Your Success Stories

‘With my family’s support and humour, I control and manage my diabetes well.’ – Muthukrishnan
The managers of my workplace insisted that people were their best asset, and to prove their point they provided a health assessment for their staff. I took one in May 1998, and my urine sample turned out sugary. I was advised to consult my GP as soon as possible. I came home and told my wife and daughters that my health was perfect except for a bit of sugar the in the urine streams and that I had been asked to see my GP. My wife took my medical condition very seriously. Her father had died at 59 due to diabetes. After the final warning in October 1998, I went to see my GP. After the blood tests, I was formally diagnosed with diabetes. At 178 cm and weighing 75 kilos, I was advised to shed 5 kilos. I shed 3.5 kilos over two years through a strict diet and exercise regime. During a routine eye inspection in December 1998, my left retina was found to have developed a cataract due to my diabetic condition. On my wife’s insistence, I finally underwent an operation in September 1999 where a plastic lens was implanted.

[DIABETES CONTROL]

Ever since I became a diabetic, my food tastes have revolved round the glycemic index. My latest results indicate very good self control, but I have to regularly monitor it. Exercise is also an important factor in tackling diabetes. I walk six to eight kilometres a day. I competed in my first Sydney City to Surf (Sydney city to Bondi Beach, Australia) 14 kilometre run in 2004 at the prime age of sixty, although it was more fun than run. I clocked 152 minutes. I am aiming to do it in under 120 minutes in future.

I rigidly follow all the do’s and don’ts for diabetics. Most days I feel fantastic. With my family’s support and humour, I control and manage my diabetes well. Oh, to be a diabetic. I am fitter than ever before. I am having a lot of fun, too.

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