Domi Diabetes Video on ESPN

[Tom Polakis]

Here's a short video on Domi (and his dog Orion) dealing with his Type I diabetes. Amazing how many times he has to check his blood sugar during a game.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=14123913

Click to read more...

 

[awfulwaffle]

Short video for sure, but it's amazing what he has to think about and how he's able to handle it and be out there on the ice when called upon. I wonder if there has ever been times when it dropped so low and he needed to leave the bench and worry about that instead of wondering when his next shift would be.

 

[Tom Polakis]

Short video for sure, but it's amazing what he has to think about and how he's able to handle it and be out there on the ice when called upon. I wonder if there has ever been times when it dropped so low and he needed to leave the bench and worry about that instead of wondering when his next shift would be.

I'm sure there were times when that happened when he was 11 or 12, but probably not long after that age. I have a stepdaughter whose diabetes turned up when she was 11 (12 years ago). It made her responsible (and tough as nails) at a very early age.

 

[rt]

I've got the same pump. Kind of sad that this old analog piece of crap is the best available technology out there. Disheartening to see a millionaire son of a millionaire using the same clunky turd a schlub such as myself has to use.

 

[rt]

Short video for sure, but it's amazing what he has to think about and how he's able to handle it and be out there on the ice when called upon. I wonder if there has ever been times when it dropped so low and he needed to leave the bench and worry about that instead of wondering when his next shift would be.

Gatorade kicks in really quick. He probably eats low carb meals before games with very little insulin required. That or he eats nearly identical pregame meals that he's confident he knows how they will metabolize given the situation (extreme physical taxation)

 

[BlazingBlueAnt]

I've got the same pump. Kind of sad that this old analog piece of crap is the best available technology out there. Disheartening to see a millionaire son of a millionaire using the same clunky turd a schlub such as myself has to use.

Type One Diabetes has to be one of the most overlooked of ailments considering the number of people it effects.

I can't imagine how Bobby Clarke did it back in the 70s

 

[rt]

Type One Diabetes has to be one of the most overlooked of ailments considering the number of people it effects.

I can't imagine how Bobby Clarke did it back in the 70s

If I had to guess, I'd say Bobby Clarke just played with very, very high blood glucose levels. That's the way I would have done it given the technology of the time.

 

[BUX7PHX]

There are levels of dedication to the disease. Domi has his in check, and the necessary protection given that practice/ice/schedule times are always changing. Good on him.

I've got the same pump. Kind of sad that this old analog piece of crap is the best available technology out there. Disheartening to see a millionaire son of a millionaire using the same clunky turd a schlub such as myself has to use.

Me too. Wish technology was as quick to develop, but I still wouldn't trade the piece of crap for the syringe alternative.

I was diagnosed a week before my 16th birthday - how about you?

 

[awfulwaffle]

To RT and BUX, how difficult of a disease is it? I mean, do you have to stick to a strict plan like Domi mentions he sticks to, or just have to avoid eating/drinking certain things and it's something you can manage?

 

[rt]

There are levels of dedication to the disease. Domi has his in check, and the necessary protection given that practice/ice/schedule times are always changing. Good on him.



Me too. Wish technology was as quick to develop, but I still wouldn't trade the piece of crap for the syringe alternative.

I was diagnosed a week before my 16th birthday - how about you?

I was 22 I think. Maybe 23.

 

[rt]

To RT and BUX, how difficult of a disease is it? I mean, do you have to stick to a strict plan like Domi mentions he sticks to, or just have to avoid eating/drinking certain things and it's something you can manage?

That's a complicated series of questions. In some ways it's harder for Domi because of the way he pushes himself physically. Then again, he's in better shape than me, which helps. It's not so much about avoiding food and drinks. It's more about knowing how your body will react to them and planning accordingly. Easy or hard? It's more on the side of easy than tibia hard. But even tight control isn't tight enough and we are all bound to suffer from longer term problems eventually. That's true of all humans, though, I guess. Tough questions to answer. Sorry.

