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WARNING - This is a serious thread not to be trifled with, so no political jabs of any kind will be tolerated, AT ALL. You know the rules, this is NOT the thread for you to keep breaking the rules in (nor are any, really).
Hey, I have something else in common with Tom Hanks beyond just a love of Space programs…..
More importantly, while I expect everyone knows what Diabetes is, at least in a general sense, most probably think it won't happen to them. Well, I was sort of that way myself until last July.
So……
Hello, my name is George, and I am a diabetic…
Based on national statistics, since 9.3% of the US population has diabetes, and a greater % of men have diabetes than women, then about 10% of everyone on this forum does too (whether they know it or not). Also, statistically, many dozens on TRF probably do not know that they are already diabetic…. a doctor has not told them yet. Like I was……
In this thread before Christmas:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?121345-Merry-Christmas-and-Healthy-New-Year!
I mentioned this:
I had considered saying more but chose not to at the time.
OK, I figure it's time to say so. Some may have figured it out, reading between the lines, but some might have assumed something worse.
So, when my left big toe got infected last July, it was due to an injury in early April that had not healed over (Swimming pool had VERY rough bottom, that had worn the skin of both big toes down, almost to the bone on the left big toe. I did not know it had happened till getting out of the pool with blood on the floor). After a few weeks, it was not an open wound..... but it was not skinned over either. Then in mid-July it got infected. I ALMOST waited too long, another 2 days (or maybe even one more, it got much worse in the last 8 hours before I went to the emergency room) I might have lost the toe, or worse (could have lost the foot, the leg, even could have gotten infected so bad and complicated I could have died of it!).
Decades of no health insurance had "trained" me not to go for help unless things got desperate, and things got desperate (When I broke my little toe a few years ago, I wrapped tape to hold it next to the other toe. It healed fused "down" at about 30 degrees at the knuckle, but fortunately does not cause any trouble).
In the emergency room the blood sample they took came back with a blood sugar (glucose) reading of 240, and an A1C of 9.5. I did not even know the relevance of those numbers at the time, but they were WAY high. But the bottom line was, I had Type 2 Diabetes, and apparently had it for the last few years.
Among many issues, diabetes impairs blood flow such as to the feet (the blood is thicker than normal) and causes nerve damage so I did not feel as much foot pain as I should (not 100% numb, but not normal sensitivity. Which is why I did not feel the pain when my toes got all scraped up in the pool). Anyway, it affects healing which is why that wound had not properly healed and eventually got infected.
So, suddenly the infected toe was not the biggest issue. That was a temporary thing, taken care of by a cocktail of various antibiotics and 36 hours later surgery to remove a layer of infected bone in the toe (it does not even look or feel any different than before the injury other than a little incision scar, no missing chunk). And in a few weeks it healed up and wasn't a problem.
But diabetes does not go away. Not really. You have to try to control it. Some people do so well with diet and exercise that eventually they no longer need any medication…. but they still have to stay on top of it. So, I was put onto some insulin, 5 units a day which is not a lot, mainly to give other medication time to take effect, unless things went poorly. And was put onto Metformin which is a pill that helps to reduce blood sugar in several ways (reduces how much glucose the liver produces, AND helps the body's cells to absorb the reduced levels of natural insulin better. It also helps with weight loss. It's the most popular medication for diabetes). After 2 months, no more insulin, Metformin only. In late October, my A1C had dropped from 9.5 to 6.0, and three weeks ago it was 5.1. A normal A1C range for a person with diabetes is 4.0 to 6.0, so I'm right there.
When diagnosed, I weighed over 240. Three weeks ago, I finally hit my personal goal, 175. I guesstimate I used to weigh at least 350, if not more, in the 1990's, so 175 was half (or less) of my max. 175 is also in the middle range of healthy weight for a person of my height and frame size. When I saw an endocrinologist/dietician 3 weeks ago, and we reviewed my new eating habits, she suggested I actually eat some more carbohydrates than I had been. I might gain a little bit of weight back, I'll target 180 and adjust as needed.
