DIABETES RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #44 “Annual T2D-related healthcare costs reached $966 billion in 2021...to exceed $1 trillion by 2045”

From the first moment I discovered I had been diagnosed with DIABETES, I joined a HUGE “club” that has been rapidly expanding since it stopped being a death sentence in the early 20th Century. Currently, there are about HALF A BILLION PEOPLE who have Type 2 Diabetes. For the past 3500 years – dating back to Ancient Egypt – people have suffered from diabetes. Well, I’m one of them now… Not one to shut up for any known reason, I added a section to this blog…Every month, I’ll be highlighting Diabetes research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you.

“Since insulin’s discovery in the 1920s, science has delivered nine classes of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D). These have improved life for many; but more than 100 years later, the disease remains widespread and progressively degenerative. An estimated 828 million adults were affected globally in 2022, up by 630 million since 1990...

“The complications of T2D are severe: blindness, organ failure, to heightened infection risk. Annual T2D-related healthcare costs reached $966 billion in 2021 and are projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2045, based on the International Diabetes Federation’s estimates.”

The sticking point here? Dorzagliatin was discovered and developed in China.

We all Americans are notably and frequently “China-phobic”. HOWEVER, while the new drug is NOT available here, there are signs that “East-West Relations” might be thawing…

In a study published in Volume 74, Issue 11 of the ADA magazine DIABETES, results are promising. “Effects of Dorzagliatin, a Glucokinase Activator, on α- and β-Cell Function in Individuals With Impaired and Normal Glucose Tolerance”

“In type 2 diabetes Dorzagliatin reduced fasting and postprandial (after-eating) glucose levels in a dose-dependent manner (depending . In phase 3 randomized controlled trials, Dorzagliatin treatment led to a −0.57% and −0.66% placebo-subtracted reduction in HbA1c (A2c levels) in drug-naïve (people who aren’t taking any diabetic drugs) and metformin-treated patients with T2D, respectively, with sustained efficacy (it had been working for…) 52 weeks. Furthermore, in an observational extension study, 65% of patients with early-stage T2D who received Dorzagliatin monotherapy had sustained drug-free remission at 52-week follow-up. These findings suggest Dorzagliatin may have a role in restoration of β-cell function in those with earlier stages of diabetes.” (see link below)

It took me a second read to catch that, people! They aren’t talking about “making you feel better but nothing really changes” – like I take 4 Metformin a day, plus Ozempic once every two weeks (a new approach to taking Ozempic supported by a small group study – and now you hear it from me: FOR ME, there was no change from weekly to biweekly use of Ozempic. I actually FELT better (after a doctor visit, where Dr. H informed me that the O-stuff PLUS big, fat, Ty.-shaped pills of M would like give me the D-stuff (too gross to even write!) and suggested I start taking a probiotic…

Now, I was NOT a pill popper until it became a matter of life and death and love of my wife! I take what I ABSOLUTELY have to in order to spend as many years with my beautiful sweetheart of 39 years as I am allotted! But “probiotics” sounded like an ad campaign invented by some dork-behind-a-desk intended to convince me that I should be taking MORE pills (OH! And ONLY “pure”, “natural”, “organic” ingredients (I should add Made-Of-MORE-Money than the evil “impure”, “unnatural”, “inorganic” (??? Like, made of ROCKS?) ingredients.)

So, on my wife’s advice, I started taking them and, as much as I hate to admit it, they seem to have made a difference…dang…

Links: https://www.nature.com/articles/d43747-025-00071-9

Image: https://asploro.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Diabetes-Research_Open-Access.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…TYPE 2 DIABETES #43: Memories Are Sometimes All We Have…

For the first time since I started this blog eleven years ago, it’s going to be about me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes four years ago. While people are happy to talk about their experiences with diabetes, I WASN’T comfortable with talking about diabetes. The “other Type” of diabetes was what caused the death of my Best Man a year after my wife and I got married. He was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a kid. It was called Juvenile Diabetes then. Today it’s Type 1. I haven’t WANTED to talk about diabetes at all. But…for my own education and maybe helping someone else, and not one to shut up for any known reason, I’m reopening my blog rather than starting a new one. I MAY take a pause and write about Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s as medical headlines dictate; but this time I’m going to drag anyone along who wants to join my HIGHLY RELUCTANT journey toward better understanding of my life with Type 2 Diabetes. You’re Welcome to join me!

