February 1, 2010
OFFSIDE REMARKS
Living with Type 2 Diabetes

By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor

Reporters shouldn't make news. They should report it or sometimes comment on it.

Our names should be on top of the stories, not in it, unless, of course, we are being quoted about the World Cup or an MLS season preview.

So, it was a bit surprising that someone told me I was among the talk at the recent MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia.

Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. I actually lost some weight. OK, a lot of weight.

At this time last year I weighed in at 207 lbs. These days my weight bounces around between 157 and 162 lbs. Now, at 5-9, I never considered myself overly fat, only overweight. Even friends didn't think I was ridiculously overweight, According to medical charts, I was obese.

Some of the reporters and MLS officials were concerned about how I looked because I had become so thin. Of course, they were thinking of the worst -- the c-word.

I had to tell more than one colleague, that I was OK, that I had Type 2 Diabetes.

Regardless, having diabetes is bad enough.

Now, what exactly is Type 2 Diabetes?

I'll let the American Diabetes Association explain in:

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:

* Right away, your cells may be starved for energy.

* Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.

Now, this column isn't a supposed to be sob story, but rather an education or a warning to our readership about a pandemic in the United States. Don't cry for me because I am doing fine. I follow a regular diet -- I call it a lifestyle -- of eating and I'm doing quite well, thank you. In fact, I feel quite fortunate. I don't have to take insulin shots (I do have to take a pill -- metformin -- prior to my evening meal) and I don't have to check my blood on a daily basis at least not yet (I have a check-up every three months).

I have to give my family physician, Dr. Jack Nussbaum of Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y. some credit because he originally gave me the benefit of the doubt. After looking at the results of one blood test, he decided to have me take another one.

Unfortunately, the results of the second one were the same.

I knew that there was diabetes in my family. My maternal grandmother was diagnosed with it late in her life. My mother was a couple of years ago. So, me, being all of 57-years-old (when someone asks me how old I am, I see Heinz), I figured I had some time.

Wrong.

As Dr. Nussbaum told me that I had Type 2 Diabetes, I decided right there that I would follow a strict eating regime and that I would start not next week, not tomorrow, but that night.

I thought of the double Q's -- quality and quantity -- of life. I wanted both.

At first I thought it was daunting, seeing everything that I had to memorize. But since we eat so many times during the day, yours truly quickly picked it up.

I did some quick research on the internet and bought a couple of books to further educate myself about diabetes.

If it is not taken care of, diabetes eventually can cause vision impairment, loss of limbs, and damage to the heart, kidneys and brain. That was plenty of motivation.

A few things that I actually learned about myself in the past several months:

* I actually have willpower. Except for an occasional extra portion ounce of protein here or there, I have kept to the plan.

I don't overeat and have more breads and pasta that are multi-grains or whole wheat. In fact, when my wife Joy and I visit our favorite Italian restaurant in town, I usually will order veal or chicken parmigiana. They give this humongous piece of meat. So, I wind up doubling my pleasure. I cut it in half and have the other half the next day. Veal or chicken parmigiana twice in a week? What more do I want?

* I look at packages in the supermarket to see all of the crap that is put into some of our foods (which is a crying shame from these food companies (high fructose corn syrup should be outlawed).

* I have been weaned off of soda -- diet or regular -- and fruit juices. I will drink water, seltzer, coffee or tea.

* I do close to a half an hour of exercise a day, punctuated by 20 minutes on an exercise bike and working with weights. And you know what? When I run up the stairs to the bedroom, I am not winded at all. In fact, I am in the best shape since college.

* And even though I love ice cream, I have a greater craving for pastries (I am allowed to have one "sweet" dessert a week, but is a real treat that I look forward to).

As the great Mel Allen used to say, "How about that."

Even after all these years you still can learn something about yourself.

It's funny. I thought I was ahead of the curve on a number of things through the years. Years ago, I got a Cocker Spaniel just before the popularity of the breed went through the roof. I became a soccer aficionado and writer well before the sport was accepted in the United States.

Now, it's diabetes Type 2.

It is a national pandemic. About 24 million people in the United States have Diabetes, and most of it is Type 2. And it's going to get worse because many people in the younger generations don't eat well.

Having this disease has sensitized me to the quality (or lack thereof) of food and the plight of other diabetics who have it a lot more worse than yours truly.

While doing a freelance piece for the Lowe's CLASS Award last fall, I decided to feature two soccer players who have Type I Diabetes -- University of North Carolina-Greensboro defender Lauren Lopez and George Mason midfielder Richard Edgar. Both interviews were great because the interviewer had some empathy to the plights of Lopez and Edgar (who happens to be good friends with Red Bulls midfielder-defender Jeremy Hall, by the way), even though I realize both players had it more difficult than myself.

They don’t feel sorry for themselves one bit. They go out and live life to the fullest, realizing its limitations.

If you're interested, here is a link to the story: http://tinyurl.com/yal3ytg.

I tried to figure out what else I could do to help the cause and educate the public. So, instead of just telling, friends, family, colleagues, etc. about myself, I decided to write this piece.

In my research for this story, I discovered that a long, long list of athletes have endured Diabetes, regardless of the type. The list includes Arthur Ashe, Bobby Clarke, Ty Cobb, Joe Frazier, Catfish Hunter, Ed Kranepool, Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson, Ron Santo, Art Shell, Bill Talbert and Jersey Joe Walcott, David Wells, among many others.

And the list goes on and on. Menachem Begin, Jack Benny, Halle Berry, Carol Channing, James Doohan, Victor Garber, Jackie Gleason (ironically, he coined the phrase, "How Sweet It is!), Mike Huckabee, Randy Jackson, Nikita Kruschev, Fiorello LaGuardia, Al Lewis (no relation), Jerry Lewis (no relation), Mary Tyler Moore, Anwar Sadat, Sonia Sotomayor, Ben Vereen and Mae West. And then there's Thomas Edison, Ernest Hemingway, Larry King, Mario Puzo, Anne Rice, Carl Rowan, Walt Kelly, Winnie Mandela, H.G. Wells and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

During the breakfast get-together at the World Cup draw in Cape Town in December, former Tottenham Hotspur standout Gary Mabbutt gave himself a shot at the table where we ate breakfast, playfully letting us know that he wasn't a drug addict, but a diabetic.

So, I figure I am in good company.

If you want to learn more, here is a link to the American Diabetes Association website: www.diabetes.org.

Read what they have to say.

Just as important, go to your doctor's and take a blood test, especially if he haven't one in a long time.

And find a way to eat better. In this day and age of the forever on-the-go society in which we live, it's a lot easier to stop at a fast-food drive-in than to have something better prepared. But your body will thank you for it -- now and in the years to come.

Yeah, I know, I probably sound like your spouse or mother. But just remember the double Q's in life -- quality and quantity.

That should be motivation enough.

Michael Lewis would like to hear from you. If you have a comment, drop him a line at email.