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Lessons learned from unhealthy lifestyle

I never realized the importance of my health until I lost it.

I used to think I could eat whatever I wanted, skip out on exercise, and my body would always bounce back. But all those poor choices and sedentary lifestyle caught up with me.

I started experiencing fatigue and a lack of energy, a type of brain fog. I couldn’t shake off the extra weight I put on through the years. I thought it was a normal part of aging. The dad bod extraordinaire.

When you are young, you feel indestructible. You feel like you’re Superman or Superwoman. You don’t think about the long-term consequences of your actions. I fell into what I like to call the sportswriter’s diet, working late into the evening with trips to Sheetz on your break.

My wife tried to warn me repeatedly to go on a diet and get some exercise. Still, I wouldn’t listen and kept pounding down McDonald’s Quarter Pounders and every fast-food delicacy you could think of. You know it’s bad when you go through the drive-thru, and everybody knows your name. I was the Norm of the fast-food world in Mifflin County.

My favorite snack was a family-size bag of Peanut Butter M&M’s every night! And then it was breakfast almost every morning at Mickey Ds with my buddies Walt Peters and Tom Fletcher. I miss you guys and our discussions. I shouldn’t have ordered the extra hash browns all the time.

Eventually, my health took a turn for the worse. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 50. How did I discover I had diabetes? My wife noticed a black spot on the bottom of my foot one morning. Turns out I had a hole there.

I went to the emergency room, and my blood sugar was a not-good 364. When the surgeon finished cleaning the dead skin from the bottom of my foot, I had a hole the size of a quarter. You could take a pencil and stick it right through to the top of my foot. I know this because the doctor did it.

From there, a month-long hospital stay and six months on a pic line, being fed antibiotics three times a day, followed. Unfortunately, the infection I had went deep into the bone, and I had to have my left pinky toe amputated. Thank you, Dr. Rachel Kish. You did a fantastic job.

So, after more rounds of antibiotics and wearing special shoes, I got back to normal, covering games for the Sentinel and broadcasting for Big Lewie.

Did I learn my lesson after losing a toe? You would think so, right? Absolutely not!

Soon, old habits kicked in and I gained the weight back I had lost after the amputation. I was eating even more junk than before. Habits are hard to overcome. Then I understood the quote from Horace Mann, “Habits are like a cable. We weave a strand of it every day and soon it cannot be broken.”

The high blood sugar made me a sticky trap for infections. In 2022 alone, I had four eye infections, two bladder infections, and an infection on the bottom of my left foot. I’m happy to report my blood sugar is finally under control, but the damage is done.

As if that and my diagnosis of type 2 diabetes weren’t bad enough, I also developed a complication known as diabetic neuropathy. This type of nerve damage occurs because of consistent high blood sugar levels. It affected the nerves in my feet the most, and I now have a condition known as drop foot.

Drop foot is where the muscles in the foot and ankle become so weak, they cannot lift the front part of the foot. This makes walking difficult and can cause muscle weakness, tripping, and falling. I now must use a walker to get around. I’ll be on the floor if I try to move without it. If I didn’t have it, I would be the perfect candidate for the ‘I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up’ commercial. It’s a constant reminder of how my poor choices affected my health.

I discovered I had this lovely condition in 2021 after falling outside of Altoona High School at the District 6 Class 3A wrestling championships and being unable to get up. I still have images of poor Will Whisler trying to hold me up to keep me from falling. Sorry, buddy.

The neuropathy has affected my hands too. I can barely hold a pen to sign my name, and I will drop things if I’m not careful. Ask my poor cell phone. Thank God I can still type. I wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t write.

It’s hard to express the impact diabetes has had on me. It’s not just about the physical limitations, but the emotional and mental toll it takes. I feel like I’m trapped in my body and home, unable to live the life I want to live.

I don’t get out much because my legs get too weak to move around for distance with the walker, and when I use a wheelchair, I feel helpless and weak.

It pains me beyond words that I can’t cover sports anymore, especially wrestling, unless they are streamed. I will go out in public with a wheelchair for the wrestling tournament trail in February, if I am able. Thanks for being my wingman, Kenny Shawver.

I am only 56 years old, and I shouldn’t have to rely on a walker to get around. But here I am, unable to walk without help, trapped in my den, all because of my unhealthy lifestyle. It’s a humbling and challenging experience, but it’s also a powerful reminder of the importance of taking care of yourself.

But the worst part is I know it’s all because of my choices. Had I taken better care of myself, made healthier food choices, and exercised regularly, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now.

I’m writing this to warn others not to make the same mistakes I did. Your health is the most important thing you have besides God and family. Never take it for granted. If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest-growing chronic conditions in the United States. In 2020, 34.2 million Americans, or 10.5% of the population, have diabetes. And they project the numbers to continue to rise. Same for heart disease, strokes, and the like.

I never thought I would be one of those statistics, but here I am.

I know it’s difficult to change habits and lifestyle, but it’s worth it in the end. Your health is the foundation of your life; without it, everything else crumbles. Please don’t wait until it’s too late and something happens to you as it did me. Invest in your health now, so you can enjoy a better quality of life. The decisions we make today have a significant impact on our health and well-being in the future.

I’m not lecturing, preaching, or trying to get you to give me a pity party. These were my choices and I must live with them. I’m still confident in my abilities and have goals I want to achieve. I haven’t given up by a long shot. I’m not trying to depress you or ruin your day, either.

What I’m giving you, and you know who you are, is a wake-up call. Take care of your health now, before it’s too late.

•••

Brian Carson is a correspondent for the Lewistown Sentinel.

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