Update: After I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, I read over 20 books and attended conferences with a goal of reversing my symptoms.

10 weeks after I wrote the blog post below, I was back in the hospital twice more for the same reason: life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis. I had done everything I could to “reverse my diabetes.” Why wasn’t it working?  Because I was misdiagnosed.

I was finally diagnosed correctly with Type 1 Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured or reversed.

Misdiagnosis is quite common because people (including many doctors!) tend to think of Type 1 as something that only begins when you are a juvenile. I, and many others, are living proof that is not true.

It’s a shame I had to start my journey judging myself so harshly. On the bright side, it’s good to reflect and make corrections in life when needed.  I am glad to be back on track with keeping myself generally healthy now.

Here is my original post, when I was completely focused on finding the cause and cure for my incorrectly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

In my last blog post, I shared my type 2 diabetes diagnosis that I learned while having a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) attack in an ambulance. DKA is usually something that only occurs in type 1 diabetics, but can happen to type 2 diabetics in extreme cases or during an illness.

The first 6 weeks after my hospital stay were very emotional for me. I felt guilty, angry, sad, and frustrated. Apparently, I went through a standard grievance process. I spent many hours researching and contemplating “what went wrong?”  I wanted to be knowledgeable and completely honest with myself about what caused my diabetes.

First, how did I end up in the emergency room?  I think that began two months before when I slipped on a sidewalk and hurt both my arms. I rarely left my hotel room after that. I had virtually no exercise and my food and drink choices were full of sugar, rather than following my usual healthy whole food plant-based diet.  I was getting quite unhealthy.

Then I caught the flu, which means my body was making extra glucose. This was the big trigger for my DKA attack. However, in order for it to get to this life-threatening stage, I likely  had undiagnosed diabetes for many months.

I believe the following issues are the causes of my type 2 diabetes:

• My belly fat. By medical standards, my 5’8″ 150 pound body was considered “healthy,” but I certainly needed to lose weight. Throughout my adult life, my weight shifted up and down within a 25-pound range. 3 years ago I was at my highest, but I started a whole food plant-based diet and lost 50 pounds. I continued to follow this healthy lifestyle in general, but I made a number of exceptions for the sake of travelling and living in hotels.  I gained back some of the weight I lost, and my belly came back to visit.  In medical terms,  visceral fat was stored around my internal organs, including my liver and  pancreas, which promoted insulin resistance. (See Diabetes as a Disease of Fat Toxicity for more information.)
• My sedentary lifestyle. I sat in a chair most of the day and did not typically have much daily physical activity, especially in the most recent months before the attack.
• I’m over 40, and diabetes runs in my family. Whether it’s truly in the genes, or that I have similar eating patterns as my type 2 diabetic mother, I seemed to be at risk.
• I did not get medical check-ups. I avoided going to a doctor for many years, and I never had my blood tested for pre-diabetes.
• Poor food and drink choices. This one goes hand-in-hand with the extra belly fat. Especially In the previous few months before my diagnosis, I was consuming too much alcohol (mostly rum) and eating quite poorly (processed salty, sugary snacks including trans fats). Major carb abuse. I swore to myself that I would give it all up in the new year!

I look at these causes as lessons learned. The silver lining is that my condition provides the ultimate motivation that I need to get and stay healthy. My next steps are clearly:

• Eat healthy. Lose weight and give myself the nutrition to maximize my health and body functions.
• Exercise more. Lose weight, get strong, and improve my cardiovascular health.
• Control my blood sugar levels. Through trial-and-error and use of my glucose meter, determine exactly how food and exercise affect my blood sugar so that I can optimize my health plan for long-term non-diabetic blood sugar levels.

These days my blood sugar levels are excellent and stable. I take daily walks, and I work out at my hotel gym 5 days/week. I even bought a Fitbit to help motivate me and keep track of my heartbeat and my calories out. I’m also eating super healthy again.  I spent 2 hours with a nutritionist last week and learned so much! I’m tracking everything I eat, so I can share all of my information later. I currently take oral medicine (Glipizide and Metformin), but I hope to wean off of them soon.

For the past few weeks, I have stayed in hotels with kitchens. It was great to be able to make my own meals. However, I’ve found that I can eat very healthy in a standard hotel too.  I’ll be writing more about the topic of healthy eating in hotels. I still haven’t made any decisions about whether I’ll be continuing the hotel lifestyle or “settling down” somewhere with a kitchen. I’ll share more soon!

What do you think?  Am I being realistic enough? Do you agree or disagree with my causes?