 

[BUX7PHX]

To RT and BUX, how difficult of a disease is it? I mean, do you have to stick to a strict plan like Domi mentions he sticks to, or just have to avoid eating/drinking certain things and it's something you can manage?

rt's answer is pretty spot on. You want your blood sugars to maintain between a certain level - usually between 80 mg/dL and 110 mg/dL when in fasting mode. Obviously when you eat, there is a natural rise in blood sugar, but if you are on a consistent pattern, you can actually see a very minimal amount of time where your sugars hang around 140-160, but then come back down.

Once you eat, experience stress, exercise, etc., it can change that blood sugar in a heartbeat. So, as rt said, it is about managing how doing XYZ or eating ABC will affect you in the moment, but also down line a few hours. And even the rest of your life.

Domi seems like he is trying to be on super tight control, which is the best course for a diabetic. His concerns are more with low blood sugars than high (I would imagine) b/c you may think you are playing 17 mins of ice per night, but then an OT game happens, and you see an additional 2-3 mins in the game. May not mean much, but if your numbers are slightly off, you don't have a post-game snack immediately, or something else, you could fall on the low blood sugar side (always more dangerous in the moment than high sugars). High sugars are also bad though and lead to the dangerous stuff later on (eye disease, kidney failure, etc.)

So for my answer, it is manageable, and not always easy. But the more that you stay on a strict diet or schedule, it does help both long and short term. That is why the pump is so good - now you can scale back insulin rates when exerting physical energy, so you have that control factor available. Whereas in the days when I was first diagnosed (1997), this technology was not even available. Hell, they had just started coming out with the spring-loaded devices to test your blood. Imagine having to p.r.i.c.k your finger with a pin willingly and not have any idea how deep you may go. That's always tough, and why a lot of diabetics (especially older) were not great with testing blood sugars. I think I am better than most, but Domi puts me to shame.

 

[rt]

It also gets tougher as you get older and fatter and more exhausted. I was super tightly controlled when I was skinny, single, and able to sleep as much as I felt like. Now that I'm a thirty year old husband and father, with a job very demanding of time and stress, I've got a bit fatter, a bit slower, a bit lazier, and a bit less in control of my blood glucose levels. My concern at 23 was experiencing the immediate danger of drastic lows. Now that I'm thirty, my concern is "damn, how long have I been at 200? When DID i test last today? Did I even remember to shoot up before I ate that sandwich?"

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Question for you guys - have any of you heard of Afrezza? It's an inhalable insulin but I'm not sure what types of diabetes it treats.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Question for you guys - have any of you heard of Afrezza? It's an inhalable insulin but I'm not sure what types of diabetes it treats.

Hadn't really heard of that one. Inhalable insulin seems like one of those things that is a good idea from 30,000 feet, but as you get closer in, the view changes.

There are a lot of different insulin types out there - long-lasting (meaning through the blood stream in steady dose starting at about 2 hours after injection and lasting up to 24 hours), short (usually through the system in 5 hours at most), and some others. Seems like the inhalable is not very conducive to individuals with insulin pumps, but there are constant updates to this disease.

 

[XX]

PP before and after getting his diabetes under control. He's a much better player this year. Fascinating how far science has come on the disease.

 

[BUX7PHX]

PP before and after getting his diabetes under control. He's a much better player this year. Fascinating how far science has come on the disease.

Could be a slight misnomer there.

When you are first diagnosed, the key signs are drinking a lot of water (like almost two gallons a day), tiredness, and using the bathroom almost every hour.

Insulin allows the blood cells to convert carbohydrates into energy. Think of it like a blood cell with a door on it and insulin is the key that opens the door for carbs to be converted to energy. If your cells can't use the carbs, then it remains in your bloodstream unused and gets "spilled" into your kidneys, bladder, etc.

But, the fact of the matter is that when you are dehydrated and constantly emptying your bladder, you lose a lot of weight. To be honest, the picture from 2015 could be right around when he announced his diagnosis. Look at how the cheeks and neck are no longer filled out. I was the exact same when I was diagnosed. About March of my sophomore year, I was 140 lbs. Slowly, my weight dropped, and when I was admitted to the hospital, I was at 123 lbs. Three weeks after diagnosis, I was back up to 148 lbs.

