It was April 2013. I was feeling pretty good about myself, as I’d taken my 52-inch waist down to a 46-inch waist.
But something was horribly wrong.
I was working my receiving shift at the grocery where I’d been employed since 1990. While unloading a semi truck, I was bumping into everything as though I was drunk. But I don’t drink. The forklift was taken away from me, and I decided that it would be a good idea to go home early. We had a deal on cupcakes, so I bought a dozen and walked home.
Something was really wrong.
I was crying because I was in so much pain. By the time I finished the mile walk home, I was crawling up the stairs. I figured that a good nights sleep would help, so I ate the dozen cupcakes and went to bed. I felt a little bit better the next morning, but I was still feeling dizzy. I reported to work the next day, and I knew my blood pressure was running a bit high, so I checked it at the kiosk at the store. 201/138! I texted a friend who’s a registered nurse. She strongly advised me to get to a doctor ASAP, as they send patients to the ER who have numbers like that. I took her advice and contacted Carle Foundation Hospital in Illinois, where I was assigned to Dr. John Robert Hoffman, a family medicine doctor.
When he first entered the exam room, my vitals were taken. My blood pressure was still scary high, so the doctor gave me a complete physical and ordered blood tests to see what was going on. I was really concerned, as I hadn’t seen a doctor in 30 years.
[See: Got Diabetes? Why You Must Protect Your Feet.]
When the blood tests came back, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I thought it was a death sentence.
Dr. Hoffman advised me to go on a diet of 600 calories per meal. He said I could have unlimited fruits and vegetables, but I was to avoid grapes, watermelon, pineapple and potatoes, as the fruits are high in sugars and potatoes are high in carbohydrates. Dr. Hoffman also suggested a 10-minute walk would lower my blood sugars after a meal. I was prescribed Metformin (an oral medication) to help manage my blood sugar. I was also prescribed a medication to manage my hypertension. I started taking the new medication, but I was frightened to eat anything. This proved to be problematic, as nausea is a side effect of the Metformin.
With some research, I learned that foods high in protein would help me manage my blood sugar. So my dinner would consist of chicken or fish, and breakfast became a four-egg cheese omelette with a pound of fresh berries. Strawberries have always been my favorite. I also took Dr Hoffman’s advice about walking 10 minutes after meals to lower my blood sugar. Soon, 10 minutes became 20 minutes, and then 30 minutes. My body responded with lower blood sugar levels.
I also began to work out. I spent an hour at a time on the treadmill, working out even in the middle of the night. The inches were literally melting away! Within six months of my diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, my 46-inch waist was down to a 38-inch waist. Dr. Hoffman ordered another set of blood tests; he’d been seeing me once a month to get me on track, so he was aware of my progress on the weight front. When the lab results came back in April 2013, my a1c was 11.6 percent; six months later, it plunged to 6.3 percent. With new confidence, I decided to enter the 2014 Illinois Marathon. I’d be walking the 5K — and I’d have no problem finishing it.
I’ve always been big on volunteering: Since 2002, for example, I’ve volunteered with The Cadets. But I took a break in 2009 to focus on my health. I returned in 2014 as a new Tom Bishop, with much shock to the staff who had not seen me in seven years.
Still, I knew something was horribly wrong when I couldn’t recognize my friend Michelle. I decided that I best see an eye doctor for an exam. The doctor performed a dilated exam, and he saw something troubling: I was informed that I had diabetic related eye disease called diabetic retinopathy disease. The doctor mentioned that treatment would involve shots directly into my eyes, so I sought a second option. Once again, I turned to Carle Hospital and was referred to Dr. Michael Simon Tsipursky of the eye department. He performed several tests on my eyes. Ultimately, Dr. Tsipursky diagnosed me with diabetic retinopathy disease and diabetic macular edema, or DME.
[See: The 12 Best Diets to Prevent and Manage Diabetes.]
The doctors recommended starting treatment immediately to try to get the swelling from the DME down, plus get the leaking from the diabetic retinopathy under control. And it turns out treatment does involve shots into my eyes — really?!
Dr. Tsipursky tried two drugs in his treatment plan, but without much success. At its worst, vision in my left eye was such that I could see the eye chart but no lines, and with the right eye, I could only see the top line of the eye chart. Thankfully, this occurred one eye at a time, so I was able to see and continue to work. And Dr. Tsipursky suggested we try a newer drug called Eylea, or aflibercept. I was willing to try anything he recommended.
Soon after my first injections of Eylea, I noticed improvement, but the swelling from the DME had not improved. I started to get injections every four weeks for four years. Today the DME is improved and my vision is 20/40 in my left eye and 20/25 in my right eye. I still need to continue with the Eylea injections, but now only every 10 weeks.
With much improved vision and health, I decided to tackle a half marathon in 2016. I was concerned about whether I’d be able to manage my blood sugars over the 13.1-mile course, but I decided to tackle the half marathon the same way I approached the eye chart. In that case, I went for one letter at a time, one line at a time. The marathon would be one step at a time and one mile at a time .
With persistence, I’ve been able to conquer both. What a thrill to see that finish line!
I had also always wanted to tame the skies by skydiving. As an overweight man, I could not . But this isn’t a problem now. I went to the Illinois Skydiving Center in a nearby town, and I jumped from an airplane at 12,000 feet. What a blast!
[See: 11 Tips for Testing Your Blood Sugar at Home.]
The whole point to all of this activity is to control my Type 2 diabetes. I’m doing this, but I’m aware that diabetes is a chronic disease and I need to be diligent in managing it. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get a dilated eye exam.
Being diagnosed as a diabetic hasn’t been a death sentence, but a life sentence. My new life full of life and adventure.
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I Have Type 2 Diabetes — and It’s a Life Sentence, Not a Death Sentence originally appeared on usnews.com
