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28Intimacy & Diabetes

“I used to be the fat guy that you would stare at in the grocery store. My cart would be filled with high-fat desserts, sausages, regular soda, chips, and more. When diabetes hit, I immedi-ately felt that I had done it to myself. In the back of my mind, I knew that it would happen and then one day it did. Wham! When I got that diabetes lab blood test report back from the doctor, I felt my stomach sink. All I could think was, ‘why didn’t I say no to the choices I made?’ When my wife learned about my diabetes, she immediately blamed herself. For years, she supported all of the bad behaviors I had developed. We both ordered in pizza and drank beer on Saturday nights. We both sat in front of the television for hours snacking on junk food and sugary sodas. And we both never made a move to move! We didn’t do any physical activity of any type. Suddenly, the diabetes that I had caused was going to ruin both of our lives and our dream of us growing old together.

Fortunately, my doctor insisted that we attend the diabetes classes at the local hospital. I learned how to make better food choices, checked my blood glucose regularly, began walking each day, and started to lose some weight. Lucy joined me for the walks, which made them far more enjoyable. I began to feel younger than I had felt in a very long time. I was becoming healthier and more energetic. If I hadn’t been diagnosed with diabetes, I never would have made any of these changes. Now I’m in far better shape than many of my friends. It sounds strange to thank diabetes for anything, but I really do. And so does my wife. With my previous lifestyle, she always believed that she would end up as a young widow. Now that I’ve changed so dramatically, we both look forward to a bright future together.” —Chuck

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