Patrick: Living with Diabetes“When the diagnosis came-- I do have a-- there’s a history of it in my family. I don’t think that I wasparticularly shocked to hear it.”“You begin to give that a priority that’s a little bit different. So you look at you start reading nutritionlabels. You start bringing in you start looking for fresh vegetables. Fortunately, in the area where I livein the summertime, there’s a lot of fresh vegetables around here.”“When I went to that first appointment one of my reasons was because I wanted to exercise again.And I just felt that at 47 I should check with the doctor before I- before I did that.”“And you know, my primary form of exercise has been running and really you know, you can only dothat for so long realistically, most people. And so, you know, more resistance exercises is-- has got tobe added.”“The increased exercise, you know, it’s a great stress reliever. You know, at least I could start bywalking, you know, now. And now, you know, and now I mean-- so that was four months ago and Iran five miles yesterday.”“I mean if you want to call it a short-term goal is to at least cut my dosage of my medication. I’d like tobe off it completely. My-- based upon my most recent numbers, or the progress actually, not thenumbers themselves but the progress in between the two points, my doctor feels that there’s a goodchance that I can manage the diabetes without medication, which is really what I’m-- you know, wantto do right now.”“Obviously, the diagnosis-- the diabetes doesn’t go away. And you know, a lot of people have said,you know, “This may have saved you.” You know, the diagnosis may have actually been what- whatkeeps you alive. And at this point you know, I know that there is-- I’ve proven that there’s something Ican do about it. So, you know, it’s not- it’s not a waste of time. It’s not something that is just-- youknow, all this stuff is not something that is just pie-in-the-sky theory. The numbers prove it out. Likemy chemistry proves it out, my own little chemistry set. And the numbers show it.”
Finding the Support You Need When You Have Prediabetes
Changing your eating and lifestyle behaviors is challenging and often frustrating. Watch this video to learn how supportive friends, family members and healthcare team members can help make these changes easier for you.