The weight loss has many beneficial effects, of course. One simple one regarding the diabetes is that by going from 240 to 180, then the cells of my body can share 33% more of my natural insulin that the other 60 pounds had been using (and since bones do not use insulin, the sharing % is better than that).
In September, I took a 4-part class about diabetes, nutrition, exercise, and related issues. I had already learned some basic and important things in July, but the classes helped get some things in more focus.
Of course, when diagnosed, then I had to change a LOT about what I ate, and/or how I ate. No more Cokes (I LOVE Coke!). The Diet Cokes do not taste right. Closest I can stand is Diet Coke made with Splenda, but still the taste is off. I rarely have it. Before it happened, I had already started to drink Mio often, and was very glad to find out that Mio has Sucralose in it (Splenda is Sucralose), so no carbs. I even found out that if I use orange flavored Mio in carbonated water.... it tastes like Fanta. And I have always liked Ice Tea. So now, Lipton "Cold Brew" Teabags, and Splenda/Sucralose in place of sugar, and some lemon, Tea has replaced Coke and I have Mio too (There is also a Tea flavored Mio which is useful on trips).
Food.... well, thanks to the classes I realized I can actually have almost anything to eat, but it's a matter of portion size and making intelligent tradeoffs. Need to avoid too many carbohydrates, which either have a lot of sugar directly (like candy bars or cakes), or that the digestion process breaks down into sugar such as potatoes and rice and pasta. They even said, if I want Potato chips, have 10-12. Well, some can have that much self-control, but that is too tempting for me, so I just don't have any chips around. No candy. And I pretty much covered my new eating habits in the other thread, so re-read that if you want to know more.
But I'll add that I keep checking things out, reading labels closely to compare carbs and calories. But I was mainly focusing on the carbs, keeping those low have tended to keep the calories low overall. There are exceptions of course, various foods with very few or even zero carbs, I could gain weight by eating a lot of those. But I don't, mostly because now with the new eating habits I'm not trying to eat as much as I used to, wanted to lose weight and now need to maintain it.
Does not mean I've found a magic solution. I do get the munchies at times, and even eat more than I should occasionally. But in the big average it has worked out OK.
I had cut out all bread, using halves of soft taco shells for "sandwiches", as they have fewer carbs than one slice of bread. Then I finally checked out "Lite" bread which had even fewer carbs than the soft taco shells (and half the carbs of regular bread), so now when I have a sandwich its with real bread (12 grain). But I only use one slice, open-faced. I even have a slice of cheese*with some of the sandwiches, my discovery there was thinly-sliced cheese that I had ignored before this happened.
When going out to dinner, often I will have a REAL HAMBURGER! On regular buns. But instead of limitless french fries, its a side salad. And then I've pretty much used up my carb allotment for the meal other than some berries or such later at home as a dessert. Sometimes if someone else has french fries they will let me have three fries....which are not enough to be a problem but those three are plenty to enjoy and savor (I break them up into smaller pieces) rather than gobble down half a plate full, or more, as before. And that is part of the thing too, eating less but trying to enjoy the smaller amount. I even use a smaller spoon when eating soup, so it lasts longer, unless I'm in a hurry.
My competitive drive, as I usually focus on contest rocketry, also has helped with this. Twice a day, when I get up, and before dinner, I play a "game" with the glucose meter, checking my blood sugar levels. If they are a bit high, I try to figure out why, what did I eat , maybe too much of, to cause it to be high? So I learn from that, I have found out that for myself, my glucose spikes a high reading when I eat rice. I ate less rice, high again. I would have to eat so little rice as to not be worth eating, so I replace rice with something else (often Lite bread). And if the reading is a bit below my target average, I sometimes give myself the OK to eat a bit more, such as a thin crust pizza by Culinary Circle, which has the lowest carbs for the size of any I've checked, AND it tastes GOOD too! Also the low readings let me know what foods are working best, so I swap things around at times (Banquet has a cheap Salisbury Steak meal with two steaks, which is very low in carbs and plenty filling and tasty for a lunch).
