Introduction
Thank you for taking the time to allow me to share this information on Adjunct Therapies for Type Two Adult Onset Diabetes. Using the suggestions outlined here, I have managed to drop 75 pounds of weight, regulate my blood sugar from an A1C of 10.5 down to 6.2, and improve my blood lipids to optimal levels. I often get asked what I did and what I’m doing to make such an improvement so I wrote this document both as a guide and to share what worked and did not work for me. This journey has lasted well over a decade and a half for me.
This information presented in an educational manner based on the experiences from my health journey as I continue to navigate it with type two diabetes. I wish to convey this with the strongest suggestion that an involved and proactive approach is critical in mitigating the progression of this disease.
These therapies should not be practiced without the guidance of trained healthcare providers and some are not primary therapies. They can modulate blood glucose downward quite effectively in some instances which would require medical guidance on the titration of any pharmaceutical therapies. I am sharing here what has worked for me as a patient.
Before I continue, please know that I am under the care of an Endocrinologist, Cardiologist, Dietician and Diabetes Educator, as well as my Naturopathic and Allopathic Physicians. I take anti-diabetic medications, and I am on a low carb diet as well as a supplement program tailored for me by the above team. Some of the adjunct therapies mentioned here are not commonly known or practiced at this time and that is why I am showcasing them in this blog.
First What not to.. Don't be that guy ( Yes T2D tried to kill me .. don’t let it ) !
This is what I looked like one day after my chest was opened up and I had triple bypass surgery ! This was the fall of 2022 at age 54, I weighed 250 pounds and despite being under medical care for over a decade for type two diabetes my blood glucose levels remained difficult to control, I was a metabolic mess.. My cholesterol was sky high and my triglycerides were above 1200 ! The insulins I was taking quickly accelerated the downfall of my cardiac systems. I was miserable after the surgery and my lungs were not responding well to being on the heart / lung machine during the operation.. Normal lung volumes for humans are around four (4) liters and I was lucky to get in breaths of 250 - 500 ml. I was basically learning to breathe again, let alone stand, walk or go to the bathroom… But at least I was alive. If you look closely there is a bank of IV machines that were pumping fluids and meds into a port in my neck.
So how did I get to this place? Well, my family genetics were the first hit. My father died at age 51 from heart disease and diabetes. My siblings and mother also have it. However the largest contributor in my opinion was my lifestyle choices I made in my 30’s. My wife was newly diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and could no longer work. In order to make ends meet, I started to work on-call after my regular 8-5 work shift as a locksmith. I would unlock homes and cars, and re-key homes after late night break-ins or domestic disturbances. For more than a decade, I had little sleep, and no regular meals other than what I could get on the road at 2am out of fast food drive up. I would pull-off the road and grab a few minutes of sleep in between those late night jobs. And somehow I would show up for my regular work shift at 8am the next day only to start the whole process over again. If I had known then.. How much of a hit my metabolism would take with those sleeping at eating patterns I would have sought other ways to get the bills paid. Because it almost killed me later in life.
Don’t be that guy, take care of yourself NOW !
