Coming Back Strong

After my last blog post, my friend told me that he did not think it was a good post. He said it gave fuel for all of the doubters out there to call me a phony and decreased my credibility for what I’m trying to accomplish.

Maybe he is right, but at the end of the day, this is real life. I’m not some raw vegan foodist living in California with a nutrition degree. I’m a pretty typical guy from Pittsburgh, PA that was unfortunately diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2013 who is trying to manage my life the best I can with my newly inherited disease.

He said I need to “Come back strong”, so here we go…

I’m Fine Being Unpopular

Maybe I did lose some credibility with my last blog post, but I’m not trying to gain popularity points. I do  this blog once a month in my spare time to hopefully educate other T1Ds about how a plant-based diet can change their lives.

I’m hopeful my followers can appreciate my honesty that comes across in my blog. You can agree or disagree with my philosophy, but I can say with great pride that I have not once injected insulin into my body after having T1D for 3.5 years, and that should always keep people tuned in to hear my message.

Check out My Fasting Blood Sugars

I’m sure other T1Ds reading this blog are interested in what my blood sugars read every day. Currently, I only test it once per day first thing in the morning (fasting), and I track it in excel. The below link is a chart showing my readings since I was diagnosed in December 2013. As you can see the readings aren’t perfect, but my A1c has been a pillar of stability over the past couple of years.

Fasting Blood Sugars and A1c Since Diagnosis

Annual Endocrinologist Appointment – 4th Time Around

Last month was a tough month for me, but it ended on a positive note. In June of each year, I always have my annual endocrinologist appointment. I’ve been going to the same Dr. for the past four years and I detailed my first 3 visits in my blog post from last year (June 2016 Post).

It has been a true motivator for me seeing the evolution of thought and action from my endocrinologist over years. As each annual visit goes by, I continue to notice his intrigue getting stronger and stronger about my accomplishments.

The Best Progress on My Goal to Date

This past year was the most encouraging yet. When the appointment started, he actually brought a younger endocrinologist in training into our appointment to hear my story. He even told me that he has been telling other patients about my plant-based strategy and some have adopted aspects of my diet with some success.

Now, you need to understand that this doctor is associated with one of the largest health organizations in the city of Pittsburgh. I don’t fully understand his network, but if he is preaching my story to his other patients, I’m sure he has told my story to other fellow endocrinologist in the Pittsburgh area, and possibly beyond.

I could tell that he actually has started to research Dr. Gabriel Cousens and how his raw plant-based diet is helping type 1 diabetics all over the country lower their blood sugars, and even remove some from insulin like myself in certain instances.

Exactly What I’m Looking For

Honestly, this meant the world to me. My goal when I started this blog was to increase awareness in the diabetic community that a plant-based diet was a potential option to significantly increase the time a T1D can live without medication.

I’m not trying to force feed my strategy down other T1D’s throats, but I merely want other T1Ds to know this option is out there so they can potentially adopt some of its principles and live a less stressful life.

My endocrinologist is a perfect example of a good person that was simply not educated on my approach, but is now willing to share my story to help others. Hopefully he continues to spread the word to other endocrinologists throughout his network.

So, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been making progress in my efforts and having interactions like I noted in this post are what keeps me going. As my blog has increased in popularity, I’ve had an uptick in nastygrams from people claiming that there is no cure for T1D and that I’m faking this or that my teachings are “dangerous to others” in giving them false hope.

A Great Option

I’m not claiming that I’m cured of T1D, but in some sense I hardly even feel like that I have T1D anymore except for that morning finger prick to test my sugars. Take my message for what it’s worth, it’s an option, not a guarantee.

To all the T1Ds or parents of T1Ds reading this blog, please just keep an open mind and continue your research on options out there. I am merely one option, but I can tell you that it’s a great option to pursue and I recommend it for any T1D out there.

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