I’m on a bit of a “memory kick” right now, as I’ve been thinking about a group of adolescent boys at the church I met my wife at…in particular because the one “kid” I got the most involved with (mom divorced, dad very absent, the kid had a very soft heart…) just lost his wife of 19 years to an aggressive form of cancer they’d been treating for the past seven years. Before that, another “youth kid” from my church (we were quite a bit closer in age), became good friends and often lapsed into having deeply theological discussions. His bane was that he was Type 1 diabetic and nursed a very deep sense of hurt that God gave him the bane and did nothing to heal it. He died after suffocating in a water bed following a diabetic seizure, after the birth of his second child, a little girl…who is not LONGER a little girl…That was MY first experiencing diabetes up close and personal…

My own wife was diagnosed and beat breast cancer (the entire series on my blog about THAT shitty experience is linked to your right…but started on Saturday, April 9, 2011 with “Observations of a Breast Cancer Husband”…

Then we passed through a period leading to the death of my mother, having lived several years deeply aware that my dad had descended into the deteriorating fog of Alzheimer’s.

Fifteen years, a couple months, and a double-handful of days have passed, and our kids are successful, have married, moved out, and granted us the joy of three spouses, and four grandchildren…

Now both my wife and I are Type 2 diabetics; and living in the SECOND quarter of the 21st Century. Technology today as well as plans of treatment are no long a death sentence for Type 1 diabetics; and us Type 2, using a combination of blood sugar monitors, wise food choices, and even wiser medical supervision, have a very good chance of living long and healthy lives; for example, myself: “…because life expectancy factors in infant and early mortality, males from this birth cohort who have already reached age 65 can expect to live to approximately 78 to 80 years on average.” How about this? Same question, but adding “diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes”: “roughly 15 to 21 additional years, meaning an average life expectancy of 84 to 90 years. However, this number is an estimate. Life expectancy relies heavily on when the condition was diagnosed and how well it is managed.

Note to self: try harder (perhaps more emphatically, “JUST DO IT YOU DUMB…”) Ahem…use this fact to kick yourself in the butt when you feel like stuffing your face with sweets or lazing around the house and skipping your four mile ride around the lake…

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2663724/

Image: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41J0VUNJ8ML._SY445_SX342_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg

DIABETES RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #43 KETO and Type 2 Diabetes??? Who Knew?

From the first moment I discovered I had been diagnosed with DIABETES, I joined a HUGE “club” that has been rapidly expanding since it stopped being a death sentence in the early 20th Century. Currently, there are about HALF A BILLION PEOPLE who have Type 2 Diabetes. For the past 3500 years – dating back to Ancient Egypt – people have suffered from diabetes. Well, I’m one of them now… Not one to shut up for any known reason, I added a section to this blog…Every month, I’ll be highlighting Diabetes research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you. Today: I’ve seen it and read the word – but what is a “keto” and how could it possibly help help me in my struggle against Type 2 Diabetes???

The paper opens with “We showed that three months of a ketogenic diet was able to improve beta-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes, and these improvements were associated with changes in the proinsulin-C-peptide ratio, a biomarker of pancreas stress….Other than bariatric surgery or large-volume intentional weight loss, interventions for improving beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes do not currently exist.”

So: “In English PLEASE!”

First of all, is a “ketogenic diet” the same as “being on keto” (Or is it “going keto” or “On a keto diet”?) “The ketogenic or keto diet…” Answer to first question is “Yes, they are the same thing.”

