My first trip to Puerto Rico was during the summertime to visit family in Vega Baja and Camuy. It was the first of many visits to the island with my sister. Our first stop was to visit our maternal grandmother.
Gloria, my grandmother, had given birth to 6 girls and 5 boys. She was in her 70s with jet-black hair intertwined with streaks of silver. Gloria spoke softly to those around her but maintained a look of intensity that spoke volumes to everyone around. When she talked to someone, they listened. People seemed to respect their elders back when I was younger. Maybe the world didn't change since I was a kid. Perhaps I was the one that adapted to reality.
My sister and I returned to where our parents grew up over the next two summers. While each trip was memorable, some unfortunate images haunt me each visit. You see, parts of my grandmother kept disappearing. No one could explain why. More likely than not, I was just too young to understand the situation.
Looking back on what I've learned as a reference, I understand all too clearly. I wish I knew then what I know now.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines diabetes as "...a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy".. That's as simple an answer as possible. What the definition needs to provide, however, is how important it is to identify the problem early. In my case, it was in my later 30s that I got my first diagnosis. However, it was in my 40s that I was finally able to get it under control.
The Mechanism and Control
Glucose is but one of the energy molecules of the human body. Our cells require a steady stream to function, let alone survive. When we consume food, our body breaks it down into essential components like sugar released into the blood.
The pancreas detects the release of sugar into the bloodstream and, based upon this detection, releases insulin. People that don't have diabetes have sufficient insulin released into the bloodstream permitting their cells to absorb the vital sugars. However, those with diabetes either do not produce the insulin needed or some mechanism prevents the body from utilizing the existing insulin properly.
The irregular or lack of insulin production will wreak havoc throughout the body. Depending on the type of diabetes you have, as well as your lifestyle, determines how badly diabetes will impact your life.
Types of Diabetes
My understanding of this disease is that it comes in two types: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type-1 Diabetes
In Type-1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin. One cause could be that the body attacks the pancreas. The lack of insulin production and release forces the patient to inject insulin into the body to survive daily.
Type-2 Diabetes
In Type-2 diabetes, the body either doesn't produce sufficient insulin or the body is resistant to the insulin produced. More likely than not, you have insulin within your body. The problem is that the conditions of your body prevent its practical use.
My Diagnosis
In my early 30s, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had a host of bad habits and side effects to follow. I was shock-scared by the diagnosis and took immediate action to reduce my blood sugar level to within normal ranges. In my ignorance, or perhaps laziness, I did not maintain this behavior, thus causing my blood sugar to skyrocket without improvement.
Toxic Blood
One indicator of diabetes is the A1C indicator. The A1C test measures how much sugar is bound to your hemoglobin. It represents a 90-day summary of your blood sugar level and is relatively accurate. The value of your A1C indicates the toxicity of your blood. In my case, my A1C result measured 14.1, whereas normal levels are between 4.0 - 6.0.
The Consequences
Failure to address the illness, at least Type-2 Diabetes, adequately could result in any number of physiological problems, such as:
I've already written about Dupuytren's disease and cataracts at some length. One thing that I have yet to write about is nerve damage. In my case, I have it on my feet. They're tingling at all times except when I'm standing or walking/running for short distances. So far, I'm lucky in that it hasn't gotten worse. Dupuytren's disease is another story entirely.
So, for better or worse, I had toxic blood that contributed to my diagnosis of cataracts, Dupuytren's disease, and nerve damage. How did I get things under control for long enough to address these issues? How could I have allowed my body to slip so far?
Understanding the Screams
It feels like your body is screaming. You're desperately thirsting for water, but it's not the liquid your body requires. Food helps to a degree but doesn't quench your thirst immediately. So even if you ate something, it would be quite some time before your body's cries died down. No. It has to be something else, something more that you're missing.
Sometimes, your body seeks out the sugar without your conscious effort. If it succeeds, you've lost as you realize too late that you were constantly eating something sugary. You consume so much sugar that your body falsely believes it has the sugar it needs.
There have been times when I regained "normal" thoughts after a sugar binge. This time, however, it was too late. By the time I learned to identify the start of a binge or at least its beginning indications, the damage had been done to my body.
I must now be ever-vigilant for the remainder of my life or risk going through these problems again. If not, I won't enjoy my life with my family. Perhaps, instead of seeing my grandmother's leg get shorter each visit, my children will visit me as my body succumbs to the same illness that plagued my grandmother.
The Silver Lining
Regardless of your hardship, it would be best never to forget to move forward. I've had these setbacks, but I learned to understand my body's cues, and I am successfully keeping myself steadfast and true to my health.
After I finally squared away my diet, I regulated my medications and lost 30 pounds through exercise and dieting. Regarding dieting, I mainly stopped eating unhealthy foods (i.e., fast-food, sugary drinks, etc.). Cutting out soda and sugary beverages lowered the weight for me.
Exercise helped out quite a bit, but one consequence of this effort was the further degradation of my back. Such an occurrence ultimately led me to seek a TLIF procedure on my lower back. Yet, here I am still. It's been about a month since back surgery, and I've kept the weight and blood sugar within normal levels.
I have my wife, two beautiful kids, and a life to look forward to every day I wake up the next morning. While this article could be a cautionary tale, it is a reminder that things don't have to have a sad ending.
In Closing
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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