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!
The post title is sort of the response I feel like I get when others find out I’m Type 2.
Diagnosed three years ago (October 2022, to be exact), I’ve been on a journey. My wife hated when I talked about her diagnosis and subsequent treatment of breast cancer starting 14 years ago as a “journey”. That makes us sound like we’re on a trip to Vegas or something like that!
So my “journey” has been more of a slog, is what’s it’s been. In fact, it’s such a pain in the butt that I choose to IGNORE my Type 2 sometimes and pretend I’m like in 20s again. In those days, I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted to!
For example, I’m addicted to the Minnesota State Fair – ever since I got my first car and could drive to fair (1975), AND could park on the Fairgrounds themselves (AMAZING, huh??), where I’d wander the Grounds for hours, sampling whatever it was I wanted. My “main thing” was something called an Orange Treet (aka, Orange Julius) – a sweet, orange juice-based drink with something called “Frisco Powder” (while I couldn’t find out what COLOR the powder is, this recipe seemed to make sense: “fresh orange juice, ice, sugar, water, a frothy egg white/dairy/vanilla mixture, and a special powder”. Frisco Powder is a “proprietary blend giving it that signature frothy texture.” Still as transparent as mud. So I dug deeper and FINALLY came up with this (btw – NOT making this up!) : “dried, ground orange peels”.
At any rate, my other favorite food at the State Fair has always been falafel wrapped in flat bread with cucumber sauce. Years after I started loving it, I found out the company – Falafel King – was owned by a friend of the Palestinian family who lived in our basement. They’d returned from Israel (where things were getting uncomfortable for them) and looking for someplace to stay because their family had turned turned them down. They’d become too Western… So, every year during the State Fair, I have this combination of foods – plus sometimes something sweet and indulgent. I justify it by telling myself I’m walking a lot (State Fair 2025, I walked somewhere around 9 miles (went with TWO families and three grandkids!) So, that cancels all the sugar and fat and things that make for fluctuating blood sugars and blood pressure.
Should I stop doing all of the bad eating (with Christmas just 10 days away!)
Of COURSE I should. Will I? Unlikely – caveat: I know what I’m doing. I’m sabotaging stable blood sugars and lowered blood pressure.
But I’m also eating LESS than I used to. I take a weekly semaglutide injection. I don’t drink sugared soda; I don’t even use sugar in my coffee anymore – I use brand-name sucralose. I’ve read how HORRIBLE it is for me and that I should just use sugar or one of the other sugars like monk (mogrosides (which are “triterpenoid glycosides [allegedly] possessing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potential anti-cancer properties.”) often blended with erythritol (“which is made from fermented corn”). The diet Coke products I drink are sweetened with aspartame (“…methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide…”. Some of our friends would scream, “Horrible! It will kill you! It’s ARTIFICIAL!!!!” I’ll just point out the following: “with a can of diet soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 100kg (220 pounds) would need to consume more than 11–16 cans PER DAY to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other intake from other food sources.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame]
I use the tools I have. I don’t make massively STUPID food choices (except for sometimes during the holidays or once or twice at the State Fair!). So, I’ll amend the title of this post: “I’m TIRED Of Living With Type 2 Diabetes!” (This will always remain true…no changing it) “So What? Be A MAN!” (or Woman)…and EMBRACE what you can, WORK at being a healthier eater, and EXERCISE as much as you can.”
Source: https://diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/type-2
Image: https://www.hcd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/living-well-with-diabetes-600x400.jpg