So, I"m enjoying the food I'm eating. its not a tasteless mush or some humdrum boring stuff, or overpriced "diet food" . Well, the Lite bread is a bit costly compared to regular, but worth it. But for the most part.... it is mostly the same food, just less of it, tweaked in some cases.
Fortunately I am not at risk of dangerously low blood sugar, which can happen when injecting insulin. For me and for most people on Metformin alone, it helps keep the blood sugar from getting too high, but does not force it to get dangerously low like insulin injections can. I'd have to go a day without food to get dangerously low, and I won't be letting that happen!
I am very fortunate that my body still produces enough insulin that I do not need to inject insulin, and that the Metformin, diet, and exercise are working well. Others are not as fortunate needing to take insulin, and often a lot. And for those with type 1, they have no natural insulin production at all and must inject insulin so much that some have an insulin pump installed.
So, anyway, I've adjusted and things have gone well. In the bigger picture I am not only healthier in many ways now than when I was a teenager (other than the diabetes and age), the changes I have made should give me a longer life than I would have at the weight and condition I was. My doctor has been very pleased with my progress (I had not had a "my doctor" since 1968). My blood pressure had been "elevated" before the weight loss, but now it's in a normal range.
I am also no longer reluctant to get medical attention, because now I do have access to health care. Not long after getting the treadmill, my left foot was hurting, almost like a cracked bone somehow. I went to get it checked out the next day, not risking complications again. Fortunately it turned out to be a sprained ligament, as I'd worn house slippers on the treadmill rather than proper walking shoes. So, a few weeks later I was back to using the treadmill and no problems.
Below, some info, but I must admit it's not a great compilation. Biggest thing is that diagnoses of diabetes has increased drastically in the last few decades, as obesity rates have skyrocketed.
As I said, most probably think it won't happen to them. And some reading this, some day you may be diagnosed. I waited too long to do anything (well, i DID lose over 100 pounds from my max weight, but had not cut down on the carbs and sugary sweets). I know of some who have "pre-diabetes", that may not have made any changes either. Some with pre-diabetes may be on Metformin, but if they do not make changes in their eating and some other tweaks like at least some weight loss (any weight loss helps), they may only be delaying the inevitable.
So, this is the biggest reason I chose to disclose that I have diabetes. That some may learn from it and make some less drastic changes soon, rather than continue on and become diagnosed themselves eventually and have to make much bigger changes plus dealing with it every day from then on.
I also learned in the classes that some in the general public are very misinformed. Funniest but mostly saddest example was the true story of a guy who called off his engagement when he found out his fiance was diagnosed with diabetes. Because.... he did not want to CATCH diabetes from her! And ironically he became diagnosed with diabetes anyway (do I really need to say for the record that Diabetes is NOT transferrable person to person like a cold or other communicable disease? You get it due to factors such as lifestyle, high carb high sugar foods, obesity, and a wildcard of how prevalent diabetes may be among blood family members).
So, don't worry about me. I don't worry about it. I'm dealing with it, feel better from the weight loss, and things have gone well. If anyone wants to worry, use this as incentive to take care of yourself better in all ways, as well as encouraging loved ones and friends to do the same (without being annoying. Well, TOO annoying).
Closing on an up note, also attached is a pic from when I hit 175 recently, and finally got some new clothes to fit. Went from size 44 jeans last summer, from 48 in 2007 (was 54-56 jeans in the mid 1990's) to size 38, and from 2XL shirt (was 3 to 4 XL) to just "Large" (Can wear some Mediums but a little bit more comfortable to wear a Large).
