Causes, treatments, management… Research is progressing in the field of diabetes. As part of a new series devoted to this disease, Why Doctor collected the words of Desty, a married man and father of two children. At 35, this entrepreneur suffers from an atypical form of diabetes, and fights against misinformation via his Facebook and Instagram pages “Diabetes.etc”.
- More than 4.5 million people in France have diabetes, but about 1 million of them are unaware of it.
- Diabetes is “one of the world’s leading killers”, along with high blood pressure and smoking, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
– Why doctor – What type of diabetes do you have?
Desty- I have an atypical type 2 diabetes, which is called “African diabetes”. It starts like type 1 diabetes, but is managed with insulin or medication.
– When did the illness start?
My diabetes appeared nine years ago, following a burn-out. At that time, I was very stressed, because my wife was expecting our first child, and I was working a lot.
– How were you diagnosed?
The diagnosis came fairly quickly, following the manifestation of various symptoms. I was drinking a lot, and I suddenly lost a lot of weight… My general practitioner then identified my diabetes via a blood sugar test, and it was confirmed at the hospital.
– What are your symptoms today?
Thanks to my treatments, I have no daily manifestations of my diabetes. On the other hand, I suffer from complications related to my disease, because I have treated it badly for a long time. My kidneys aren’t working as well, and I’ve had major eye problems.
When I am in hyperglycemia, several symptoms appear: dryness, dehydration, need to urinate frequently.
– Are you undergoing treatment?
I am on insulin (the fast and the slow), which I inject myself with every meal. I also take pills, for my kidney complications.
Do you have a particular way of life?
Yes. In addition to the regular control of my blood sugar, I am very careful with my sugar consumption, and more generally, I make sure to have a balanced diet. I also do a lot of sport, which helps me balance my diabetes, and I recently took up yoga. It helps me better manage my stress, which has a marked impact on my blood sugar.
– Does the disease have an impact on your daily life?
My diabetes has somehow had a positive impact on my family, because everyone is now paying attention to healthy eating.
Diabetes also has an impact on my professional life, because I impose fixed meal times, as well as rest and relaxation times, to bring down my cortisol. I try not to get carried away with work, even if I have very busy days.
I also pay attention when I exercise, what I eat before and after exercise, for example.
– Do you know the cause of your diabetes?
I have always been told that it was linked to my family, even if those around me do not have the same forms of diabetes as me. the stress was also, according to the doctors, a triggering factor for my diabetes. I’m also overweight, but as a former top athlete, it’s mostly the muscles that weigh on the scales.
– Are there things that you think should be improved for diabetics in France?
In my opinion, we need to convey a lot more information about diabetes. Even within the diabetic community, there are a lot of misconceptions circulating about type 1 and type 2 diabetes for example. Ditto for my particular case.
In addition, as I am considered a type 2 diabetic, I am not reimbursed by Social Security for all care relating to my type 1 diabetes.
But overall, we are still in a country that does a lot for diabetics. Things are much worse elsewhere.
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