Type 2

When Paul Flynn was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic at age 53 he was surprised. He had been active all of his life as a Physical Education teacher, as a Health teacher and as a sports coach in a high school. “Looking back, I knew that my father was Type 2,” Paul says. “There can be a genetic component so I wasn’t totally surprised.

When Sharon Mirabella was hospitalized nine years ago the physicians ran some blood tests and discovered that her A1C was 6.7. Thirst was the only unusual symptom she had noticed.   Once diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes they started her on some oral medication and she met one on one with a nutritionist.   Her A1C now hovers around 5.6 and Sharon, who is 59,

When diagnosed as Type 2 five years ago, Susan Carroll wasn’t surprised since both of her parents also were Type 2. She listened to what the doctor told her and immediately started taking Metformin. Januvia was added.   The oral medications helped stabilize her blood sugar levels and Susan also spoke with a nutritionist who gave her guidelines about what to eat. Additionally, the nutritionist

Emil Backofen didn’t have any relatives with Type 2 diabetes so he wasn’t keenly aware of it. When he was traveling in Europe 29 years ago, he felt very thirsty and didn’t know why. He went from fast food place to fast food place getting some extra-large cold drinks and they still weren’t satisfying his thirst.   It was during a hospitalization on that trip

Danielle Batiste-Bond first went to her physician in 2013 complaining of a dry mouth and frequent urination.  Her doctor initially said that she was pre-diabetic but in time her A1C crept up and hit 8.6.   Danielle’s doctor used the words “Type 2” and started her on Metformin but she was in denial about the whole disease. “I didn’t want to hear anything about diabetes,”

Dawn Andrews suggests that anyone newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes check their blood sugar numbers often to get an idea of what foods they can tolerate and which ones create spikes. She always wrote them down in a log and analyzed what she had eaten. Dawn, 72, was diagnosed at age 50 by her physician during a routine physical. Her highest A1C was 7.1

“I think many newly diagnosed people are overwhelmed by their Type 1 diabetes,” Douglas Huber says. “I know I was. At age seven my parents brought me to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The hospital was very strict as I remember it. The diet was no fun for a kid.”   He was angry, too, for being different from other children and for having to