Second then, is what the HECK is a “keto diet”: it’s a diet that “includes eating high-fat, low-carbohydrate foods to reach ketosis. In ketosis, the body uses fat for fuel, instead of sugar (glucose). This produces acids known as ketones.”

Something I’ve never read in these glowing advertisements for these FABULOUS “Keto Diets” is that ketones STINK: “It is a very common and predictable side effect that occurs when your body enters ketosis”, ketone breath has been “compared to your breath smelling like acetone (aka, nail polish remover), paint thinner, rotten fruit, or sweetly metallic…” YUMMY!

Second, it basically ditches balanced eating: “…eating different amounts of fat, protein and carbs in a day.” It breaks out like this, besides the fact that you weigh everything (the science is sound here – you’re balancing the fats, proteins and carbs in order to lose weight and become more healthy.) It looks like this: “four grams of fat for every 1 gram of combined protein/carb eaten throughout the day. Avoiding all carb-rich foods (like pasta, potatoes, fruit, etc.) is key here. Also, for every serving of protein-rich food, you need four servings of a fatty food (heavy cream, avocado, olive oil, full fat cheese, etc.)”.

So, let’s say we do this. It will “…improve beta-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes; the improvements were associated with changes in the proinsulin-C-peptide ratio, a biomarker of pancreas stress….”

And I’m lost again…what is a “proinsulin-C-peptide ratio”? In plain English: “…A proinsulin-C-peptide ratio is a lab test that measures how hard your pancreas is working to produce insulin. In the pancreas, proinsulin is the inactive "raw material" your body builds into insulin – which you need to change glucose into something your CELLS can use. The pancreas chops the proinsulin in half, turning it into active, usable insulin. The C-peptide is the leftover "waste" and is dumped. When everything is working perfectly, your pancreas easily chops up all the raw proinsulin into ready-to-use building blocks for insulin. BUT, if your pancreas is under heavy strain it gets overwhelmed and starts dumping unfinished, "raw" proinsulin into the bloodstream before it has a chance to fully process it, You now have high levels of unfinished proinsulin compared to C-peptide. It is a warning sign that your beta cells are struggling and may be a predictor for developing diabetes.”

So, properly managed, a keto diet can HELP repair OUR messed up pancreas – NOT heal it, but help it work better. So, the choice is ours; at least now you have somewhere to start when you ask your doctor if a keto diet is something you want to try…

Links: https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2026/keto-diet-may-improve-beta-cell-function-in-people-with-type-2-diabetes, https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/what-is-the-keto-diet-and-can-it-be-beneficial-for-you/2025/05 Image: https://asploro.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Diabetes-Research_Open-Access.jpg

MY FIRST POST at GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…DIABETES #1 The Diagnosis

Sunday, October 16, 2022

This was the  first time since I started POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAYS almost NINETEEN years ago, that I made it about me. The week of October 16, 2022, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. While people are happy to talk about their experiences with diabetes, I WASN’T comfortable with talking about diabetes. My wife is Type 2, as are several friends of ours. The “other Type” of diabetes was what caused the death of my Best Man a year after my wife and I got married. He was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a kid. It was called Juvenile Diabetes then. Today it’s Type 1 diabetes. Since then, I haven’t WANTED to talk about diabetes at all. But…for my own education and maybe helping someone else, and not one to shut up for any known reason, I’m reopening my blog rather than starting a new one. I MAY take a pause and write about Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s as medical headlines dictate; but this time I’m going to drag anyone along who wants to join my HIGHLY RELUCTANT journey toward better understanding of my life with Type 2 Diabetes. You’re Welcome (???) to join me!

When I sat down with the Diabetes Education counselor, it was no surprise that I was there.

