My personal experiences as a diabetic 2 and with metabolic syndrome

1. I AMNOT A DOCTOR ANDHAVENO MEDICAL TRAINING. WHATFOLLOWS ARE MY OBSERVATIONSAND
THOUGHTS FROM 9 YEARS ANDA FAMILY HISTORY OF DIABETES 2. IT IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.
One of the biggestrisksforcomplicationsfromcovid-19infectionisDiabetes.
There are twocommontypesof Diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes isinsulininsufficiency –lackinginsulintometabolize sugar.
Type 2 diabetes isinsulinresistance –whencellsresistinsulineventhoughthe pancreasproduces
enoughtometabolize the sugarinthe blood.
Type 1, knownas juvenile diabetesandinsulindependentdiabetes, wasacommonkillerof children intothe
early1900’s. In the early 1920’s insulinwas“discovered”byDr.FrederickBanting incooperationwithseveral
otherpeople throughexperimentson“stray”dogs.(If anyone isinterestedinafascinatingstudyof a“mad
doctor”, Bantingdefinitelyfitsthisdescription.)
Type 2, diabetesmellitus, isthe mostcommonandeasiesttotreat.It is causedbya varietyof factorssuch as
genes,agingandlifestyle.Itcan be treatedchemicallyorbya mixture of diet,exercise andmedication.
Glucophage (sugareater) isa commercial name formetformin,possiblythe mostcommondrug now prescribed
for Type 2 treatment.
Type 2 ispart of metabolicsyndrome - generallyhigh(blood) sugar,highbloodpressure andhighcholesterol
(triglycerides).Havinga“dumpling”or“apple”buildisone strongindicatorof metabolicsyndrome.
My firsttwoindicatorsof beingdiabetic2 startedinmy early40’s while Iwasrunning30 or more milesa week –
frequenturinationwhile running andhighbloodpressure inwhichthe lowernumberwaselevated.
My experiencewithmetabolicsyndrome startedataround54 yearsold withthe onsetof Type 2 diabetes.
Ironically,thisisthe age of onsetformy oldest(deceased) maternal uncle.Atleastone (deceased)maternal
aunt wasalso Type 2. Eventhoughmy 2 paternal unclesandfatherhave hadissueswithobesitynone of them
have become diabetic.
Mental healthconditionssuchasBipolar2 tendto co-occur withType 2 diabetesandpossiblywithmetabolic
syndrome.Idonot feel thisisrelatedtopsychoactive medicationseventhoughthese drugstendtocause
excessiveweightgain. The maternal auntanduncle whowere diabetic 2alsohad some formof a mental health
condition,probablyBipolar2. My aunt was treatedforit,my uncle wasnot.
The presentacceptedbloodsugarlevel of 200 mg/dl or A1c of 8.0 istoo highfromreadingI have done.
Apparently,damage tothe bodybeginswithbloodsugarlevelsover140 mg/dl,whichisan A1c of 6.5 or
greater.Thisiswhat I accept formyself.
Type 2 diabetes iscontrollable bydietandexercise withmedicationstohelp. Medicationsare notthe answerby
themselves,butadjuncttolifestylechangesfromunhealthytohealthy. The changesare noteasy,butcan be
done,especiallywithfamilysupport.
Deathby Diabetes2is a horrifyingwaytodie.Itis not onlyroughon the personwhodiesthisway,butroughon
caretakers,familymembersandfriendswhowatchithappen.Itbeginswithdiabeticneuropathy whichisthe
damage done to nervesbyhighbloodsugarlevels andimpairedbloodvessels.Thisleadstoamputationof toes
and eventuallylegs due bloodvessel impairmentandinfections.Atthe same time vision canbe severely
affected bychangesinthe viscosityof the fluidinthe eyesandby diabeticretinopathy, andthere maybe
cognitive decline. Eventuallyaheartattackor stroke will occur. I call this“suicide bydiabetes”if itisa conscious
decisionbythe personaffected tonotmake the necessarychangestocontrol theircondition.Murderby

2. diabetesiswhenfamilymembersorfriendsdeliberatelysabotageadiabetic’seffortstobecome orremain
healthy.There maybe a powerissue involvedasIexperiencedwithmymotherduringavisitseveral yearsago.
I have hearda lotof disturbingstoriesaboutpeople withType 2diabeteswhoIcall “chocolate cake”diabetics.
