So I never made it. Until I experienced my fifth low-blood-sugar seizure in six years and realized that some things can’t be put off forever.
My son had just turned one. I had been an unqualified ‘success’ as a micro-controlled Type I diabetic for almost 25 years. Perfect weight. Zero retinopathy. No kidney issues. No side effects.
Except one. My life was a wreck. I was on 5 shots a day (prior to that, for 15 years I had subsisted on ONE SHOT A DAY— normal treatment for diabetics at the time I was diagnosed. The only thing worse than multiple insulin shots a day is ONE shot). For 20 years I exercised twice daily to keep my blood sugars low. Stupid, yes, but I was in great shape. I could ride my bike 200 miles. My A1C was 4.5— normal for a NON-diabetic. And I kept falling over.
One doctor asked my wife, Michelle, if I was ‘successful’ at work. Bless her heart, she told him I was. He said, given my ridiculously consistent low blood sugars, that it was rather hard to believe.
My last seizure made it clear that being dead was not a good trade-off for tight control. I had to find something better.
Since going on the pump in 2001, I have not had another seizure. Unlike many people who switch to the pump, my A1Cs have GONE UP—to 6.0— and I’m far healthier for it.
So I put together this little book, BETTER IS BETTER. Because I could not believe that every insulin-dependent diabetic was not on the pump. The book describes how easy it is for someone —like me— to avoid the switch to a better treatment. It describes why the pump is so much better than whatever else you, or a loved one, might be using to treat Type I diabetes. It describes how much better your life can be attached to a little machine. It is not a medical observation. It is a personal one.
If this was a movie, with the adoption of the insulin pump I would have become far more successful at work. And better looking. And smarter. Sadly, none of that has happened. But I did finally make an important decision. And I do have a better life. Now it’s your turn.
— Chuck Eichten
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