- George Gassaway
https://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/5_graphs_and_4_photos_tell_the.html
Number of millions diagnosed with Diabetes in the united States:https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/prev/national/figpersons.htm
Hey, I have something else in common with Tom Hanks beyond just a love of Space programs…..
More importantly, while I expect everyone knows what Diabetes is, at least in a general sense, most probably think it won't happen to them. Well, I was sort of that way myself until last July.
So……
Hello, my name is George, and I am a diabetic…
Based on national statistics, since 9.3% of the US population has diabetes, and a greater % of men have diabetes than women, then about 10% of everyone on this forum does too (whether they know it or not). Also, statistically, many dozens on TRF probably do not know that they are already diabetic…. a doctor has not told them yet. Like I was……
In this thread before Christmas:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?121345-Merry-Christmas-and-Healthy-New-Year!
I mentioned this:
I had considered saying more but chose not to at the time.
OK, I figure it's time to say so. Some may have figured it out, reading between the lines, but some might have assumed something worse.
So, when my left big toe got infected last July, it was due to an injury in early April that had not healed over (Swimming pool had VERY rough bottom, that had worn the skin of both big toes down, almost to the bone on the left big toe. I did not know it had happened till getting out of the pool with blood on the floor). After a few weeks, it was not an open wound..... but it was not skinned over either. Then in mid-July it got infected. I ALMOST waited too long, another 2 days (or maybe even one more, it got much worse in the last 8 hours before I went to the emergency room) I might have lost the toe, or worse (could have lost the foot, the leg, even could have gotten infected so bad and complicated I could have died of it!).
Decades of no health insurance had "trained" me not to go for help unless things got desperate, and things got desperate (When I broke my little toe a few years ago, I wrapped tape to hold it next to the other toe. It healed fused "down" at about 30 degrees at the knuckle, but fortunately does not cause any trouble).
In the emergency room the blood sample they took came back with a blood sugar (glucose) reading of 240, and an A1C of 9.5. I did not even know the relevance of those numbers at the time, but they were WAY high. But the bottom line was, I had Type 2 Diabetes, and apparently had it for the last few years.
Among many issues, diabetes impairs blood flow such as to the feet (the blood is thicker than normal) and causes nerve damage so I did not feel as much foot pain as I should (not 100% numb, but not normal sensitivity. Which is why I did not feel the pain when my toes got all scraped up in the pool). Anyway, it affects healing which is why that wound had not properly healed and eventually got infected.
So, suddenly the infected toe was not the biggest issue. That was a temporary thing, taken care of by a cocktail of various antibiotics and 36 hours later surgery to remove a layer of infected bone in the toe (it does not even look or feel any different than before the injury other than a little incision scar, no missing chunk). And in a few weeks it healed up and wasn't a problem.
But diabetes does not go away. Not really. You have to try to control it. Some people do so well with diet and exercise that eventually they no longer need any medication…. but they still have to stay on top of it. So, I was put onto some insulin, 5 units a day which is not a lot, mainly to give other medication time to take effect, unless things went poorly. And was put onto Metformin which is a pill that helps to reduce blood sugar in several ways (reduces how much glucose the liver produces, AND helps the body's cells to absorb the reduced levels of natural insulin better. It also helps with weight loss. It's the most popular medication for diabetes). After 2 months, no more insulin, Metformin only. In late October, my A1C had dropped from 9.5 to 6.0, and three weeks ago it was 5.1. A normal A1C range for a person with diabetes is 4.0 to 6.0, so I'm right there.
When diagnosed, I weighed over 240. Three weeks ago, I finally hit my personal goal, 175. I guesstimate I used to weigh at least 350, if not more, in the 1990's, so 175 was half (or less) of my max. 175 is also in the middle range of healthy weight for a person of my height and frame size. When I saw an endocrinologist/dietician 3 weeks ago, and we reviewed my new eating habits, she suggested I actually eat some more carbohydrates than I had been. I might gain a little bit of weight back, I'll target 180 and adjust as needed.