These are the people whorefusetomake the lifestylechangessuchasdietaryandactivitylevels.Hearing
friendsandfamilymemberstalking abouthow theirmother,brotherorco-workerrefusedtotake eventhe
simpleststepstodeal withtheirdiabetes2is heartbreaking.
One of the firsthorror storiesIheardwas abouta man’s motherwhocontinuedwithherbakingcakesand
cookies,refusingtomake the necessarylifestyle changes.He wasupsetbyheractions.I am certainthat her
deathwas noteasyon heror herfamily.
I tooka course inchronic disease management.One of the instructorsismarriedtoa man whonow hasno
feelinginhis lowerlegsbecause of diabeticneuropathy.He refusedtomake the necessarydietarychanges.This
ledto an infectionracingupone of hislegswhichhe couldnotfeel because of the nerve damage.Fortunately
for himshe isa nurse and dealtwiththe infectionpreventingamputationof hisleg.One of the women taking
the class relatedhowherhusbandrefusedtodeal withhisconditionmakingherawidow. She isrightfullyangry
at himfor whathe didnot onlytohimself buttoher.
Anotherheartbreakingstorytoldtome is that a womanwhose husband wasdiagnosedwithDiabetes2refused
to take care of himself until he beganlosingtoes.Bythenitisoftentoolate to do anythingsignificantbecause
of the lossof mobilityandotherissues.
One of the biggestshockerscame whenIwasshoppingatthe WyomissingFarmersMarket.AsIwas leavinga
buscame fromBerks Heim.Itcontained3 or 4 people whohadbothlegsamputatedbelowtheirknees –a sure
signof uncontrolleddiabetes2.
Anothershockerwasseeingamorbidlyobesewoman,atwhatisnow the CountryCupboard inSchuylkill
County,whose shoesindicatedshe hadlosttoes.There isnodoubtinmy mindthat thiswasdue to Type 2
diabetes.
I wishthese storieswere uncommon,buttheyare not.
My storyisverycommon.I have a maternal familyhistoryof highbloodpressure andDiabetes2.I wasraisedon
the typical highsugar/highcarbohydrate Americandietof meatandpotatoeswithcake andcookiesalways
available,butnotmuchfruitexcept thatwhichcame out of a can. ChristmasandEasterwere sugar saturated
holidays. Vegetableswere alwaysapartof meals,butthe meatwe ate iswhat I remembermost.
Around40 yearsoldwhile running30 - 60 milesaweekwithahealthyweightIbeganurinatingmore while
running.Thiswasmy firstsymptomof highbloodpressure andeventuallyDiabetes2.Full Diabetes2came
whenI was54 yearsold,almostexactly9 yearsago. Since thenIhave made most of the lifestylechanges
necessarytocontrol blood sugar andotheraspectsof metabolicsyndrome.
I have beenphysicallyactive mostof mylife.FormanyyearsI ran marathonsand longer.Ithas helpedme
maintainthe discipline Iuse nowtocontrol my sugarlevelsandhasgivenme a physical hardinesswhichis
helpingwiththe otheraspectsof metabolicsyndrome.
I am not fragile oran invalidasmedical doctrine tendstoview andtreatme.I am a heartyand somewhat
ruggedpersonwho isphysicallyfit,disciplinedand hasfaceddownmuch physicallyandemotionally.Treat

3. people likemyself aswhole andcompetentindividualsif youwanttosee usremainthat way.We will have
crisesand baddays,but we will workthroughthe crisesandrecoverfromthe baddays.
One of the piecesof medical doctrine I strongly disagree withisthe wearingof shoes all the time forseveral
reasons.One,Ifeel thatan importantpartof balance andagilityrequiresapersontobe barefoot.Shoes block
our sense of the surfaceswe walk,playanddance on, hinderingnatural balance andagility. Two,shoes hinder
our connectednesstoourworld whichI thinkisveryimportant.Imagine someone tryingtounderstandthe soil
intheirgardenand the plantsgrowinginit while walkingthroughitinshoes. Three,wearingshoesandsocksor
slippersall the time createsthe perfectenvironmentforinfectionstodevelop. Four,we are supposedto
examine ourfeetdailyforopensores.If Icannotsee myfeetI cannotcheck themforopensores. Five,myfeet
sweatwhenwearingshoesand socksexceptwhenmoving,causingmyfeettobe continuallywet,aperfect
situationforinfectionstodevelop.
