I have not been compliant with my diabetes protocol for several months.  I haven't been testing, I haven't been watching what I eat or exercising.  I've even been eating straight carb snacks - when I'm supposed to "never eat carbs alone! "

I can "get away" with this once in a while because I'm early in Type 2.  But today I read a story that  pulled me up short. 

People with diabetes are 15 times more likely to have a lower limb amputation than those without the disease.  Yes, FIFTEEN times more likely.  And then, 70% of the people who have amputations are dead within 5 years.

The article also states that there are over 100 amputations due to diabetes a week in the UK, with a population of 60 million. So I looked at the US government site on diabetes and the figure here was 71,000 amputations due to diabetes in 2004.  Or 1350+ a week!

One of my oldest friends who had Type 1 diabetes lost a couple toes and was gone within TWO years.

I have a lot of online friends with Type 1 and I have minimal effects from my Type 2.  So I tend to not take my disease seriously.  In it's early stages it feels not nearly as life threatening as Type 1.  Plus there's the whole "I deserve it" factor.  Even this article, appparently drawn from a press release from Diabetes UK, says "Type 1 usually develops in childhood while Type 2 is linked to lifestyle factors like obesity."

Every time I read things that intimate that Type 2 is basically a lifestyle choice, I believe I subconsciously think that when I make a different choice, the disease will magically disappear.  It might be understandable to believe that if I was making those new choices!

Once again, I am commiting to getting my act together around this disease.  Test at LEAST fasting sugar level, eat better, lose weight, exercise regularly - yada, yada, yada.  How about I just start with testing my sugar tomorrow morning?