I’ve been pre-diabetic for a few years. I knew I could change my diagnosis if I just followed a few simple steps. I needed to lose weight, exercise more, and eat right. My response to that knowledge was, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it! Besides I eat pretty good. I ride my bike! I sometimes lose weight!”

Well, the jig is up. I’ve been caught with my proverbial pants down (sorta like the scene in SPIDER-MAN: A Long Way From Home. Nothing evil going down, but he got caught getting ready to put on the black suit that ultimately inspired Ned to call him Night Monkey.) I’m now officially diabetic.

What’s that mean? (TOTALLY UN)Funny you should ask!

I now have a blood sugar monitor kit of my very own. I used it for the first time this morning. My blood sugar level was 173, which my phone tells me is “high”.

And that means, what? Yeah, here’s where the educating myself well enough to understand comes in, plus a little bit of Translating the Doctors.

First a BRIEF history of diabetes (HIGHLY condensed from the Wikipedia article: Diabetes was one of the first diseases described by Human medicine. The term “diabetes” or “to pass through” was first used in 230 BCE by the Greek Apollonius of Memphis

Two types of diabetes were identified as separate conditions for the first time by the Indian physicians Sushruta and Charaka in 400–500 CE with one type being associated with youth and another type with being overweight. It took a long time to create an effective treatment. The early part of the 20th century for Canadians Banting and Best who finally isolated and purified insulin. We’ve known for a fact what causes diabetes FOR A HUNDRED YEARS…

What is blood sugar? It’s pretty simple: “Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in your blood. It comes from the food you eat, and is your body's main source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all of your body's cells to use for energy.”

And what does that have to do with diabetes? “Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems…Himsworth published research that differentiated between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. He theorized that many people had insulin resistance rather than insulin deficiency. Insulin resistance is one factor that leads to type 2 diabetes. When a person has insulin resistance, their body cells lose their sensitivity to insulin and are not able to take in glucose. In response, the pancreas increases its output of insulin.”

What’s a NORMAL blood sugar? “Fasting normal blood sugar for a person without diabetes: 70–99 mg/dl (This is what my monitor shows. The funny letters after mean “milligrams per deciliter” or how much glucose (in milligrams – like what most of you antibiotics and Tylenol/Advil/Aleve is measured in) there is in a deciliter (which is one tenth of a liter or about the bottom of a two liter bottle of pop).” Official ADA recommendation for someone with diabetes: 80–130 mg/dl (4.4–7.2 mmol/L) when you get up in the morning (fasting level) and less than 180 mg/dl after you’ve had a meal.”

What KIND of serious problems can insulin resistance (Type 2 diabetes) cause? “stresses the pancreas (where insulin is made) damaging it. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. Diabetes and kidney disease due to diabetes caused an estimated 2 million deaths.

And WHAT THE @#$&!* can I do about it? A healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. How much am I SUPPOSED to weigh? (If you want to know about yourself, click here, supply the numbers and it will tell you! ( https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323446#body-mass-index-bmi ) I weigh 255 pounds. I should be between 136-172 pounds. So…to be safe, I need to lose 150 pounds…

“Diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with diet, physical activity, medication and regular screening and treatment for complications.” No other sentence I have ever typed sounded so incredibly SIMPLE and terrifyingly DIFFICULT...I have my work cut out for me and it’s (finally) time to get serious.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317484#non-insulin-treatment, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes,
For MORE details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_diabetes
Image: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41J0VUNJ8ML._SY445_SX342_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg

DIABETES RESEARCH RIGHT NOW! #42 Fighting Diabetes Stigma, One Joke at a Time

From the first moment I discovered I had been diagnosed with DIABETES, I joined a HUGE “club” that has been rapidly expanding since it stopped being a death sentence in the early 20th Century. Currently, there are about HALF A BILLION PEOPLE who have Type 2 Diabetes. For the past 3500 years – dating back to Ancient Egypt – people have suffered from diabetes. Well, I’m one of them now… Not one to shut up for any known reason, I added a section to this blog…Every month, I’ll be highlighting Diabetes research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you. Today: The Stigma of  Diabetes

I’m a funny guy.

