DIABETES

12/01/2012 
We have added this page for anyone like Dave who has type 2 Diabetes.

About 6 months ago Dave went to the Doctor for a general check-up.  Not something he normally does but due to the idea of travelling for an extended time he thought that if there were any issues he could address them before we went.

We have tried to be pro-active with our health over recent years but we also enjoy our food and wine which has rendered us both overweight, and Dave has had a couple of hospital stays due to shoulder reconstruction and motor bike accidents over the last couple of years.  Generally though we both would have considered ourselves pretty healthy.

Diabetes has been in the back of our minds for a while now since Dave’s mum was diagnosed several years ago, but we were hoping that as he does not have a very sweet tooth and  keeps reasonably active that he might somehow escape it.

I think we were very naïve….and were probably burying our heads in the sand so it was not a good day when our Doctor gave us the news.

The first thing we did was to have a meeting with a Diabetes case worker who explained a lot about the condition and organised a blood testing kit and a meeting with a dietician.

Understanding how a ‘normal’ persons blood sugar level behaves and how his misbehaves has been the basis for trying to regulate our lifestyle to endeavour to bring him into the ‘normal’ range without the use of drugs.

So far he has been reasonably successful with a change in diet and adding more exercise, but we are hoping that once we embark on our journey and are cycling almost daily he will be able to remain in the normal range for as long as possible  without ever having to start medication.

Diabetes has not become a burden for Dave, but rather a challenge and possibly even a wake up call that he has to look after his body and he is sharing this with anyone who may find themselves in the same situation to look at it the same way.

There will not be any daily diaries re blood sugar levels but we will make extra entries if they are any way related to diabetes, and if he can help encourage even one person who  is feeling like Diabetes is a hindrance to getting out and living then he has succeeded.