Continued war on diabetes and being self aware
Filed Under: Health Issues on April 1, 2011
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Some people (friends, family, readers) may question the logic in spending “so much time” or investing “so much energy” in researching unconventional methods of controlling blood glucose. I view blood glucose as an indicator of much more serious and dire underlying physiological problems. People ask this whenever I answer their probing questions about my recent weight loss, ice baths, etc. It’s like asking an alcoholic why he spends so much time meditating and going to prevention meetings, or a poor man why he works so many hours a day. It’s not unfair to assume I think this is a [stupid] question.
If you ask, I’ll answer. The answer goes something like this. If I die before I pay my debts, my debts will go unpaid. It’s a body given me by my Creator and it’s ungrateful to continue abusing it. I’ll have to answer for how I cared for the gifts that were given me. So will you!
I trust my doctor, but he’s already told me the outcome of conventional medicine. Lifetime obesity, increasing pharmacological dependence, complications that include symptoms like blindness and eventual premature death just don’t sound like a good Plan A. If I’m 100% compliant I’ll just stay fat and become increasingly drug dependent. I’ll take the path less traveled, thank you.
Not so secretly, he’s hoping I do exactly what I’m doing. He just doesn’t have any faith in the self imposed discipline of a 40 year old fat man. It’s a good bet he’s right. But, I’ve only got the cards I’m dealt, and I’m “all in” whether I like it or not. So, may as well pray for the river and snarl at my opponent with every ounce of disdain I can recruit. The difference is there’s an ace up everyone’s sleeve: the fingerprint of God. We all have free will, and it’s the most powerful weapon given humans. You can’t stop conviction.
During my morning Monday coffee, where I meet a few people for coffee and socializing, a friend joked that I think she’s diabetic because she’s “overweight.” I never said any such thing. I said the statistical likelihood was very good. And, I reiterated that, then said “But, I’ve got my glucose monitor. Why guess? If you’ve just eaten you shouldn’t have a blood sugar over 100.”
It was 159. “You’re diabetic.”
She took the information much worse than most. Few people care enough about their biochemistry to do anything. She texted me three times in less than an hour. Welcome to awareness. How does it feel?
One of the older guys said something about how most doctors wouldn’t raise an eyebrow until someone had a blood glucose of 200+. Sure, a doctor that has no business treating diabetics or anything that requires diagnostic understanding. Any doctor worth his salt should demand an A1C immediately. If he observes other risk factors (like obesity) he should require more tests, which include insulin output and labs to tell him about your other organ functions. I wouldn’t let the unconcerned doctor read my lipid panel, let alone try to regulate a diagnosed deadly disease. If you have fasting blood glucose levels over 150 you’ve got serious problems. Don’t let your doctor’s lax attitude about that fool you. Cardiovascular bypass surgery, blindness and/or amputations are in your future if you don’t change course immediately. The same guy also later said “I had my [first] bypass surgery just a few years ago.” No! Really?
I reject your reality and substitute the one I was intended to enjoy.
I don’t want to survive bypass surgery. I want to avoid coronary artery disease. I don’t want anticoagulation medication, I want the blood vessels in my brain to operate properly the rest of my life. I don’t want the best long-release artificial insulin. I want a healthy pancreas. Don’t give me iodine tablets to help me delay thyroid cancer. Don’t have a nuclear meltdown in the first place!
Reaction is for people who don’t know the wave is coming. Proaction is for the aware.