My family, friends, church members, former students, grandchildren…and even my WIFE will attest to it. I’m funny.

Which made me start to wonder with anyone was trying to face and deal with Type 2 diabetes with humor?

Turns out, they DO!

A couple years ago (Winter 2024), a group of comedians, artists, and activists gathered together under the sponsorship of DiaTribe to brainstorm, write, and create a series of videos aimed at destigmatizing diabetes. “Broadly, the videos aim to spotlight surprising facts about diabetes, increase familiarity and respect, counter harmful stereotypes and misconceptions, and encourage laughter and curiosity over judgment.”

So – what can this do to HELP me deal with being a T2 Diabetic? Or even a Type 1…can’t imagine that, though trying to deal with the self-separating issues that come from few (if anyone) really understanding not ONLY what that meant for your life, but being unable – NOT because you’re fat, disabled, or something else that people might understand for you staying out of sports…but because you’re “a diabetic” and people wondering how THAT could keep you from playing any sport at all. That was what happened to Greg; my long-time buddy and friend. He was one of the most understanding – and obNOXIOUSLY funny people I have ever known! You’d think that would have kept him happy…but his ban (personal, parental, or doctoral, he never said…) from being an athlete. It hurt him.

At any rate, these commercials and the goal of this group, make me think of Greg…so I share them with you. If you know someone who struggles with T1 or T2 diabetes, watch these, think, then make a plan to make their lives more fun. At least, more “seen” and less “blamed”.

So follow a couple of them, follow all of them.

Then talk to someone who is diabetic and find out if there’s anything you can do to help – or if you should just shut up about it. Or refuse to talk about it and ask them to teach you. THEN shut up.

(A related post of mine regarding the stigma of being T2...

https://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2026/03/guys-gotta-talk-abouttype-2-diabetes_01835368122.html

Links: https://diatribe.org/mental-health/fighting-diabetes-stigma-one-joke-time , https://www.dstigmatize.org/
Commercial 1: Above the Bias: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqelmrbFdbU

Commercial 2: DiabetesCanada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhrGmtO3g6o
Commercial 3: Spoonful of Laughter
https://diatribe.org/understanding-diabetes/spoonful-laughter-defeating-diabetes-stigma-comedy
Commercial 4: THIS ONE IS FUNNY!!! From DIATRIBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNuzrPO6Rko&list=PLTSsBI6NOrskpJp0iZlEBJMuw4D9ep8Yx&index=1
Commercial 5: NOT so funny, but hopeful!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2dAlR6NGho&list=PLTSsBI6NOrskpJp0iZlEBJMuw4D9ep8Yx&index=5
Commercial 6: Not exactly funny…but kinda creepy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmp0kRqlHE4&list=PLTSsBI6NOrskpJp0iZlEBJMuw4D9ep8Yx&index=15

IMAGE: https://asploro.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Diabetes-Research_Open-Access.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…TYPE 2 DIABETES #42: How About I Make A SMART Choice FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME!

For the first time since I started this blog eleven years ago, it’s going to be about me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes two weeks ago. While people are happy to talk about their experiences with diabetes, I WASN’T comfortable with talking about diabetes. My wife is Type 2, as are several friends of ours. The “other Type” of diabetes was what caused the death of my Best Man a year after my wife and I got married. He was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a kid. It was called Juvenile Diabetes then. Today it’s Type 1. Since then, I haven’t WANTED to talk about diabetes at all. But…for my own education and maybe helping someone else, and not one to shut up for any known reason, I’m reopening my blog rather than starting a new one. I MAY take a pause and write about Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s as medical headlines dictate; but this time I’m going to drag anyone along who wants to join my HIGHLY RELUCTANT journey toward better understanding of my life with Type 2 Diabetes. You’re Welcome to join me!