The weight loss has many beneficial effects, of course. One simple one regarding the diabetes is that by going from 240 to 180, then the cells of my body can share 33% more of my natural insulin that the other 60 pounds had been using (and since bones do not use insulin, the sharing % is better than that).
In September, I took a 4-part class about diabetes, nutrition, exercise, and related issues. I had already learned some basic and important things in July, but the classes helped get some things in more focus.
Of course, when diagnosed, then I had to change a LOT about what I ate, and/or how I ate. No more Cokes (I LOVE Coke!). The Diet Cokes do not taste right. Closest I can stand is Diet Coke made with Splenda, but still the taste is off. I rarely have it. Before it happened, I had already started to drink Mio often, and was very glad to find out that Mio has Sucralose in it (Splenda is Sucralose), so no carbs. I even found out that if I use orange flavored Mio in carbonated water.... it tastes like Fanta. And I have always liked Ice Tea. So now, Lipton "Cold Brew" Teabags, and Splenda/Sucralose in place of sugar, and some lemon, Tea has replaced Coke and I have Mio too (There is also a Tea flavored Mio which is useful on trips).
Food.... well, thanks to the classes I realized I can actually have almost anything to eat, but it's a matter of portion size and making intelligent tradeoffs. Need to avoid too many carbohydrates, which either have a lot of sugar directly (like candy bars or cakes), or that the digestion process breaks down into sugar such as potatoes and rice and pasta. They even said, if I want Potato chips, have 10-12. Well, some can have that much self-control, but that is too tempting for me, so I just don't have any chips around. No candy. And I pretty much covered my new eating habits in the other thread, so re-read that if you want to know more.
But I'll add that I keep checking things out, reading labels closely to compare carbs and calories. But I was mainly focusing on the carbs, keeping those low have tended to keep the calories low overall. There are exceptions of course, various foods with very few or even zero carbs, I could gain weight by eating a lot of those. But I don't, mostly because now with the new eating habits I'm not trying to eat as much as I used to, wanted to lose weight and now need to maintain it.
Does not mean I've found a magic solution. I do get the munchies at times, and even eat more than I should occasionally. But in the big average it has worked out OK.
I had cut out all bread, using halves of soft taco shells for "sandwiches", as they have fewer carbs than one slice of bread. Then I finally checked out "Lite" bread which had even fewer carbs than the soft taco shells (and half the carbs of regular bread), so now when I have a sandwich its with real bread (12 grain). But I only use one slice, open-faced. I even have a slice of cheese*with some of the sandwiches, my discovery there was thinly-sliced cheese that I had ignored before this happened.
When going out to dinner, often I will have a REAL HAMBURGER! On regular buns. But instead of limitless french fries, its a side salad. And then I've pretty much used up my carb allotment for the meal other than some berries or such later at home as a dessert. Sometimes if someone else has french fries they will let me have three fries....which are not enough to be a problem but those three are plenty to enjoy and savor (I break them up into smaller pieces) rather than gobble down half a plate full, or more, as before. And that is part of the thing too, eating less but trying to enjoy the smaller amount. I even use a smaller spoon when eating soup, so it lasts longer, unless I'm in a hurry.
My competitive drive, as I usually focus on contest rocketry, also has helped with this. Twice a day, when I get up, and before dinner, I play a "game" with the glucose meter, checking my blood sugar levels. If they are a bit high, I try to figure out why, what did I eat , maybe too much of, to cause it to be high? So I learn from that, I have found out that for myself, my glucose spikes a high reading when I eat rice. I ate less rice, high again. I would have to eat so little rice as to not be worth eating, so I replace rice with something else (often Lite bread). And if the reading is a bit below my target average, I sometimes give myself the OK to eat a bit more, such as a thin crust pizza by Culinary Circle, which has the lowest carbs for the size of any I've checked, AND it tastes GOOD too! Also the low readings let me know what foods are working best, so I swap things around at times (Banquet has a cheap Salisbury Steak meal with two steaks, which is very low in carbs and plenty filling and tasty for a lunch).
