Overcame Diabetes

Growing up as a child, I was extremely active, playing football, soccer, basketball and training in martial arts at the age of 10. At the age of 26 though, something happened that would change my life forever. Health wise, I just wasn’t feeling quite right. I was always thirsty, had very little energy throughout the day, was starting to lose weight (I was already fairly thin) as was eating enough food for two, but still would be hungry 1-2 hours later. I decided to go to the doctor to have a routine physical. During that exam, the doctor checked my blood sugar and found it was over 250mg/di ( a normal blood sugar reading is usually around 100mg/di). The doctor immediately set up an appointment for me to visit a specialist the next day where it was conformed that I had Type 1 Diabetes. The first few weeks after that diagnosis were rough. I immediately started taking insulin shots before each meal and was checking my blood sugar readings 4-5 times a day. I was having a hard time determining how much insulin to take with how much food, and how to adjust my insulin based on the amount of exercise I performed during the day. This caused quite a few hypoglycemic episodes, where my blood sugar dropped too low. Hypoglycemic can happen while you exercise, right afterward, or even up to a day later. It can make you feel shaky, weak, confused, irritable, hungry or tired. You can sweat a lot or get a headache. If your blood glucose drops too low, you could pass out or have a seizure. That’s when I turned to Grandmaster Choi and Choi Kwang Do for assistance. I had been training in Choi Kwang Do since 1988 and at that time of diagnosis in 1998 was a 2nd Degree Black Belt and a part-time instructor at a Georgia area school. I scheduled several meetings with Grandmaster Choi to discuss diabetes and to develop a nutritional and exercise program that was tailored to fit my new lifestyle. Grandmaster Choi helped educate me on what foods to eat and how carbohydrates impact blood sugar levels in the body. In addition to my Choi Kwang Do training 3 times a week, Grandmaster Choi helped me set up a special diet that would reduce the amount of fat, salt and carbohydrates that I ate on a daily basis. Training in Choi Kwang Do regularly and watching my diet have actually allowed me to reduce the amount of insulin I take on a daily basis. Over the course of the day, I used to take approximately 30 units of insulin and now that amount has dropped to about 18 units. Also, during my last several doctor visits, my long-term blood sugar readings are almost the same as a person without diabetes. I am happy to say that 6 years after being diagnosed, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life and I sometimes even forget that I have Diabetes. In March 2001 I tested for and reached the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt and I am on my way in the next few years to reaching my all time goal of 5th Degree Black Belt in Choi Kwang Do, or Master. I cannot express how thankful I am to Grandmaster Choi and Choi Kwang Do for helping me overcome this disease and lead a normal, happy life.   Kevin Gallagher 4th Degree Black Belt Wade Green CKD