I have finally felt the effects of type 1 Diabetes with a bit of a mental breakdown
I started this blog on Blogger but have changed over to Tumblr as it is far easier to personalise. so I will start by adding the posts that I have already created.
In my first post, I talked about how, after being diagnosed with T1D around a year ago, it had been the first time that I had really let it affect me and how I had a little bit of a mental break down.
I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes in April 2022, and to be honest, I took it in my stride. It didn't get to me and even if it did I would not let anyone know especially my kids.My whole intention was to show my kids that nothing can hold you back even Type One Diabetes and I also wanted to prove doctors wrong who told me that I would not be able to compete in cycling and would have to be on a low carb high fat and high protein diet.
I read as much as I could about diets and exercise and found that if I actually cut out meat and high fat foods it could improve my insulin sensitivity, so I went plantbased and have been really sucessful at controlling my diabetes with eating more carbs than I have ever before.It was not until Sunday and the Essex Roads Road Race that it really affected me, my levels had been playing up all week leading up to the race. On the day my levels were high but not massively high at around 7.5, for the first couple of laps I felt really good but then my levels started flying up and my energy just drained out of me.
I had been off the front chasing a break but then had to let the group catch me as I had no legs and was fading fast and thought that I might be able to recover in the wheels. I was just about hanging on until Pan Lane and just could not hold on and had to pull the plug with my levels still rising at nearly 15.I was devastated, it was the first time that I had really had diabetes affect me and it made me feel worse that I was racing with people that I was able to ride with easily before I got ill. I was so upset that being honest, I even cried when I got back to my wife, I was even thinking about giving up cycling.
This I dont believe that I would have ever gone through with as I love cycling and racing and I am determined to achieve my goals. I was also reading a book about Luke and Tom Stoltman which helped me see that if you keep going, work hard and leave no stone unturned you can achieve great things. Tom Stoltman has Autism and he says that it is his super power. So I am going to treat my diabetes as my super power I will train harder but smarter than I ever have, I will become fitter and stronger than I ever have been and not just in body but also in mind. By doing this I will give myself every chance of achieving my goals as long as I do not give up.
I have ordered myself a 7ft olympic bar and weights and squat rack so that I can work on deadlifts and squats, which will help my leg strength and core strength. I am also doing a lot of research on how different breathing techniques can help with performance and health.I have a race this Sunday at Darley Moor race track so will give it my best, I am going to do something that I find very difficult and sit mid pack for the whole race and attack with 2 to go like what happened to me in the last race I did at this track.
I am going to write updates as regularly as I can because I would like others in my situation to see that it can be done that you can still achieve great results with T1D and that there is no shame in showing that you are struggling sometimes. T1D is a daily battle that is on your mind 24/7 with no break and can be extremely draining. Please do not feel that you have to read these, I will not be affended. Even if this blog helps one person, I will be happy.
Dream big, work hard, keep trying never give up, and believe that you can achieve 👊