OK – in my regular reading of Type 2 diabetes research, here’s one I have NOT seen before: “In people with type 2 diabetes [who are] overweight…modest weight loss improves glycemia and reduces the need for glucose-lowering medications…greater weight loss substantially reduces A1C and fasting glucose and may promote sustained diabetes remission…”

Let me interpret this as I unpack it. First of all – I’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for several years now. (CHECK!) My ideal weight for my height and age? Hmmm…never looked it up/used a tool. So, here goes: I’m 69, about 5’10”. My ideal weight should be between 132-173 pounds. My ACTUAL weight as of this morning? “Nunnayerbeezwax!” OK…fine, this morning I weighed in a 237.2 pounds. Even on the HEAVIER end of the ideal, I’m about one 7-year-old grandchild overweight…

OK – I’m feeling guilty! So what am I supposed to do? Here are their recommendations:

“Metabolic surgery, which results in an average >20% body weight loss, greatly improving glycemia and often leading to remission of diabetes, improved quality of life, improved cardiovascular outcomes, and reduced mortality. Several therapeutic modalities, including intensive behavioral and lifestyle counseling, weight management pharmacotherapy, and metabolic surgery, may aid in achieving and maintaining meaningful weight loss and reducing obesity-associated health risks.”

Translations are hereby ordered: “metabolic surgery” = removal of a portion of my stomach. Medically? Nah…equally incomprehensible. How about in “normal man language”? Here we go! “A large part of the stomach is removed, leaving a banana-shaped tube…” OK…here’s a ROCK HARD PASS!!!!!

NEXT! “…A small pouch is made from the stomach and connected directly to the small intestine, skipping most of the stomach and first part of the intestines…” iow: food you eat skips the stomach and guts to get shit out unchanged…That’s disgusting even to me as a science geek/former science teacher (I taught all of them: life science, earth science, physical science (chemistry+physics), biology, chemistry, and physics; levels special-education to English Language Learners to “average students” to International Baccalaureate students.) Once again, ROCK HARD PASS!!!

In the end? “Metabolic surgery goes beyond just eating less; it changes the body's internal biology to fight obesity-related diseases, with studies showing it can be more effective for diabetes and long-term weight management than lifestyle changes.” OK – let me translate: “with studies showing it can be more effective for diabetes and long-term weight management than lifestyle changes” this obviously means that DON’T BOTHER TRYING TO CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR! GET EXTREME AND EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE SURGERIES THAT DO NOTHING TO CHANGE THE ROOT CAUSE OF YOU BEING OVERWEIGHT (and as a fat person myself, I am evaluating this in light of what such drastic surgery would mean for me. Maybe I just have a weak personality and an aversion to supporting an industry that makes certain people wealthy by convincing me to “DO THE EXPENSIVE THING, IT MUST BE THE BEST!”

OK – so what if all of the above “suck the big one!!!!!”

Is there something ELSE I can do? Here’s one: “intensive behavioral and lifestyle counseling”. Translation? “They go beyond handouts with health tips. The programs engage with your family to provide face-to-face opportunities to practice healthy behaviors. An IHLBT (Intensive Health Behavior and Lifestyle Treatment)program helps you change behavior in ways that are individualized… utilizing community health educators, dietitians and exercise specialists. They can take place within normal community-based organizations. It ALSO includes

non-judgmental activities that boost your self-esteem by focusing on health, not weight. Activities focus on physical activity, healthy nutrition involving the whole household to join to thrive in a healthy environment. There is a strong focus on changes to ENJOY and keep up after the program has ended. ALSO – encouraging time spent on activities, and changing routines and habits. It CAN’T happen overnight, and IHBLT programs work best when they offer plenty of time—26 hours or more, over 3 to 12 months working to help people along with their families – succeed.” [Adapted for my own life based on an article posted here:] https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/obesity/Pages/what-is-intensive-health-behavior-and-lifestyle-treatment-IHBLT.aspx?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=69654055&gbraid=0AAAAADyMpZG8kPPcbF7zA1ZXQPb5UZT7b&gclid=Cj0KCQjw77bPBhC_ARIsAGAjjV_pyGT3IxIweAYV7Xn9C21WV0jI235z_oCBVEBc0Ft94SzbFJmE7BIaAjzCEALw_wcB

THIS is something I can get behind and work at! Look for comments on this change in my own lifestyle and whether I’ve been able to implement them in future posts!”

