My Health Journey- Diabetes, Code RED

As you all know I am not one for typing regularly but when something strikes me I tend to either do a video on it or write.  Today I choose the latter.  About 2 weeks ago my doctor told me I was Insulin Resistant meaning my life as a Type 2 Diabetic was on the verge.  What did this mean to me? Maybe to someone else it meant a time to ramp up knowledge about the disease or maybe a moment of self-pity, but for me it meant buckle in we are in for a bumpy but long term ride!  You see as a child I was raised by a man who had what they called brittle diabetes.  He gave himself 4 insulin shots a day unless others were needed to avoid coma and where he potentially had at least one insulin reaction a week.  When I was young, around the age of 7, I remember being alone with Dad and having to give him orange juice at a public restaurant because I recognized the signs of him talking gibberish and sweating like he was in a sauna. We were taught at a young age to see the signs and react.  Diabetes was a common knowledge in our home.  My mom would never hide his reactions or his hospitalizations from us, no matter what age.  It became a part of our lives.
     My Dad lost his battle when he was 56.  I was 26 at the time and just starting my own life.  Until then I don't think I understood the severity of the disease since it had always been fixed in one way or another. Ultimately it was his heart that gave out on him but Diabetes quickened the wrath.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago.  There was no self-pity, just anger and fear.  Anger that I had cursed myself wishing to never have this disease on myself or my family and here it was. Fear because I had no idea if I could be as strong as my Dad to do what needed to be done.  Both emotions strong enough to put me in a state of "I'll show you!!"
     My doctor put me on a 3 day sugar fast to get the ball rolling.  It was to help shock my insulin back into proper production mode.  No sugar meant not as much insulin being produced. Then the almighty diet would be next.  We cringe at the word let alone feel we can follow it.  But my motivation was strong and would continue to boost me through this.  She put me on what's called the "Doctor's Diet" but I like to call it the South Beach Diet or The SBD for short. I guess I had always though it was a fad diet based on it's celebrity based name. But I was wrong.  It's a life change of healthy living and healthy dining. I won't bore you with the details of the diet but rest assured it's all about good proteins, good fats, good and low carbs and the right kinds of sugar at the right time of day.

   

Two weeks ago after my diagnosis, I spent the week in Mexico an had no idea how I would manage a strict no sugar diet while traveling.  To my pleasant surprise, based on healthier choices
I left 3 pounds behind in Mexico.  So the journey of new healthy living started last Monday, the 12th of January 2015.  Today I weighed myself a week later and down an additional 5 lbs.  Is it easy, no.  Is it hard, not really.  You see my mind was made up immediately that there was not a choice of whether to do this or not.  I am on this journey and will NOT look back.  I will beat this and will be coming back here to write about how I HAD insulin resistance and what I did to not only control it but cure it!

For more information about Diabetes check out this website:  http://www.diabetes.org/