Diabetes - A Personal Story

Today I have a personal post, not from me, but from my good friend Adrian. I asked him if he would mind sharing his experience of being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

I've mentioned in a previous post that often people do not have any symptoms but as you will read the symptoms maybe there, you just don't relate them to T2 Diabetes. You will also read how the medications can also affect you, it's not just about the disease....

"This is my recollection of my struggle with type 2 diabetes. The timeline is a little sketchy because I wasn’t aware of the issue initially nor am I one for keeping journals. In any event, it isn’t that relevant because everyone’s struggle is different and personal to them.

The first time I recall being worried was at the airport in Tunisia waiting to fly home around 2006. I was extremely tired even though I had spent ten days lying by a pool. I recall feeling light-headed and nauseous and the flight home wasn’t much better. Being a typical man, I ignored it and went back to work.

I had developed a tremendous and unslakable thirst. I was constantly hot and sweaty, and the bed was always soaked with sweat in the morning. This carried on for another twelve months or so before I sought medical advice. I recall for months before diagnosis feeling constantly lethargic and exhausted.

The final straw came just before Christmas. I was involved in an Employment Tribunal hearing that was scheduled for two days. The room felt increasingly stifling throughout the first day. Even though the room was air conditioned, I just wished someone would open a window or we would adjourn so I could leave the room. The second day was not much better. One of the panel seemed to notice I was out of sorts as they kept looking intently at me. I thought it was something I had uttered or unconsciously done. However, when I met my wife at the train station that night, she said I looked grey and ought to see a doctor.

As I sat in the Waiting Room at my local medical centre, I noticed a poster on the wall listing the indicators for type 2 Diabetes. Reading down the list, I ticked every box plus a couple more. My GP greeted me with his usual “What can I do for you today?” and, instead of just saying I don’t feel great, I was able to say, “I think I am diabetic”. Talking through my symptoms and taking the usual checks, he agreed and sent me for blood tests.

The change was almost immediate. I lost my craving for sugary, fizzy drinks. I started drinking more water and lost my taste for chocolate. I understood why I felt so tired and disinterested in life.

Once the blood tests confirmed I was diabetic, I was prescribed a raft of medication to combat the diabetes and the side-effects of the condition. I recall being warned that one of the drugs might affect my libido but was more concerned about getting back on to an even kilter. There was surprising little information about changing my diet but, again, I was more concerned about feeling better than trying to reverse the diabetes.

Behind all of this, I had been training and then practising as a Solicitor. Long hours and stress were de rigeur. This was coupled with demands from my wife that I spend more quality time with her. Once I left the legal profession, I was disappointed that I still had little control of my glucose levels. I had completely lost my libido, still had little energy or enthusiasm for anything. The change came when I was persuaded to join a fitness challenge at my new job. We were assessed and then prescribed a fitness routine for twelve weeks before undergoing an endpoint assessment. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed getting to the gym at 7am and completing my workout. After a month, I had increased the time I was working out from 45 minutes to two hours. At the endpoint assessment, both the therapist and I were staggered to see my aerobic capacity had increased by 150%.

However, exercise alone was not reaping the benefits I wanted. I had been widowed in the meantime and grief, combined with the effects of the medication, I wasn’t in a good place. I knew that if I wanted to enjoy a new relationship, I would have to lift my spirits and I didn’t see that happening with the medication working against me. Ultimately, I want to come off the medication and I recognised that I needed to change my diet to do that. Working with a private Nutritionist, helped me understand that I needed to rebalance the carb/protein proportions on my plate and combine this with different forms of exercise. It is an ongoing battle. Show me a doughnut or a sausage roll and I’ll show you an addict … Nevertheless, it is a battle I am determined to win.

I have had some success. My glucose levels were stable at 6.3 and my GP has agreed that when my waist is smaller than my hips, he will look at removing the medication. Does anyone know if I can buy a bacon slicer of the internet?"

Thank you again Adrian for sharing. Glad that you are progressing well and and that you are heading towards your goal of being medication free.

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Karen is a qualified personal trainer and nutrition coach living in Cyprus near Paphos with her husband Mal and their cat Dave. She has been a personal trainer for 14 years and a qualified nutrition coach for over 2 years. She is passionate about working with people of any age and fitness level to improve their health and wellbeing.

Click here to see more of her posts.