Why does AwD exist?

My name is Jim Sevaly. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2013, at the age of 42. I had just completed my longest bike tour to date.

When I pedaled away from my apartment in Montana towards Southern California I weighed 180 pounds and felt relatively healthy. 2,100 miles and four weeks later, I arrived at my Dad’s house in California weighing 155 pounds. I was proud to have completed my tour, and really relieved I had made it. I didn’t know what was going on yet, but I knew something was amiss.

I had stopped enjoying my ride two weeks into the trip. I had all the telltale signs; I was always thirsty, always had to pee, and couldn’t eat enough. I also had lost feeling in my toes. I felt a low grade ache throughout my body, and the gum infection I had been diagnosed with back in Morro Bay felt like it was coming back despite the antibiotics I had just completed.

I hadn’t taken a good look in a mirror since my hotel stop in Santa Cruz, CA. But I could tell from the looks on my relative’s faces that were gathered to celebrate my journey’s completion that I was scary-thin. The BBQ and sunbathing by the pool with all my family and close friends was terrific, but I sensed an unease from the people I cared about most, and I felt depleted.

Over the following couple of days I settled into reading Sheryl Strayed’s book, Wild and sleeping 12+ hour days. I hadn’t regained any energy, and I was eating constantly. At my Dad’s suggestion, I made an appointment with a general practice doctor. I blindly chose one who would take my insurance and had an opening the next day. Dr. N. examined me and immediately said “This sounds like diabetes, but you are rail thin”. At that point, he took blood samples and gave me a prescription for Metformin. I didn’t really know what that meant, but I got the prescription filled and later, had a big deep dish pizza for lunch while catching up with my dad and brother.

A week later I went back for a followup visit. Blood tests had arrived - the standout result was an A1C of 16.2. Dr. N. had discussed my situation with a colleague and discovered I probably wasn’t Type 2 diabetic, and that I needed insulin, not Metformin. He said “Type 1 is actually better because you can eat whatever you like and just take insulin to cover your carbohydrates”. He then showed me how to prick my finger and get a glucose reading, and how to inject Humalog with a pen into my abdomen. “Just stick it in and push the button, like you are stabbing yourself” he told me.

This was my introduction to my new life as a Type 1 Diabetic. I felt devastated, but also determined to be the best diabetic I could be.

After starting my insulin regimen, my vision got so blurry I couldn’t read, look at my phone, drive, or easily watch TV. After a couple days of this I contacted Dr. N. He suggested I quit insulin for a day or two and see if it cleared up. If it did, I could then drive back home to Montana and start taking insulin again once I was there. He explained that once I resumed the insulin, and my body got used to normal blood sugars again, my vision should clear up.

Luckily he was right. My vision did clear up, mostly. I did have to get a new prescription for glasses (I have needed glasses since I was nine) and my A1C improved with the expert care of a friend who was a nutritionist, and a holistic endocrinologist.

I never saw an emergency room, never got checked into a hospital, never got hooked up to an iv, and didn’t get expert care for several weeks after being diagnosed. Looking back on things, I now know I had type 1 diabetes for at least a year before setting out on my bike tour. I just didn’t know the signs to look out for.

I have learned a ton over the last few years, and I have done the roller coaster ride of emotions ranging from being totally gung ho and carefully watching numbers to being completely burned out on the process and all but giving up and feeling justifiably angry. I have definitely struggled, and I am not one to sugar coat it and say things like “being diabetic has made me a better athlete”, or “I am grateful I have diabetes because it has taught me so much about myself”. Instead I keep it real. I hate having diabetes, but I am grateful for insulin, and good doctors. I am grateful I finished that bike tour without passing out on the side of Highway 1, and I am glad to share my experiences with you in hopes of making a difference, however small. This last part; the sharing and trying to make a difference is why Adventures with Diabetes exists. I know it’s not going to get a lot of traffic, and that’s okay. My hope is that someone does find it, and gets something valuable from it.