Resistance is futile, prediabetes is coming

One of the great joys of getting older is that I’m eligible for Medicare. Every year, I get a free physical. Of course, you have to deal with the silly health questionnaire, but it’s part of the process. This year, I got my physical this week and had to do some lab work as well. The longer you live, the more your body starts breaking down after all! I was really surprised when I was in and out of a medical center with a bandage on my arm in just a couple of minutes. Resistance is futile, prediabetes is coming.

And even more surprising, I had all the test results available on my phone in just a couple. As soon as I opened the file, everything looked to be going well. But after checking the glucose result, I saw that it said 108 which is higher than normal levels. My doctor didn’t seem too worried though and said that 125 was diabetic. When I look at my history for glucose I’m slowly creeping up to that magic number of 125.

At first, I was a little bit skeptical as to why the number was at 108, and it then occurred to me that it was because of all the chocolate-covered raisins. We shop at our local Sam’s Club and they carry three pounds jugs of chocolate raisins which are placed in the most convenient locations. Right next to the three pounds jug of cashews and peanut butter-filled pretzels.

Lifestyle means change

As much as I love to snack on all of these items, it would seem the challenge of lifestyle is becoming something I will have to pay more attention to, and I don’t mean walking through Sam’s Club looking for the chocolate-covered raisins. Unfortunately, all of this snacking has been adding up. It seems that even though I might be getting some exercise by walking through Sam’s Club looking for the chocolate-covered raisins, am I stretching a little bit here?

As I showed in the previous paragraph, I’ve been monitoring my levels of glucose because they have been creeping upward. In the past six months, I joined a variety of Facebook groups and have read similar stories from other people living with diabetes – especially Type 2 diabetes. These stories have really helped me understand how others are dealing with such an illness.

It is comforting to know I am not the only one who has been realizing that what I eat has an effect on how my body operates and heals. What I find interesting is how many people have no idea how to handle diabetes or talk about it, which is why I am always interested in sharing what I have learned and hope to learn from their experiences.

As a child who grew up in the 50s and 60s, I was fortunate enough to have a home life where my family prepared meals with fresh ingredients instead of relying on processed food. I can remember going shopping with my mother as a child and she would bring home fresh ingredients like meat, fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, and lots of fresh fruit. Today it seems almost everything we have in our home pantry is in a box, plastic container, or something that is frozen but pop it in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, and you are ready to eat.

I am fortunate that my wife and I do not have to make an abrupt lifestyle change without time to ask questions and learn how to adjust. We have the time to take our health into our own hands. I’m sure we will be much better off for it. Most people don’t realize they need lifestyle changes until they’ve seen their health start to deteriorate.

They neglect to make changes that would either prevent or reverse some of the negative side effects of bad health habits. I’ve noticed that a lot of people have made it farther down the line in their health before they make necessary lifestyle changes, as evidenced by comments on my Facebook page.

I do feel bad for them because they have to make the change now. They may have to be on medication to manage their glucose/blood sugar levels and will most likely have to eat a better diet.

To take drugs or not

One concern I see from my Facebook feed is doctors that are willing to prescribe drug treatment options without viewing other methods first. I understand that in some cases people need to start taking medications in order to bring their condition under control, but from the comments, people make on their posts it seems that there are many doctors who are quick to jump straight into prescriptions without evaluating other options first.

If the person needs the drugs to stabilize their condition, I’m good with that. However, shouldn’t doctors talk about the importance of understanding what their patients are eating and why they need to become more aware of this? In fact, processed foods can be detrimental as they lack nutrients that our bodies need. I think that there needs to be a sense of sympathy for doctors in order to know what their patients are going through.

Doctors need to understand that their patients don’t just need someone to write them a prescription every time they have an issue – they also need someone who is willing to walk with them and support them during tough times.

It is my hope that the articles we place in this blog will be a support to those who read this blog, and I hope the stories shared within these articles will inspire others to speak up about their personal experiences with diabetes. One of the most common forms of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, which can be managed through diet and exercise. Karen and I promise that we will do our best to put out supportive and informative materials in our Facebook group and on this blog. We can help support one another, reverse, and manage the diabetes challenge that has now become a part of our daily lives. Remember resistance is futile, prediabetes is coming, apologies the Star Trek: The Next Generation:).

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