Fond du Lac Diabetes Program

Rusty Thomas is "Kicking Diabetes in the ____ "

In November of 2004, Rusty Thomas was returning to MASH where he worked as a driver from the Twin Cities and throughout the day he noticed his vision was blurry. When he got to MASH at about 1:00 he asked the nurse what would cause blurred vision because he’s always had excellent eye sight. She tested his blood sugar and it was 454. One of his coworkers brought him to the clinic. After a series of tests the nurse came in and gave him a shot of insulin to get his blood sugar down. His provider started talking to him about diabetes and prescribed a diabetes pill called Glyburide.

Rusty was shocked with this news. He returned home and told his wife and later called his father who has diabetes. They talked about the family history and he found out that one of his uncles and his grandmother died from complications of diabetes.

The news set in and “really hit home” within a day or two because he was checking his blood sugar four or five times a day and saw how high his readings were compared to the normal range. He realized how stressed and angry he was. It aggravated him that as healthy as he felt, he was as sick as he was. The first few weeks his emotions “ran like a roller-coaster.”

Over the next two months he had a lot of doctor’s appointments, blood work, procedures and education. During this time he began changing his lifestyle. He stopped drinking pop and switched to water. Prior to his diagnosis he had been drinking 4-5 cans of Pepsi and 4-5 quarts of Gatorade daily, not to mention the Energy Drinks that helped when he was on the road, the fruit juice, or the 3-4 servings of milk with his meals. He stopped eating fast food which he had been eating daily. His favorite fast food meal was 3 double cheeseburgers, a large fry, and a large pop. After receiving nutrition education, he and his wife sat down and she realized she needed to start cooking differently. She supported him and his new lifestyle. He also started parking farther away from the store entrance, dancing as long as he could at Pow-Wow’s, taking walks, and using the exercise room at the RBC.

By January his diabetes educator took him off Glyburide because he had made several healthy lifestyle changes and was now starting to have low blood sugars. By March, he had completed the Diabetes Education Program and his Hemoglobin A-1-C (average blood sugar over the past 2-3 months) was NORMAL at 5.8%! See the table below that summarizes his progress with “kicking diabetes in the _ _ _.”

Date	A-1-C	Weight	Medications
11/30/2004 Diabetes diagnosis	9.7%	221#	Glyburide
12/03/2004	10%
12/22/2004	8.4%
1/6/2005		217#	Off Diabetes Medication
3/23/2005	5.8%	208#
8/30/2005	5.7%
9/14/2005		196#

Today Rusty is “living well with diabetes.” In addition to being off diabetes medication, he reports needing less Prevacid for acid reflux and having less pain which he attributes to his 25 pound weight loss. His A-1-C remains normal. He feels good and has more energy. Of course he is human, and still likes to lay on the couch and watch a movie, but when he gets moving “watch out!” Wanting to be healthy has motivated him and made him feel really good about himself. He’s at a point where he wants to help others find a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks for sharing your story Rusty!

John Quam lost over 100 pounds and
is preventing diabetes

About one year ago, John received a call from his medical provider that he describes as the “call of death.” She said he was in the stages of pancreatitis and if he lived through that he would develop diabetes. His triglycerides were 543 (normal is < 150), total cholesterol was 233 (normal is < 200) and his weight was 297 pounds. She said he absolutely had to do something to lose weight. His 3 sisters, 1 brother and parents all have or had diabetes (dad died from complications of diabetes). John was scared to death and decided he was going to change his life and lose the weight.

before

He started by reading everything he could find. He found out the best option for him was walking. He quit drinking pop (from a 6-pack daily) and was drinking more water. His lunch was 3 cans of pop and either a package of cookies or a half-pound Hershey Bar. He first realized he could do this when he lost 25# the first month by eliminating the pop.

He’s been walking, and walking, and walking. As he started to slim down he added other types of exercise like jogging, biking and weight lifting. He averages 14 hours of exercise weekly (and has a wife, 3 kids and a job). He learned he has to make time for himself. He hadn’t ran since he was 18 years old (now he’s 40). He religiously drinks 120 oz of water each day. When he feels hungry, he “slams 10 oz of water” and it holds him for an hour or so. He changed from whole milk to Skim milk. He quit the “cheeses and breads.” His eating consists of yogurt, egg beaters, high-fiber/high protein cereal (Kashi), fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. Once a month or so he has a “treat.” His biggest meal is now breakfast (used to be supper and late night eating). He keeps a food journal and tracks his calories, fat grams, water, and physical activity,

He has lost 101# and went from a 42” waist to a 32” waist (and thinks he could be in a 30”). Jackets went from 3X to a size large. His triglycerides normalized at 46 (from 543) and his total cholesterol normalized at 154 (from 233).

It’s become a family thing. Before he wouldn’t buy fruit because it was too expensive. Now he’s realized how much fruit he can buy in place of the pop and candy bars. His kids are exercising with him. His wife has always been health conscious but is now preparing supper earlier (used to eat at 8:00 or 9:00 at night).

John remembers feeling like he was “in prison.” He went to Valley Fair one time and couldn’t go on a ride because he was too fat. He states “the weight ages you”. He now feels like he’s out of prison and can do anything. He no longer has the food cravings—he was addicted to food and beat it. He went from patrolling the fridge and thinking of food all day, to needing his wife to remind him to eat. Now that he’s seen the changes—he’s addicted to change. He went from eating 5 plates at Old Country Buffet to 2 bowls of soup and salad at The Olive Garden.

CONGRATULATIONS JOHN and thank you for sharing your success story with us!

after

Blood Pressure; is 134/82 okay?

Is 134 over 82 okay for people with diabetes? If you ask your medical provider they should say “NO!” Both diabetes and high blood pressure increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and eye and kidney disease. Because of this, people with diabetes have a lower blood pressure target than the general public. The American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health recommend a target blood pressure of less than 130/80 for people with diabetes (and less than 120/70 for people with diabetes and kidney disease). When you keep your blood pressure below 130/80, you’ll be lowering your risk for diabetes problems.

When your blood moves through your vessels with too much force, you have high blood pressure. Your heart has to work harder when blood pressure is high, and your risk for diabetes problems goes up. High blood pressure is a problem that won’t go away without treatment. Both lifestyle changes and medication help control blood pressure. Lifestyle changes include making wise food choices, losing weight or taking steps to prevent weight gain, being physically active, being careful with alcohol, and quitting smoking. Several types of medication are available. Not everyone takes the same blood pressure medication, and many people take more than one kind. Some blood pressure medications produce side effects. Always talk to your provider or pharmacist if you think your medication is causing a problem.

When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? What was it? If it’s not under 130/80, is it being treated? Know your numbers and take steps to control them.