Thank you to everyone who shared a diabetes story with the MyType2 community.
This phase of the MyType2 project has ended, and comments are now closed. You can continue the conversation about living with diabetes by connecting with organizations like American Diabetes Association, dLife, and TuDiabetes.
40 Comments
I am 62 years old. I was diagnosed at the age of 45 on a routine blood screen. I am not obese, am not overweight, am physically active. In retrospect there have been several members of my family who I suspect to have had undiagnosed diabetes, including my father.
I first treated my type 2 with diet and exercise, which was successful for several years. Then I was obliged to take sulfonuric drugs, which again was effective for several years. I then tried one of the new drugs, Rezulin, which was amazingly effective and I was shocked when it was taken off the market after a couple of years because of liver toxicity.
I am now on a combination of synthetic insulin and sulfonurics and my diabetes has been under good control for the past year. I remain active and watch what I eat, although I could always do better, as insulin therapy tends to cause creeping weight gain. I continue to be active.
Thank you for sharing your story, Michael. Going undiagnosed for a number of years is a common story and it is important to take care of your health at any age. Congratulations on managing your diabetes well. Keep up the good work.
I was diagnosed in my late 30s after dental surgery which healed slowly. I’d probably been diabetic for years, but not known (I didn’t have health insurance when I was in my 20s). i was lucky to get into the diabetes research program at a local hospital which offered education and support groups. Early on with pills, diet, and exercise, I found it difficult to maintain control. I had complications and everything from the flu to a rash took forever to heal. I reluctantly switched to insulin, and ultimately found it easier to control my sugars with it. I’ve been able to quit smoking and exercise more, but i still have sweets cravings and weight issues (insulin doesn’t help on the slim factor). The biggest challenges are trying to keep living stress-free and living for the present. After an injury this last summer which took 3 months to heal, I’m more cognicent of the potential problems down the road. I want to keep those at bay.
I was 49 when I was diagnosed with Type 2. I had been under great stress for about 5 years, began to feel incredibly tired and had lost about 40 pounds in the previous year. Since my doctor and I had made an agreement that he wouldn’t talk to me about my weight and I would keep coming in for check-ups, he never said anything about the weight loss. When I came in exhausted, he checked my fasting blood sugar and it was 893.
I have been living with Type 2 for a little over 7 years. I do what I am supposed to do: I exercise, I eat right (mostly), I take my medicine, I go to the doctor. But you know what makes me mad? The silly commercials that talk about the “pain of testing.” It’s not painful: it’s a stinkin’ nuisance. I would give just about anything to say to myself, “I don’t feel well,” and just move on. Instead, I have to say, “I don’t feel well. I wonder if it’s my blood sugar.” And then I test. If my blood sugar is low, I can fix it. If my blood sugar is high, other than exercising — not always useful if you’re sitting on an airplane — I just have to live with not feeling well.
It’s the lack of freedom from awareness that I miss.
Thank you for sharing your story, Meg. I think many would join you in missing the feeling of freedom that you lose once you become aware of what it takes to manage your diabetes and overall health. The important part is that you are taking control of your health, even though it may not always be the easiest thing to do all the time. Keep up the good work!
I was diagnosed at the age of 34 with Type 2. I was roughly 250lbs and I stand 5′8. I was a big guy, but I didn’t really see it. I had a cold that lasted for several weeks and I finally decided to go to the doctor to get some better meds to knock the cold out. While there I asked him if and when should we start checking for diabetes, it runs deep in my family, so I knew there was a chance. He told me since we had never done the blood work that we should go ahead and do it. The next morning I showed up at the lab and had several vials of blood drawn. A week later back at my doctor’s office, he gave me the news I already really knew. I had symptoms of diabetes, but I ignored them. My A1c was 12.2, my fasting that morning was around 230 or 330, it slips my mind right now. That was January of 2007.
That day at work, I didn’t know what to eat for lunch, I didn’t know to eat at all. I’d been given Actos and Metformin and told to drop the weight if I wanted to come off the medications. A week later I was put on blood pressure meds and cholestrol meds. I didn’t want to be a pill popper, so I had to figure out what I needed to do.
After some reading on websites, I became scared. Everything I found said I’d be on insulin in 3 years of being diagnosed. There wasn’t any “happy” news out there at all. I decided I’d do what I’d have to do to get this under control. But where do I start and what do I do? I was a little unmotivated even after reading about all the things that can happen from living with diabetes and dealing with it.
I stopped fast food and junk food. I started paying attention to what I was eating and how much I was eating. I started seeing the pounds drop off. That pushed me enough to get up and start walking. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t do anything else when I got home until I had my walk in for the day. Those 10 minute walks turned into longer walks and soon I found myself on a stationary bike. I’d go walk and then go ride. The pounds were coming off and I was feeling very good about everything. My A1c dropped down into the 6s. I was getting close to be under 200lbs.
I was reading as much as I could find on the internet and learning more and more every day about how to deal with being a person that lives with diabetes. I met some really good people online and made some very close friends that are dealing with the same thing I deal with.
I started riding a “real” bike and it has become a passion. Riding is freedom. Riding has given me my life back. I’m going to see another 34 years on this planet because I’ve taken this by the horns and I’m not letting go. I’m being proactive about this and will continue to be proactive.
Have I faulted over the last 3 years? Yes I have, but I haven’t let that stop me or get me down. I acknowledge the slip and move on. It’s the only thing to do, you can’t focus on the negative, you have to keep positive and stay positive. This thing can be controlled, you don’t have to let it control you.
Look for me out on the roads, you never know where I may show up for a ride.
Keep the wheels pointed to the future.
Thank you, for sharing your story, Ken It is so true that success breeds success. Once you take one step to healthier lifestyle other steps will follow. Congratulations on taking small steps that let to huge successes. Keep on riding your bike into your future.
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