 

[XX]

Could be a slight misnomer there.

He got his diet under control and leaned out, which is why he's faster this year. He's type 2.

Patrick Peterson was tired, overweight, sluggish, throwing gobs of candy daily into his mouth and drinking loads of sugar-infused drinks, which turned him into ballooned-up cornerback whose reactions slowed against a league full of swift, explosive receivers.

Shortly after signing a five-year contract extension for $70 million last summer, Peterson, the Arizona Cardinals' fifth-year corner, found himself facing the wrath of the media and fans, ripping him to shreds for taking the money and not living up to the expectations.

Peterson Island was sinking, but nobody knew why.

After finding out he was diabetic, and undergoing a litany of food testing to find out what foods his body responded to, Peterson's play improved. He felt better, and it showed on the field. He ate better, cutting out candy, sodas and even Gatorade. He wasn't sluggish anymore.

“I am much more aware of what's going on with my body,” Peterson said last week during a break at Cardinals camp. “This is a Ferrari and I don't want to put regular gas in it. Put premium in there.”

After looking like a broken down old Ford Pinto for much of the 2014 season, Peterson is back to being sleek and fast again. His weight is down to 203 pounds, which is two pounds less than he weighed when he came out of high school. He eats clean and the food-intolerence tests have helped him figure out what he can and can't eat. The bags of candy that used to sit in his locker are a thing of the past.

"He looks 10 years younger,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians sad.

Watching Peterson on the practice field, it's easy to see what the shedding of weight has done for his game. He is much faster and quicker with his reactions, but it's not just the physical part. Mentally, he's sharp again.

“It (diabetes) is not good for energy and mental mindset,” Peterson said. “Now I have a clear understanding. I am ready to roll.”

“Mentally, it was messing with him,” Arians said. “He got frustrated because his body wouldn't let him make the plays he normally would make.”

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...patrick-peterson-focused-on-being-nfls-top-db

 

[rt]

Yeah. The Type 2 thing is a lot different in terms of what "out of control" looks like.

I was 6'1 190lbs with no fat at all when I was 20. When I was diagnosed at 22, I had dropped all the way down to 150lbs and looked like a total drug addict tweaker. Within a few years of insulin therapy, I had ballooned all the way back up to 190 (but fat instead of muscular) haha.

 

[BUX7PHX]

He got his diet under control and leaned out, which is why he's faster this year. He's type 2.





http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...patrick-peterson-focused-on-being-nfls-top-db

Just seems a little odd. Most of the time, a diabetic will actually be losing weight prior to diagnosis, rather than gaining weight. Type 2 is slightly different in the fact that with type 2, you still produce insulin and the body even tries to produce more to cover. An increase in insulin use can make you "fatter", due to the resistance built up. As rt said, one of those differences between type 1 and type 2 " out of control."

I feel like the journalism was a little shoddy in the article, b/c while being overweight can lead to diabetes, it appears that the author is saying that the types of food were the issue. The reason he was sluggish wasn't necessarily b/c of a certain type of food. He could have eaten a snickers before practice, or a healthier meal with pasta, etc. - he could have been on a great diet plan and it would not have changed the fact that his body couldn't process the carbs he was putting into his system. Diet is just a piece of the puzzle.

 

[kihekah19*]

My brother crashed and burned fast before he was diagnosed at 16-17, took a week (maybe two) after symptoms started and he was hospitalized. Diet and insulin injections have kept him healthy for years, at 55 the poor guys vision has gotten real bad, because of the disease, but he still has sight. He doesn't let on much and is extremely stoic (broke his hand once and made and removed his own cast), but eats right, so I think his overall health is good. Take care of yourselves boys, diabetes is serious stuff.
Good on Max for wearing 16 in honor of my all time favorite Boby Clarke, who's playing with diabetes was something that drew me to him, even before my bros diagnosis.