The AmericanDiabetesAssociation (ADA) isasource of basicinformation.However, Iamnot a fanof them.My
sense fromreadingtheirliterature isthattheyhelppeopledie slowerinsteadof winningagainstType 2
diabetes.Iespeciallydisagreewiththeirsubstituting“fake” (artificial)sweetenersfornatural sugarsinfood. I
wouldrathersee a more aggressive approachtoType 2 diabetes,emphasizinglife-style changesandmoving
away fromthe Americandietinsteadof tinkeringwithit.
The other bigissue Ihave withthe ADA is that searchingfora “cure” for Type 2 diabetesisawaste of resources
whenmuchof the answerisfoundinbasic often“hard”lifestyle andcultural choices. The moneyspentisbetter
put to lifestylecoacheshelpingpeopleandtheirfamiliesmake the changes.
I am fortunate inthat to thistime Ihave beenable tomake and maintain the lifestylechanges. Iamnot perfect
inmy choices,butdo the bestI can. My goal isto alwayshave at leastone bloodsugarreadingbelow 100mg/dl
everydayand an A1c of 6.2 or lower,preferablylessthan6.0. DependingonwhatIeat, I usually have awaking
bloodsugarof around than 100mg/dl. A big helpinmaintainingmypresentgenerallyhealthylifestyleishaving
freezersandbuyingbulk.Buythe goodfoodswheninseason,freeze themanduse themwhenoutof season.
Thishas beenhelpedinthatIam not temptedtobuyunnecessary,oftentoxic,foodbecause Iseldomneedto
go to a grocery store.
An expensivebloodglucose metertome is nobetterthan a genericone.Aslongas a glucose meterisused
consistentlyandhelpsguide behavioral choicesI wouldgowiththe cheapergeneric. Teststripsare relatively
cheapfor the generics,especiallywhenboughtinbulkonline.Iamlookingforlongtermtrendsratherthan an
exactnumberwitheveryreading.Ihave monthly Excel spreadsheetswhere dailyreadingsare recorded.Most
of the time Itake a readingas close towakingupas possible andthenanotherreadingsometime laterinthe
day.
I prefercast iron,stainlesssteel,glassandFiestaware whencooking.We have nonon-stickcookware because
whenthe coatingswearoff theyendup in me and the environment.Iamnotsure whatthiswill doto our
bodies,butamsure it isnot good.
One lessonIdiscoveredoverthe yearsisthatthe darkerthe foodgenerallythe more flavorithas.Dark coffees,
teas,vegetablesandfruitstendtohave more flavorthanlighterones.Thiseliminatesthe needforsugarto
make a foodpalatable. One shortcutIuse is to cut organicgarlic saltwithgarlicpowdergivingme alowsodium
wayto seasonfood.RightnowI am usinga mixture of seasalt, garlicpowderand celeryseedtoseasonwhatI
eat.For those foodswhichneedalotof helpIuse homemade andhomegrownhotsauce.
Dark coffee anddark chocolate are wonderful.Ialsolike foodswithvanillainthem.We make ourownvanilla
extractwhichwe use as wanted,especiallyinlow carbohydrate waffles.

4. The other lessonIdiscoveredisthateachpersonisdifferentinhow theyreactto differentfoods.Bananasfor
me are a problem.However, citrusandapplesare not a problem, includinghome driedapples. The more water
and fiberina foodthe slowerthe sugarabsorption.A blood orange mayhave 36 grams of sugar,but because it
ishighin fiberandwaterthe effecton my bodywill be lessthana spoonwith 36 gramsof sugar.
I readlabelsconsistentlybefore purchasingafoodor consumingit.If there are more thana hand(five) of
ingredientsIthinkhardaboutpurchasingthe item. The fewerthe ingredientsthe saferIfeel.
Oftenwithfreshfruitsandotherfooditemsthatthe listedcarbohydrate loadisnotwhatmy bodyexperiences.I
am not exactlysure whatisconsideredacarbohydrate beyondthe formula“CHO”,whethersoluble fiberor
othertypesof carbohydrate are listedaspartof the total carbohydrates. Iknow whenIeat some of these foods
my bodydoesnotrespondto the carbohydratesasexpected.