Source: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/48/Supplement_1/S167/157555/8-Obesity-and-Weight-Management-for-the-Prevention
Image: https://www.hcd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/living-well-with-/diabetes.jpg

GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…TYPE 2 DIABETES #38: Dancing With Ozempic and Sheer HORROR...

For the first time since I started this blog eleven years ago, it’s going to be about me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes two weeks ago. While people are happy to talk about their experiences with diabetes, I WASN’T comfortable with talking about diabetes. My wife is Type 2, as are several friends of ours. The “other Type” of diabetes was what caused the death of my Best Man a year after my wife and I got married. He was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a kid. It was called Juvenile Diabetes then. Today it’s Type 1. Since then, I haven’t WANTED to talk about diabetes at all. But…for my own education and maybe helping someone else, and not one to shut up for any known reason, I’m reopening my blog rather than starting a new one. I MAY take a pause and write about Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s as medical headlines dictate; but this time I’m going to drag anyone along who wants to join my HIGHLY RELUCTANT journey toward better understanding of my life with Type 2 Diabetes. You’re Welcome to join me!

Ozempic is killing us.

Not the drug, but the ABSURD PRICE THE DRUG COMPANY IS CHARGING US:

$800 (yup. EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS for a few milligrams of the T2 drug I take to control my diabetes...that OTHER people take so they can eat candy bars, sugared soda, toast, and sweetened cereal and NOT CARE!)

We will have to pay this same price again once I run out of this set of injections and my Medicare co-pay kicks in. JUST SO YOU KNOW, I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE COST I WAS QUOTED...AND IT'S VANISHED...HMMM...I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED?!?!?!??!?!

So, I’ve decided to fight back: “GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…TYPE 2 DIABETES #39B: A MONTH After Switching To Ozempic Every OTHER Week” The science ALSO supports this move, at least for me. https://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2026/03/guys-gotta-talk-abouttype-2-diabetes.html

HOWEVER...

The BIGGEST problem is that the drug company that makes Ozempic found out that people who are NOT diabetic want to use it to lose weight: “Data analyzed by Trillian Health, and reported by CNN, shows that a third of patients on Ozempic have no history of diabetes. This means that doctors are prescribing the drug “off-label,” presumably for another condition, such as weight loss. The off-label prescription of Ozempic is up to a third, or 33%, from 16% in 2021. Many doctors may feel as though they have no choice but to prescribe Ozempic to their patients who are clamoring for semaglutide to help in their weight loss. Even if doctors wanted to write a prescription for Wegovy, they may not have been able to.” https://medicine.iu.edu/blogs/bioethics/on-the-increase-in-use-of-glp-1s#:~:text=Data%20analyzed%20by%20Trillian%20Health,not%20have%20been%20able%20to.

However, THE most alarming thing strikes through to the heart of the career I had for 41 years?

“…a national study from Michigan Medicine shows that the use of these weight loss drugs is increasing rapidly in adolescents and young adults 12-25 years, especially females.” https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/young-people-are-increasingly-using-wegovy-and-ozempic

WHAT KIND OF MESSAGES ARE US ADULTS SENDING TO OUR (The collective SOCIETAL “our”) CHILDREN?

Source: See embedded links above…

Image: https://doralhw.org/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/uploads/2025/07/Type-2-Diabetes-2048x1365.jpg.webp