GETTING CLEAN IN SIN CITY #3 (STORY OF MY LIFE)

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and now the conclusion of the "story of my life".....

In order to "get clean" when I returned home, I would have to focus on a few things. First, I must quit the boozing and stop the all night party extravaganzas, distancing myself from the possible temptations such as friends and the establishments that I had been hanging out in for years, this would play a key role in my recovery. Last but not least starting a "born again" Diabetic friendly regimen which would include "trying" to normalize my blood sugars, a low carbohydrate diet, exercising, vitamins, switching insulin and going on the insulin pump. I had a great plan, this was all positive stuff I was doing for myself... what could possibly go wrong?

Skipping back a few months after my big night out in Orange County, I found myself a few times back out on the town again but my body was not putting up with even a few drinks the entire night...going out had become boring and not where I wanted to be at 29 years of age. I was starting to notice several changes in my life, almost like I was finally morphing into an adult. There were more important things that were beginning to creep into my life... my girlfriend and I were starting to get serious, I had just purchased my first home... and recently brought home my new true best friend Geno T. a baby puppy Boston Terrier/French bulldog mix. I wanted nothing more than to spend time with them sober. My priorities in life were definitely changing for the better....



Geno T. will be 9 years old at the end of August 2009.

May of 2002, my girlfriend and I would take a trip to Maui.... this would forever change the course of both of our lives. A few weeks after returning from Maui, I asked my girlfriend to marry me and move in with Geno and I. Now there was even more of a reason for me to clean my life up. Who wants to marry a Type 1 Diabetic with a drinking problem?... Seriously think about it...no way in hell, I wouldn't! First on my agenda was going on the pump, my Endocrinologist had been pushing on me for years... I finally gave in. Hey, I was waking up with semi normal numbers?... who would have thunk? That was my second change after quitting the "sauce". My third was to start a wholesome low carbohydrate diet, taking Diabetic friendly vitamins and joining a gym. Little did I know, quickly changing my lifestyle would not be a walk in the park....



This is an actual photo of me taking a nap at the gym... I really over did it with my exercise routine on this particular day.

Diabetic fun fact area: I have read many posts (seems like one every week) and articles over the years in regards to the acute effect Alcohol has on a Diabetic. What many people tend to forget is what chronic consumption of Alcohol does to the Diabetic body. Other than Diabetes, Alcohol is another leading cause of Neuropathy... so, here is a simple math problem for you... High blood sugars + Alcohol = Nerve Damage. No, if and or buts my friend... I am living proof.

I have met several people online over the years that have done a rapid change of Diabetic lifestyle with the same results as I experienced. Looking back now, I would have eased my regimen transition in a little smoother, gliding it in but instead I did a nose dive. A few weeks into my new healthy lifestyle, my body began to change and not all for the better. I began seeing visual disturbances that were not going away, big globs in my line of site and also had the pleasure of dealing with huge FIREBALLS in my line of site when my blood sugars were low. No joke, it was like I was in my own private hell. I must admit, this is kinda funny to write about now, but at the time I spent most of my days curled up in the fetal position sucking my thumb due to fright, seriously!. I was immediately seen by my Opthamologist the same day I phoned, after looking in my eyes he stated I had mild NPDR. There was a very good chance I had a little leakage that sealed itself and could have also caused a disturbance in the vitreous cavity causing a bad case of floaters. If you have bad floaters you know exactly how damn irritating they can be especially right before you are going to get married on a sunny beach. I also began to notice my body was becoming electric almost as if the small fibers in my nervous system were given a jump start/coming back to life, not fun! My general doctor recommended me to a Neurologist where he preformed a NCS/EMG on my legs, once again not fun. The test determined I had mild nerve damage with re-innervation in both of my calf muscles. Thus every time I would work out it felt like my nervous system was coming back to life. My kidneys also began to show trace amounts of protein in my urine during this quick lifestyle change. I must admit looking back at this particular time frame of my life, it was indeed the most trying on my health mentally and physically, hands down. Not a single doctor had any information for me ( a Type 1 Diabetic of almost 20 years at this point, abusing alcohol for the past 10 years and finally ready to make a change). So, I would turn to the internet....



As Bette Midler plays in the background "Did you ever know that you're my hero.... You were the wind beneath my wings Dick Bernstein."

where I would first find Dr. Dick Bernstein and order his book "Diabetes Solutions" . I can tell you that I fell asleep holding this book ever so tight many nights in the summer of 2002 (crying myself to sleep like a big fat baby ;) This book gave me hope, there were others out there that had complications and were either stabilizing or totally reversing the progression of their particular complication. To this very day, I will scan through the "Before & After: 14 Patients Share Their Experiences" area of his book where success stories of Diabetes are told, does it get any better than this (A diabetic success story)?

My next internet stop would be at ProHealth, a Diabetic internet message board. Little did I know I would end up finding life long friends there. I only knew there fonts and text, but the biggest thing was I was no longer alone. My first post was a frantic plea for help... many members would respond with great words of encouragement and a few would have similar stories to mine. A handful of them are on this website (TU) today but for the most part most of them are at diabetesliving.yuku.com/. I never really put into words until now how much their friendships meant to me, thank you.

Last but not least an update on me, 25 years after being initially Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 12 and 7 years later after getting myself clean at the age of 30. I still live with a few minor complications including Mild Retinopathy and Mild Neuropathy (in the past 7 years no other complications have been diagnosed or progressed) which I believe is due to a combination of longterm Diabetes and Alcohol abuse. For the past seven years I have managed to stop my complications in their tracks. I contribute that mainly to staying focused on a semi healthy lifestyle, which includes a decent diet, taking my medications, a little exercise daily and a positive attitude. I am oh so glad I made the Diabetic lifestyle change when I did...without a doubt, I would be dead right now and not writing this blog :)


If you know me, you know I am an easy going and a carefree guy, I never let Diabetes or its complications slow me down. I never whine or cry about my condition, and I am a firm believer in life "is what it is." I would not change a thing about my past and its results, even though some of my choices were not the best, it is what made me who I am today.... and I am very happy with that.



The below photo is a beautiful Costa Rican Sunset that I was lucky enough to witness a few years ago.

Thank you for reading the Story of my Life....May you live a long and healthy complication free Diabetic life my friend.