I think so, for a number of reasons. The first being I will live longer and have a relatively healthy life because being a T1 forces me to eat, excerise, not smoke or drink and eat reasonably.
Sure you could say that is not having fun; that I am missing out on a lot of good stuff like being drunk, smelling like an ash tray, and having a belly that falls over my belt so I can’t actually see when I gotta go!
Add to this seeing my work buddies stone cold drunk in Las Vegas in a business trip, so I become the DD, watch and smell them smoke cigars and actually say that they like it…and then the icing on the cake…getting them dried off because they could not see it when they had to go!
Since I have been a diabetic, now for more than 23 years, I am in better shape both weight and actual body shape than when I was in my 20’s and 30’s. I am 53 and will be 54 shortly. I can run with the youngsters, I can stationary cycle with the instructors that run the classes at the YMCA, and I have run a 6.4 A1C for more than 10 years.
Funny thing about an A1C, you will always find someone better and someone worse than you. This just happened last week while at the YMCA. I met a fella that is a 10 year T1 and he swims a mile per day, bikes 10 to 15 miles per day and weight lifts. And yes he looked the part. I asked what he ran as an A1C and he said 5.4. He also said he eats what he wants and only see the Endo 2 times per year. He is on a pump with Novalin.
Now being the competitive guy that I am…I am going to get a 5.2 A1C to see if I can and how it feels.
I think I’ll take you up on that challenge… as soon as I can get on the pump. I just dont feel that those types of numbers are realistic while on shots. Some may be able to but that is a lot of really hard work. I visit the Endo on Thur and hopefully can get the ball started on the pump at that time. Good luck on hitting 5.2 (or lower)
I’m with you, Joe. As I write on my home page “Diabetes has been berry, berry good to me.” Since being diagnosed at T1 four years ago I’ve quit smoking, run a marathon, exercise daily, eat healthier and have improved my overall health immeasurably. In general, I beleive I make healthier choices all the way around.
Yes, I struggle with getting my A1C down, and I feel a little competitive about it. It’s slowly moving down from 7.1 to 6.8 - too high, but moving in the right direction. (So much to learn.)
In any case, I’ll race you to 5.2. Ready, set, go.
Tell you all what…the first person that can show a 5.8 is the winner…now we gotta come up with something for a gift…does any one like to fly…I am a pilot and if you live in Florida I will come and give you and your significant other a ride…
I think Amylia is a little outside of the area (she is curently living in Taipei [sp?]) and I live in Kansas City but it would be fun if we did live in Florida. I think that the real prize would be bragging rights to getting down to that number.
I agree that diabetes does make us take care of our bodies. I have had diabetes for 45 years, since I was 10! My last HbA1c was 5.4 and I did a test just last Friday so I will soon have the latest results. I also have excellent blood pressure and lipid values. I HAVE had laser in both eyes, a vitrectomy in one eye and two frozen shoulders, but they do not hurt. Although I have worked hard to manage my diabetes correctly, I still have made plenty of mistakes. PLENTY! SOOO - I feel lucky! Why do I say this? Some other diabetics aren’t as lucky as I am. They too have tried hard, but they DO have serious complications. I do not think that lucky diabetics should feel smug about their success.We can acknowledge that we have worked our butts off and be darned happy that we are one of the lucky ones. So NO, I do not like this disease. It is not fair that just some are lucky! I want a cure - for all of us! I am not the competitive type, but I promise to say what my HbA1c was last Friday when I find out. I don’t want to compare myself with others, we are all so different and have different situations. My battle is against this disease not the HbA1c level of another diabetic.
You’re right, Chrissie, that many of us are blessed to avoid complications even though some who took the best care of themselves haven’t been so lucky.
However, I don’t view the competition for lower A1C as a competition between myself and anyone else. It’s a competition between me and my last A1C. I’ll be the first to celebrate anyone else’s good A1C.
Nonetheless, and speaking only for myself, I have little doubt that if I hadn’t been diagnosed with diabetes I’d still be smoking, eating junk and sitting on my butt most of the time. I’m not saying I’m lucky to have the disease and I’m not grateful that I have the disease - I do acknowledge that it has awakened me.
Smug? Well, that’s a good point, too. I sometimes need to be humbled in other aspects of my life, so I suppose it shouldn’t be any different in this.
I am sorry but I totally disagree that this disease had made me healthier. I have had this disease since I was 8 and I see no redeeming value to it.
Yes I like your upbeat attitude and the fact that you are eating healthier and living a healthier lifestyle, but there is no way that this disease makes anyone healthier.
We can all strive for better A1C’s, better eating habits, more exercise, etc, but bottom line this disease takes at least 10 years off your life and I would love to live one day without it, just to see how it felt.
I am not being negative just dealing with the facts of how our body functions abnormally everyday on a cellular level because of this disease.
That goes without saying Joe, but I still don’t think we are healthier because of this disease and I know I will never obtain that good of an A1C, even though my husband loves Florida and would kill for a ride in that plane of yours, hmmmm, I am not telling him the game plan. Does it count that I have a lot in FL??
Hej, don’t misunderstand me - I am not saying any of us who have responded to this thread is smug! I am just saying that this disease affects people very differently so we have to be careful about not judging other people’s inability to suceed. I NEVER have been able to achieve such good values before I had a pump. Think of all the people who cannot afford a pump, who cannot even get a hold of insulin, who are not educated properly. AND I am in total agreement when you say that the competiotion for a lower A1C “is between me and my last A1C”! Exactly! Cross your fingers for me. I will do it for you!
