my diabetes real life community: meet michael

i'm introducing my friends who i know in 'real life' that have diabetes.

today, you get to meet michael. we met through mutual friends and stay 'in the know' about what's going on with each other via social media.

michael is a manager at a lowe's home improvement store in louisville, ky. he has a wonderful (wiggly) 16 month old son, alexander. no pets right now, maybe when the boy gets a bit older. he bought a house in taylorsville, ky last year and if he's not playing with his son or working, then he's doing yard work!

what type of diabetes do you have?
Type 1 ("the bad kind" as its more commonly known by the public)

how long have you had it/when were you diagnosed?
I was officially diagnosed June 17, 2003.

can you tell us a quick summary of your diagnosis story?
I was working at a country club and was veeeery dehydrated so I thought "I'll drink a bunch of slushies!" Went home after work and didn't feel well so I went to the hospital. They took my blood sugar twice because they couldn't believe the number (or the meter didn't go that high) and came back to tell me it was 960! Everybody was amazed and I was pretty popular to come look at, but that didn't really calm me down or anything. They were pretty sure it was diabetes at that point....

how do you treat it (shots, pump, pen, etc)? do you use any other technologies (CGM, etc)? 

I use the Novolog flex pen and Lantus at night. One touch meter, nice and simple... aka cheap (as far as diabetes supplies go).

what are some of your daily concerns, worries or considerations?

I have really tight control, so low sugars are my main concern, but I'm always (overly) prepared for them if they come.

what do you wish people without diabetes understood?
That its not a death sentence... if properly controlled... everybody always has a relative that "died from diabetes" even if it was a car wreck and they just happen to have diabetes.

how do you describe the feeling and symptoms of lows and to people who don't have diabetes?

I think everybody has had the feeling of low blood sugar. I had it occasionally when I was much younger. But I say jittery, confused, tingly, etc. it's not always the same feeling... at least for me.

what about the feeling and symptoms of highs? 

Highs... I hate highs! My ear pops on one side or the other, dry mouth, dehydrated, thirsty! It's terrible! Low blood sugar comes up fast, but high blood sugar takes forever to come down sometimes!

what's your go-to treatment for lows?
Root beer or PB crackers

what's your meal plan? do you follow a special diet? do you enjoy the same treats that 'everyone else' does?
No meal plan... I eat a healthy vegan diet now-a-days... it's not as hard as you would think, but I believe in limited meat in diets for health reasons (cholesterol)... plants don't have cholesterol!

what diabetes myth do you wish would get busted?
That everyone losses a leg or sight... I've been a diabetic for ten years and have no signs of complications in my eyes and have 20/20... maybe I'm just lucky... or it's all the hard work controlling it... either way I'm happy.

what would you tell someone who was just diagnosed with diabetes?
The same thing an older guy told me in the hospital elevator the day after diagnosis... "it's a very manageable disease if you take care of yourself... I'm doing great!"

what's your favorite flavor cupcake? 
I'm not a big sweet eater... never have been. So you don't get diabetes from eating too many cupcakes?! Weird!