{"id":19334,"date":"2011-08-30T09:05:03","date_gmt":"2011-08-30T13:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=19334"},"modified":"2020-03-09T20:31:45","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T00:31:45","slug":"running-strong-with-diabetes-happy-birthday-mike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=19334","title":{"rendered":"Running Strong With Diabetes: Happy Birthday, Mike!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was just about ten years ago that my husband Mike’s<\/a> diabetes symptoms first appeared.\u00a0 We were in Atlanta for his cousin’s wedding and he started to feel bad.\u00a0 He had some kind of “flu.”\u00a0 That’s what we thought.\u00a0 He felt so bad we postponed our return flight to Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

After a few days the “flu” was gone.\u00a0 Everything was back to normal, except Mike was thirsty.\u00a0 We assumed he was dehydrated from his morning runs.\u00a0 They were probably causing his weight loss, too.<\/p>\n

One day Mike asked me to buy orange juice, so I walked to the corner store and bought a two-liter bottle.\u00a0 He downed it in one sitting.\u00a0 He wanted more.\u00a0 Every day.\u00a0 Mike was drinking non-stop, yet wasting away.\u00a0 My muscles grew strong from carrying home heavy bottles of drinks.\u00a0 I told him to go to the doctor.\u00a0 “Get a blood test,” I said.<\/p>\n

“I’m fine,” he insisted.<\/p>\n

Mike continued like that for about six months.\u00a0 He wasn’t diagnosed until he was almost dead.\u00a0 I will never stop being grateful I didn’t lose him.\u00a0 And every year on August 30th, his birthday, I will remember how far he’s come and how hard he has worked to be not just a healthy person with diabetes, but a marathoner with diabetes.\u00a0 To me, Mike seems stronger every year.\u00a0 And he and I are becoming closer every year, more in synch.\u00a0 Proof?\u00a0 A few days ago we both felt a little low at the same time.\u00a0 We went to check our blood sugar at the same time.\u00a0 I took out a test strip first.<\/p>\n

“Can I have it Mike asked?”<\/p>\n

“Sure,” I said.\u00a0 I handed him the Abbott Freestyle butterfly test strip<\/a> and took out a new one for myself.<\/p>\n

Mike checked his blood sugar and turned away without a comment until he heard my glucometer beep.\u00a0 “What’s your blood sugar?” he asked.<\/p>\n

“67.”<\/p>\n

“Seriously?”<\/p>\n

“Yes.\u00a0 Why?”<\/p>\n

He picked up his glucometer and showed me the screen.\u00a0 Here’s a photo that says it all:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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