Joe, I really like your thread! I love a good discussion! You talk about meeting this guy who had a better HbA1c than you, the guy in the gym. Let me ask you? Can you eat anything you want? I certainly CANNOT. And that is my point - each diabetic is so different! I do have a pump, but for me it is not just a matter of counting carbs and bolusing. Proteins totally mess me up. My bg will often rise 6 hours later, but not always! So I cannot bolus in advance for a rise in bg that maybe will not occur! Each one of us has our own little quirky things. Yes we all have to learn the general textbook rules, but beyond that we have to recognize how our own particular body works. I would like to lower or keep my last 5.4 HbA1, but I do not want to compare it to anyone elses. My blog is at http://chrissieinbelgium.blogspot.com . I LOVE discussions, and I promise to reply to comments.
I’m sorry, but I do not think diabetes is a good thing. I was fit before becoming a diabetic, and I am fit now. Diabetes had no impact on that. Diabetes is like another full time job to me. It requires a lot of time and energy to manage and to keep yourself healthy. Time, that I personally would like to use for something else instead of the constant monitoring of blood sugar. I consider myself lucky, though, that I developed diabetes as an adult at 33 and not when I was a child. Try asking any kid who gets this disease if they consider this a good thing. I see what my 9 year old niece has to go through and no I do not think it is a good thing.
No I can’t eat everything that I want…like pizza…I LOVE pizza…I think about eating it…so I agree we are all different just like having different color hair. In my case I have learned what I can and cannot eat. I remember before going on a pump that when I would visit my, at the time, girlfriend’s family in Leesburg Florida. Think real traditional southern people with the love and hospitality that goes with it. The food was overwhelming. So what I would do is eat only small amounts for 36 hours prior to going, then go eat like a pig at their house. Yes it hurt both my body and my mind…guilt is a wonderous thing, you know…
My point is, no one know yor body better than you do…you control what goes in and ultimately what comes out. I choose to be a pragmatist and enjoy my like, make diabetes my friend and make sure I develope my plan and then execute my plan. This works for me…farly well. I do have my problems like all humans and diabetics…
Lindsay,
Remember that it not the indivdual numbers its the over all over a period of time that means something. So develop your plan and then execute!!!
I know you can do it and let the little scucesses become your rally point!!!
I have asked a 4 year old, a 7 year old and a number of tweenies…the concesus is it is not a big deal for them. It is a big deal for the parents…In your case I fail to understand how TI is a full time job. I test 6 times a day…I have been TI since 31 years old and I am on a pump…it
It is not a full time job…it is a way of like… in my case a good life…
so why don’t you counsel young or newly minted diabetics… I am sure they could use your abiltiy to maintain your process for being fit!!!
Joe, I like your positive attitude. The full time job description for me is a way of life for you…not a chore. I guess I’m glass half empty, and you’re glass half full (ha-ha).
By full time job, I meant that I would want to use my time and energy that is now focused on diabetes (testing, eating, dosing, am I too high, too low, etc.) on something else. Diabetes is center stage, because you must be on top of it, and it still throws curve balls. So for me, having diabetes is not a good thing, but I accept it and try my best everyday to stay as healthy as possible.
No matter how well we take care of ourselves we are never ever healthier because of our diabetes. Diabetes affects every cell in your body and if it is not running perfectly there is damage.
I am very close to a mother of a diabetic child. The child is now 6 and she herself tells everyone she wants a cure. Her mother tries so hard to keep her bgs in check but her child’s A1C continue to be elevated and I know for sure her child is not healthier because of this disease.
Check out her plea for a cure.
Click on “Donate”
Type in Caroline Mohn, Texas and click on “Find Walker”
You will see Caroline’s picture and a “Donate Now” button.
October 4, 2001 was the most defining day in our lives. Our 8-month old infant daughter was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. Most of you know Caroline’s story. She has had to grow up way too fast and is wise beyond her years. She realizes that she has Diabetes and that she is different. Approximately one in 400 children has Type 1 Diabetes. Unfotunately, diabetic complications can read like a horror novel. The difficulties that Caroline has experienced is reflected in her daily. She has been robbed of her childhood and has been forced to contemplate a difficult and uncertain future that may all too soon include complications.
Our family has committed itself to JDRF and to doing all that we can to help find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes and its complications. We must be available 24/7. Diabetes never takes a break, and neither can we. While we are concerned with Caroline’s physical health, we also worry about her emotional health. Caroline may grow up, live a long life, have a great and fulfilling career, and a husband and children of her own one day. But we know in our hearts that, despite our best efforts, she may be denied all of that. Either way, she has this day and this childhood, and we want it to be wonderful.
We walk a fine line in caring for Caroline - trying to help her feel love and joy when we are continually assaulting her body with needles and lancets; give our child hope and faith in the face of fear and disease; tell Caroline she is healthy but needs insulin every day, all day, to survive. We know that a cure is possible and within reach. We hope that it will be found soon so that Caroline and all of these children will live a long and fulfilling life. This is our greatest wish and why we ask today for your help and support in Caroline’s quest for a cure.
I have only been a diabetic for about 4 years. I have my good days and my bad days with the diabetes just like everyone else. Sometimes it is no big deal, sometimes it is. I think a lot of how you feel is also your outlook on life. There has been research done that even if you are terminally ill, if you have a positive outlook on life you will live longer. Being diabetic is rough, but there are always people that are worse off than you.
Joe,
I cannot seem to get mine down to that especially this summer (My opion)IT"S JUST BEEN TO HOT TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! My A1C went from 6.4 to 8.1 in 3 months!!! Well needless to say me and my endo his nurse are really upset now!!! Let me see if I can atleast get it down to the 7’s first then I will be more than willing to take the challenge!! HA!!!
as for diabetes being good or bad… I look at the glass as 1/2 full and I have to keep working on filling it to the brim. So as for me it has been a good thing …Atleast I know the healthy foods to eat and at the time feed my kids now my grandddaughter and in March my next grandbaby!!!
Does it count that I have a lot in FL??