So, I"m enjoying the food I'm eating. its not a tasteless mush or some humdrum boring stuff, or overpriced "diet food" . Well, the Lite bread is a bit costly compared to regular, but worth it. But for the most part.... it is mostly the same food, just less of it, tweaked in some cases.
Fortunately I am not at risk of dangerously low blood sugar, which can happen when injecting insulin. For me and for most people on Metformin alone, it helps keep the blood sugar from getting too high, but does not force it to get dangerously low like insulin injections can. I'd have to go a day without food to get dangerously low, and I won't be letting that happen!
I am very fortunate that my body still produces enough insulin that I do not need to inject insulin, and that the Metformin, diet, and exercise are working well. Others are not as fortunate needing to take insulin, and often a lot. And for those with type 1, they have no natural insulin production at all and must inject insulin so much that some have an insulin pump installed.
So, anyway, I've adjusted and things have gone well. In the bigger picture I am not only healthier in many ways now than when I was a teenager (other than the diabetes and age), the changes I have made should give me a longer life than I would have at the weight and condition I was. My doctor has been very pleased with my progress (I had not had a "my doctor" since 1968). My blood pressure had been "elevated" before the weight loss, but now it's in a normal range.
I am also no longer reluctant to get medical attention, because now I do have access to health care. Not long after getting the treadmill, my left foot was hurting, almost like a cracked bone somehow. I went to get it checked out the next day, not risking complications again. Fortunately it turned out to be a sprained ligament, as I'd worn house slippers on the treadmill rather than proper walking shoes. So, a few weeks later I was back to using the treadmill and no problems.
Below, some info, but I must admit it's not a great compilation. Biggest thing is that diagnoses of diabetes has increased drastically in the last few decades, as obesity rates have skyrocketed.
As I said, most probably think it won't happen to them. And some reading this, some day you may be diagnosed. I waited too long to do anything (well, i DID lose over 100 pounds from my max weight, but had not cut down on the carbs and sugary sweets). I know of some who have "pre-diabetes", that may not have made any changes either. Some with pre-diabetes may be on Metformin, but if they do not make changes in their eating and some other tweaks like at least some weight loss (any weight loss helps), they may only be delaying the inevitable.
So, this is the biggest reason I chose to disclose that I have diabetes. That some may learn from it and make some less drastic changes soon, rather than continue on and become diagnosed themselves eventually and have to make much bigger changes plus dealing with it every day from then on.
I also learned in the classes that some in the general public are very misinformed. Funniest but mostly saddest example was the true story of a guy who called off his engagement when he found out his fiance was diagnosed with diabetes. Because.... he did not want to CATCH diabetes from her! And ironically he became diagnosed with diabetes anyway (do I really need to say for the record that Diabetes is NOT transferrable person to person like a cold or other communicable disease? You get it due to factors such as lifestyle, high carb high sugar foods, obesity, and a wildcard of how prevalent diabetes may be among blood family members).
So, don't worry about me. I don't worry about it. I'm dealing with it, feel better from the weight loss, and things have gone well. If anyone wants to worry, use this as incentive to take care of yourself better in all ways, as well as encouraging loved ones and friends to do the same (without being annoying. Well, TOO annoying).
Closing on an up note, also attached is a pic from when I hit 175 recently, and finally got some new clothes to fit. Went from size 44 jeans last summer, from 48 in 2007 (was 54-56 jeans in the mid 1990's) to size 38, and from 2XL shirt (was 3 to 4 XL) to just "Large" (Can wear some Mediums but a little bit more comfortable to wear a Large).
- George Gassaway
https://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/5_graphs_and_4_photos_tell_the.html
Number of millions diagnosed with Diabetes in the united States:https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/prev/national/figpersons.htm
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