I was diagnosed with diabetes in November of 1987, though I had been suffering from it for several months before that. My sister is also a Type I diabetic who was diagnosed at a much younger age, so you would think I had a clue what was going on. But being young and foolish I didn’t.
Dropped a lot of weight (even though I was in excellent physical shape at the time) and felt lousy, but refused to acknowledge the signs until I saw the warning signs of diabetes itemized on my TV during World Diabetes Day back in 1987. Frequent urination caught my attention as I had been getting up several times each night to visit the bathroom, but excessive thirst closed the deal. I would chug a big glass of water and be spitting cotton minutes later. When they referenced weight loss I called my doctor to arrange a check-up (my friends were calling me the “scarecrow” because I was down to skin and bone).
Let me stress these symptoms are identical for all diabetics. Despite the differences between Type I and Type II, the dilemma is really quite similar so if you are experiencing these symptoms please consult your physician.
Martina (the very same Martina who now lives in Hawaii and is talked about in the Kalalau entries) was my doctor at the time and since she was a friend, I set it up as an appointment to be followed by a swank Christmas dinner afterwards. During the medical portion of the evening we both agreed what the probable diagnosis would be, but Martina drew a blood sample and submitted it for testing.
Then we headed to the restaurant. The dinner venue offered a delectable multi-course meal while a tenor from NYC regaled the patrons with Christmas carols. This was before cell phones, but Martina excused herself when her pager went off to take the call with my test results.
“I can’t believe you are able to talk” was Martina’s reply when she sat back down. My blood sugar was 892. For normal folks, blood sugar levels range between 70 and 120: you are considered hyperglemic, or having high blood sugar, at 240 (this is the point where high blood sugar can cause immediate problems, even though anything above 120 generates long term consequences). She had already arranged for me to check in to the hospital the next morning, but there was still dessert to contend with.
It seemed apparent my days of sweets were about to be banished, but the highlight of our dinner fare was the Yule Log (a giant chocolate thing that has some official name I can’t recall) and I went out in style. Conceding to the diagnosis, Martina and I split a single Yule Log rather than each of us tackling a whole one, but I savored a final treat.
Let me share that it isn’t so bad abdicating sweets. I only order a dessert on my birthday each year, but really don’t miss passing the rest of the time. It is a bit discouraging that I seem to make others feel guilty by not indulging, but I try to stress that I am not bothered. And I truly am not. In fact, Martina would benefit for the next year or so because whenever dessert accompanied your meal automatically she typically wound up in double bonus territory!
But back to the present, another wonderful aspect of the Le Grand Raid challenge has been establishing this connection with JDRF. Kim has started volunteering with them to lend her marketing expertise and I received an e-mail from Jim (the guy who originally contacted me when I tried to get in touch with the foundation) letting me know that they would be hosting a speech by a certified diabetic instructor who is a Type I diabetic and specializes in working with athletes with the condition.
I received an inspiring education by attending the lecture, provide by Joe Largay. Joe is a lot like me, roughly the same age and diagnosed with Type I in his twenties. He was introduced by a local woman who shared how Joe helped her son rebound from Type I. Her son was diagnosed at age fourteen and was an avid football player at the time, but his blood sugars would escalate during practice and cripple him with cramps and vomiting.
Despite seeking help far and wide, it would not be until they engaged Joe that the situation would turn around. The audience was practically in tears as we learned her son subsequently took up lacrosse and went to college on a scholarship from this athletic endeavor.
She attributed her son’s success to the program Joe worked out and our speaker would share the secrets to his success. Being diabetic himself, Joe realizes every diabetic is different and you tackle each case by making subtle changes, observing the results and tweaking further. Cannot begin to relate how reassuring it was to hear Joe exclaim that even when you have a program figured out it will only work 90% of the time as there are way too many variables impacting blood sugar levels to believe a simple regimen will always keep you covered.
And we keep changing - what works today may not work tomorrow. Joe’s insight is incredibly valuable and encouraged me to remain vigilant, constantly gauging how I react to things. Hearing this from a fellow Type I that competitively bikes was quite a boost. Though it is easy to feel sorry for yourself, hearing a guy openly discussing how he overcomes the plight to enjoy the fruits of life is awesome motivation.
I also gained some useful tidbits for marathon training, as Joe discussed replenishing electrolytes safely for diabetics. Reading about running marathons educated me that a potential problem is coming up short of electrolytes during the long haul. Electrolytes are basically salt, and when you only drink water during a marathon there is a risk your body will suffer from sweating away this necessary input. Most athletic drinks, like Gatorade, are packed with this essential ingredient, but there aren’t a lot of sources that are sugar free. Joe informed us about the G2 drink (a low sugar Gatorade) and Nunn tablets, which can conveniently be dissolved in the water bottle you pack along for the long run.
Wish I could share more of the wealth Joe provided, but I was caught unawares and didn’t pack along a pen and pad to record all of this wonderful data from his speech. There are a few points that impressed themselves on my bitty brain that I can pass along.
The first is that adrenalin inhibits the ability of injected insulin and a study revealed that blood sugar levels were significantly higher for diabetics who had sprinted for only ten seconds during a workout. This isn’t a huge concern, but I found it very interesting. Apparently sprinting triggers the “fight or flight” impulse just the same as an intense situation, causing your body to secrete adrenalin. Of course the impact only lasts a few hours, so it isn’t of any huge consequence.
However, it might contribute to the second nugget from Joe’s discourse. Apparently serious training does not seriously lower your A1C. Those of you in the audience who are diabetic know what the heck an A1C is, but let me provide some explanation for the rest. Even though I test my blood sugars at least four times each day, these are only point-in-time assessments and the goal is to constantly maintain levels as close to normal as possible. An A1C (also known as the glycated hemoglobin test) yields feedback on where your blood sugar levels have been across the previous three months.
If you recall from an earlier entry, normal people consistently maintain a blood sugar level between 70 and 120. For an A1C measurement, the result for normal folks would be 6.0 and the goal for diabetics to prevent long term consequences is to be at 7.0 or below. Achieving this target is a blend of exercise and diet, but Joe’s session was an eye opener that trying to become a super athlete probably won’t buy you more years and I’m cool with that (i.e., aggressive athletic endeavor does not lower A1C readings).
In all honesty I doubt continuing the current running regimen will persist beyond next year…though hopefully it will lead me to completing Le Grand Raid. I keep myself physically fit and this whole adventure was born from the appreciation of how aging will shift options. Please note I said appreciation and not fear. I have no issue with advancing in age and turning fifty only compels me to recognize that passions will need to be steered elsewhere.
I am encouraged that more years will lead to more wisdom if I endeavor to explore the world, and I am eager for those adventures. Being able to run a marathon shouldn’t be a prerequisite for those discoveries and if I have acquired any wisdom at all it is hopefully instructing me properly. There are plenty more challenges beyond the physical but there is also a time and place for everything and I want to learn the lessons from this challenge while I am able to attend classes.
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