The Killer Inside

"      Diabetes has been recognized as a distinct medical condition for at least 3,500 years, but its cause was a mystery until early this century. In the early 1920s, researchers strongly suspected that diabetes was caused by a malfunction in the digestive system related to the pancreas gland, a small organ that sits on top of the liver.
At that time, the only way to "control" diabetes was through a diet low in carbohydrate and sugar, and high in fat and protein. Instead of dying shortly after diagnosis, this diet allowed diabetics to live - but only for about a year.    "  Follow this link for an Insulin history source.

But why would people with Diabetes die so soon after diagnosis before a human-safe insulin was created? Probably because by the time a doctor could diagnose someone, it was far, too late. Diabetes is a very quiet, consistent killer. 

Think of a meticulous psychopath who plans his moves and covers his tracks extremely well. He appears friendly, even charismatic, and you feel comfortable in his presence. Little do you know he is prone to rage and can comfortably, swiftly take as hostage any victim who looks appealing to him. He is tough to pin down. He can kill for years before anyone even knows it's him - assuming anyone ever does.

Now name this psychopath "Sugar." Sugar is so good at taking lives that it can escape formal diagnosis (in cases like heart attacks, strokes). It comes in many forms which can confuse or trick people into thinking they are safe. What's worse is nobody wants to believe it. And, finally, Sugar has an addictive personality. No matter how you try you just can't seem to get rid of him. He can charm his way back to you. 

How can something/someone be so sweet and feel so good yet be so malicious and deadly? You can dwell on that mystery or you can equip yourself with awareness and protect yourself from harm.

Yeah, we're all going to die. Why not live long and relatively healthy, much less painful, lives until that happens?

I am not a doctor. I'm taking part in a Glycemic Load, Exercise and Blood Glucose study through the University of Virginia. Feel free to ask me any questions about what I am learning and doing.

But I Knew Everything

Best news first: I am on the behavioral side of the study. Yaaaaaay! It feels good to get excited about my health. I've missed that feeling.

I came home with a binder full of information on the Glycemic Load, Exercise, Blood Glucose (GLEBG) program/Diabetes management and got right to work. One of the first things I learned is that I know next to nothing about Type II Diabetes. I'll start with what I did know:

My grandmother and her sister had Type II Diabetes. My mom had it. It runs in my family.
You can't eat a lot of sugar if you have Diabetes.
You can take medicine but if your Diabetes gets worse, you have to be able to give yourself shots.
The disease is with you for life.
People can lose their legs, feet or toes.
People can get Neuropathy or nerve damage.
It is really hard to manage Diabetes.
A lot of people have it.
Fat people get it.


What I didn't know:
When blood sugar leaks into your body, it corrodes your arteries and nerves.
"Complications of Diabetes"  are heart attacks and strokes and other known events that happen to cause death in the body.
Anyone can get it. It's not necessarily a "getting-fat-comes-first" disease.
With practice and diligence, it's not really hard to manage Diabetes.
Diabetes doesn't get worse all by itself. Lifestyle and habits help it along.
Stress and trauma elevate blood sugar and can launch you into hyperglycemia.
You can use the glycemic index to help you navigate through which foods are safer for Diabetics to eat.

I'll know more as we go. The biggest revelation for me was that even though people I love have lost limbs and my mom told stories of her neuropathy....I didn't truly understand how critical Diabetes management is. The routine of taking blood sugar and watching my loved ones eat sugar-free candies was just another part of a normal environment for me. But so was a diet of heavy foods and minimal exercise. And so was complaining. When all of that becomes regular to you, just part of daily life, you really don't know there is a freer way to live. This is what is normal. You accept it. The scary thing is, nothing that ought to be alarming stands out when everything feels like mundane business as usual.

This week I'm learning to take blood glucose readings a few times a day and am monitoring how I feel before and after meals. It's a first step in the first week of being in this study. I have a feeling I will learn more than I ever wanted to know about Type II Diabetes. Lucky you get to come along with me.