My story...

In November of 2018, everything was great. The holidays are setting in, which means that the feasting is about ready to begin. This is my time of year. From Halloween to New Years; arguably four major holidays, I simply love the boundless opportunities to eat decadently.

I had an opportunity to have a free wellness screening in late November so I took it. A few weeks later, I got the results. Wow. Dang. Somebody call a doctor. Not all of my tests were bad. Matter of factly, most of my numbers were in line with normal. Except. (dramatic pause)

My fasting blood sugar was 257. My A1C was 14.1. I. am. diabetic.

So, in the first week of January, life for me changed forever; an adaptation that I didn't think I was ready for, but one that I began (or ended) cold turkey so to speak. I am now diabetic and that changes everything, but does it? Sure, my diet in changed forever. But is that necessarily bad? I am at higher risk for certain medical diagnoses. But we've got great diabetic medical care now. We have more meds, more understanding, and more information than ever in the history of mankind. Yet, like me, many are not aware of the symptoms. Wait, symptoms?

Most associate diabetes (the Type 2 kind) with older, obese very sedentary, slowed metabolism kind of folks. And you're not necessarily wrong. But let's take my case for example. I'm 54 years old. I am 6' 0" tall. I weigh 146 lbs. I have less than 9% body fat. I'm in the gym 3-4 days a week. I can do an hour of cardio and not break a sweat. I don't sound like your typical diabetic, do I? I'm not. My symptoms were just the opposite. I was active and eating 4000-5000 calories a day; and that was just to maintain weight. I was drinking a gallon and a half of water a day. Yes, I was in the bathroom a lot, but that just seemed normal for my food and beverage daily intake.

So, how could someone this small and in this good a shape be diabetic?

There is one huge mitigating factor that put me at high risk for developing diabetes and it had nothing to do with food, exercise or geography. Care to guess?

GENETICS. Yep. I'm screwed because of who I am; and more to the point who my parents are and who my grandparents were. Genetics plays such a crucial factor in a persons potential for contracting a particular disease. Diet and exercise, while important in the management of most any disease, isn't really going to help me. I obviously cannot lose any more weight, and I really can't be in the gym any more than I already am. So I manage. Until that wishful future moment when a cure for diabetes has been discovered, I will forever manage my disease with medication(s). The good news is that there are many treatment options available for most diabetics that does not involve insulin.

Thursday is my 90 day checkup. We'll get new numbers. We'll discuss the changes I've noticed in my body (the good, the bad, and the ugly). For as positive as I am; and try to convey here on One Man's Journey, please don't be fooled. THIS ISN'T EASY. Managing and controlling your blood sugar isn't just about popping a few meds daily. If only. It requires learning about your body again; what foods will spike you and what food will not. You can start with a diabetic nutrition guide, but any practicing diabetic will tell you that it's just the starting point; and that each persons body may react differently to foods that have no effect on others.

But we manage, we control, we adapt, we monitor, and we live. We live every single day. Because the alternative isn't a good one. And by living, we win. We don't have to live forever. We only have to live long enough to someone to find a cure. And we will. Half the population of the world is counting on us. Cheers!