with a ton of glucose in our bodies and believe me, that ain’t a very good thing! A build up of glucose in our blood will result in dizziness, fatigue, blurred vision, and a whole host of nasty side effects. And those who have lived with diabetes without taking care of themselves have ended up losing limbs, eyesight, and eventually, seizure. So it is imperative that anybody with this condition takes care of their diet, medication, and gets regular exercise – or else!
So…Poster Boy?
Anyway, back to me, if you don’t mind! Although it has only been a short time since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I am now ready to meet this imposter head on. And I intend to kick its butt all over town, whether it likes it or not! But my ‘poster boy’ reference alludes to the ‘typical’ type 2 diabetes victim (hate that word…but quite apt here). You see, I pretty much tick all of the boxes that are laid out by medical experts:
• People over 40 – check!
• Overweight – check!
• Inactive – check!
I’m not proud of this status, because I pretty much ate and drank what I liked over the last 10-15 years. Prior to this, I boxed, was active, and took some care in my appearance. I guess I could blame the diabetes on getting married and having a family, but that would be too easy, believe me, I tried that already!
My New Goal
So, once the shock of having this condition passed, took about 2 weeks, I decided to change my ways. I’m now getting regular exercise, taking the medication and eating far more sensibly. I was shocked to learn about certain foods that should be avoided, and those that actually help control blood glucose levels. Essentially, avoid high carb foods if possible, sugary stuff is out, and something as seemingly unrelated as almonds could make a heck of a difference to producing glucose in our blood.
Testing
So I also have a blood glucose test monitor that I use a few times every day. You are supposed to check your blood fasting level in the morning, and about 2 hours after a meal. The cool thing is that you can experiment with different food combinations to find the one that raises your blood glucose the least. I’ve given up on any cereal based breakfast and have found that rye bread, without wheat, does it for me!
My Mission
I’ve also started up a blog called ManVsDiabetes that I’m using as an accountability tool to kick my ass when I start backsliding, as I am sure I will at some point. I’ll be tracking my progress and also hope to inspire other people in a similar quandary to myself. If you are interested, please look out for the blog, it should be some fun as well as a little educational.
Stay Healthy Out There!
So on a parting note, there are millions of people out there who do not even know they have type 2 Diabetes! If you fit the profile, or even if you don’t, you really owe it to yourself to check out your blood glucose levels. Failing to spot this condition can be lethal, so why take the chance? It would be great if diabetes testing was mandatory, because I have an awful feeling that it’s going to be one of the biggest epidemics of all time in a few decades, or even less. Bye for now, and remember to get checked out, sooner rather than later!
Phil Hall
My name is Phil, and I’m a married man in his 40’s who happens to enjoy fine dining and even finer fines. You see, since the age of 30, I’ve eaten pretty much whatever food I have felt like. I just didn’t care about the consequences, who cares if I piled on a few extra wheelbarrows of padding along the way? Married life certainly agreed with me, or at least that was what I thought. To cut a long and tedious story short, about 4 weeks later I discovered that I had developed type 2 diabetes somewhere between a few ice creams and my penchant for frozen wine gums!
Join with Google
Join with Facebook