This article has been reprinted with permission from Science 37. The original article can be viewed here.
I was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2008. Back then I was about 282 pounds and wore a size 46 pants. In addition to being a little heavier, I was also drinking a lot. I would work, and then go home and drink. Of course, when you start drinking, you get hungry – then you’re going to Jack-in-the-Box late at night and eating tacos and all that stuff. I worked at a Native American casino (I’m Native American, Filipino, Spanish, and Mexican…a little bit of everything!), and one night at work, my vision got blurry and I could barely see across the casino floor. I thought to myself, What’s going on? I just thought I was tired.
The Bad Habits
I was drinking Mountain Dews to stay awake because I worked the graveyard shift. I didn’t realize that the more sugar I put in, the more I was just hurting myself. So I’d drink Mountain Dew and 10 minutes later, I’d go to the bathroom. Then I’d get thirsty and I’d drink some more, and it was a continuous cycle. What got my attention was the time I went to the restroom and urinated blood. I was like, Whoa, something’s the matter.
I went to the doctor and then I was taken to the hospital. I found out that my blood sugar was over 800 mg/dl. (Blood sugar levels are usually in the 70-140 mg/dl range.) It was the highest blood sugar level the doctors had seen in a long time. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. My eyesight was kind of blurry and there was just a lot going on. I stayed there and they brought my blood sugar level back down with an insulin injection. And that was the beginning of my battle with diabetes.
I had to get insulin injections three times a day. But at the same time, I was still drinking. I tried to change my diet a little bit because it scared me, but it didn’t scare me enough to stop everything. You know when you’re up late and staying out until bars close? That was me. I would stay out late, wake up in the morning at 5:00 and have to do my insulin shots. I did split shifts – I was taken off the graveyard shift for medical reasons – so I would start at 6:00 in the morning. It was just a mess.
The Good Habits
Eventually I changed all that and stopped drinking, stopped eating out. Well, fast food at least. I was kind of heavy, so I just started walking for exercise and then gradually started running. My former brother-in-law got me into cycling. I thought okay, I can do this. I lose a bit of weight. I don’t know if a lot of you non-cyclists know, but the seats are kind of narrow and they hurt a little bit in the beginning. I didn’t want to wear the padding and all that stuff. That embarrassing, I thought. But after sitting on the bike for three hours, you want that padding, you want those shorts. So I started getting more into cycling, the weight started coming off, and I started eating healthier.
I realized that as the father of four kids, I needed to change my lifestyle in order to be there later on when my kids got older. I just really focused on that. That was my inspiration – my kids. And they have seen me go through it. In the mornings, I’d eat breakfast and then I’d have to give myself an insulin injection. I would try to keep them away from that, but they saw me with the insulin. In a way it’s a positive thing, so they know the outcomes if they don’t take care of their health. My youngest daughter is 16 and she loves Hot Cheetos, and I’m trying to break her of that. I used to eat those a lot too. I’m just trying to change the way she thinks about food and get her to incorporate more vegetables rather than ice cream and sodas.
Managing Diabetes in Los Angeles
I moved to Los Angeles four years ago from the Santa Ynez area, which is north of Santa Barbara. There are a few steakhouses and stuff like that there, but for a while, I cut out meat – I was in a full vegan mode. I went vegetarian for a while, and that helped a lot. When I moved here, I was in foodie heaven. L.A. has everything here, any kind of restaurant you could think of. It’s been a battle for me. I like to go out to eat and try these new places and then hop on my bike, or tell myself I’m gonna burn it off the next day.
I eventually started getting into, or should I say I was recruited into, cycling with the American Diabetes Association, I really liked the beginning rides and I worked my way up – I’m doing a century ride this year, which is 100 miles long! Cycling helps, because it’s a struggle to maintain proper weight and to eat right. Growing up, my mom taught me, “You’re always gonna have a woman in your life, you don’t need to cook.” But I still like to cook for myself. I’ll make chicken adobo with rice and as I’m putting it in a tortilla, I know it’s not the healthiest, but it is what it is. I’ll work it off later. Being many different ethnicities, there’s always a chance to indulge in rich, hearty food. I do that on certain occasions, like weddings or big events. Other than that, I try to stay away from it. I’m just so happy with where I am right now in my life and trying to maintain a good blood sugar level. I’m back to normal, around 100 mg/dl or so. I’m also proud to say I’m gonna be a grandfather. My oldest child is 26 and pregnant with twins, and these are her first kids. So I guess I’m going to be busy. But I’m really grateful for my life.
Continued Health and Wellness
A lot of Native Americans, including many of my family members, are diabetics. I think it’s because of our diet. I have family members who just eat and do whatever they want. Some of them are missing toes now. I have an uncle that lost his leg. It’s just a different mentality. Although diabetes has really changed my life, I look at the positive now. I go back home on the weekends, and when we have health and wellness events, I talk to other tribal members about diabetes and what I did to overcome this disease (not 100%, but I’m working toward it). I hope that my story can inspire others to lead healthier lives, and I hope that together, we can change what it means to have diabetes.
Last modified on September 28th, 2022 at 2:11 pm