Sue Sammut, Caledon Ontario
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Hi! This is me, Sue Sammut. I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in 2000 and placed on oral medication. Now at the time of diagnosis, I was not overweight (I was 125 lbs!) I did not have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. I was doing aerobic classes 3 days a week, and walking almost every night. My doctor told me it was ‘bad luck’ but I say it was bad eating habits! Within 3 years the disease changed. The oral meds were no longer able to break down my sugars and my weight plummeted from 125 lbs to 85 lbs. Diabetes was now eating away at me. I was placed on insulin injections, and tried to gain some sort of stability. But that was when the roller coaster began with lows, then highs rebounding and crashes in the middle of the night. And alas, weight gain. I went from 85 lbs to 150 lbs in one month! I continued to watch my diet eating very few carbs, if any, was doing karate classes 3 days a week and still walking. Within 2 1/2 years of insulin they, being my specialists, took me off of the long acting insulin and placed me on a 24 hour insulin. Changes again but this seemed to be working for the time being. Approximately 2 years into the 24 hour insulin, it was no longer lasting 24 hours, bringing me up to 8 injections a day or more. I was literally taking a needle every time I ate. In 2008, I was re diagnosed as a ‘Late Onset Type 1′ and placed on a medical device known as ‘insulin pump’ which entails an IV dripping insulin 24/7, as my pancreas no longer produces its own. At last, after 9 years of battling weight, mood swing highs and lows, I have stability. I have a life again!!! I continue to watch my diet, but I eat carbs now. I continue to work out 3 days a week and I run 10-20 km a week, not including my 1/2 marathons for Team Diabetes! I feel great Diabetes changed my life, the pump gave me my life back! |