Exercise –my goal isabout60 minutesaday(about3 miles).The literature saysaslittle as30 minutesaday
suffices. Ipreferwalkingandambeginningtojogas muchas my dog letsme – he ishavinga hard time withthe
conceptof jogging.ThomasJefferson praisedwalkingasthe bestformof exercise. Fromthousandsof miles
running,joggingandwalkinginmylife Ilearnedthatsofter/firmsurfaces injurethe bodylessthanharder
surfaces.Dirtis betterthanpavement.Asphaltisbetterthanconcrete.
Start easyand workto the level youwanttobe. A rule I heardis that whenthe dogis fat,itspersonneedstobe
takingit walking.Blue Marshhas mostlysofttrails.The Rt. 183 side of the lake is easierthanthe otherside.The
AppalachianTrail ismixedwithsome easysectionsof trail,some thatare rockyand some that are steep. Blue
Mountainalsohas dirtroads and fieldstowalkon.
I preferhikingkiltsand hikingskirtsbelowmyhips.(PurpleRainAdventure Skirtsandthe El Kommandokiltby
MountainHardware) Above the hipsItendto wearwick-awayshirtsandwindbreakers,nevercotton.Asthe
temperaturesdropIam usingthumbhole shirtsforone layer.Glovesare cheap“dollar”glovesforcool and
smart wool forcold days. Layeringabove andbelow the hips isdone asa rule whenthe weathergetscool to
cold.I alwaysweara visorof some sortto protect myeyes. Floppyhatsinsummerandstiff brimmedhatsinrain
help.
Day packs are a goodidea,especiallyif alone.We use Osprey,althoughall thatmattersis the packfeels
comfortable andcarrieswhatyouneed.All ourpacks carry a small firstaidkit, a small fieldknife,10feetof cord,
a spare shirt,anemergencysnackinthe rare case mybloodsugar plummets, toiletpaper,handsanitizer, zip
lockbags, a loudsignalingdevice,aflashlightandaphone.ForwhenI am off-trail,goingoutlongorona remote
trail I carry a “Spot” incase I have an emergency whereIneedtobe found.Waterbottlesare carriedon hot
daysor longwalks.We eachhave a “LifeStraw” waterbottle if we expecttobe out foran extendedperiodto
reduce the amountof waterwe carry.
My phone iscarriedina small pockethookedtoa shoulderstrapand easilyaccessible.Ihadthese made
specificallyforme asa safetyprecaution.A phone stuckinazippedpockettakestoolongto getout and use.I
feel thatI have 10 or 15 secondsto accessit ina crisisbefore Iamincapacitated. Make sure youhave
emergencycontactinformationwithit.
Shoes– any goodhikingshoe orboot will workaslongas it iscomfortable andsturdy.Ido not wearboots
exceptinsnow.Insnowthere are usuallycleatsorsnowshoesattached.
Withmy thunderthighsIcoat themwithPeter’sTummyButterto preventchafing –nothinglike bleedinginner
thighsto kill aday.

5. Dogs – theyneedto be trainedtowalkthe same as we do.Do not assume thattheyare any more physicallyfit
than youare. We make dog leashes fromsoftwebbelting,jeansrivetsandsnaphooks.Ipreferbrightcolored
leashesof about15 feet.Thisgivesmydoga chance to “sniff andpee”while walkingwithoutinterferingtoo
much withmy pace.Dogs are the bestpersonal securitymeasure forwalking.Ourdogtellsme if peopleare
aroundand if a vehicle iscomingourway. He preventsinterpersonal issuesbefore theycanhappenand Iam
assuredif we are ina bad situationhe will actto protectus withouthesitation.
FrequenturinationissomethingthatoftengoeswithDiabetes2.Get overit. For me thisis aboutevery30 or 40
minutes. Mydog andI frequentlyuse the same tree.Hikingskirtsandhikingkiltsmake iteasy.
The changesI made have beenhard andcontinue tobe so.BeingNew JerseyDeitsch(yeswe are close and
smartercousinsof the PA Deitsch),Irish, andItalianImissmy potatoes, breadsandpastas.However,whenI
realize whatIcan do that wouldbe impossible if the changeswere notmade ithelpsme continue.Mygoal isto
live longenoughthatmygrandchildrenrememberme asa vital person.
NONEOF THIS IS MEDICAL ADVICE.THESE ARE MY EXPERIENCESWHICH I AM SURE ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE
EXPERIENCESOF OTHER PEOPLE. I WROTE THESE OBSERVATIONSASA WAYTO HELP PEOPLE LIKE ME LIVEA
HEALTHIER AND SAFERLIFE, ESPECIALLYDURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.