Contact Information: Karen Freberg
(352) 219-7915
October 15, 2004
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (October 15, 2004)— Doctors rush around you injecting large amounts of medicine into you and forcing you to eat is not a good sign. When the doctors say that your blood sugar is three times higher than what they would consider to be extremely high, that is not good. Being told that if you hadn’t received medical attention, you would have died.
This came as shocking news for Roger Freberg, who went to the emergency room because he wasn’t feeling well, but didn’t how serious his condition was.
“I felt no pain while I was in the emergency room,” said Freberg. “I have been told that this happens when your body begins to shut down.”
Freberg went into the emergency room where the doctors said that if he didn’t receive the medicine needed, he would have been dead in the next couple of days. The doctors tested his blood sugar level and said that they would be worried if it was 300. The results came back and Freberg’s blood sugar level was over 800. Immediately, Freberg was given insulin and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
There are 18.2 million people in the United States who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed, nearly one-third is unaware that they have the disease.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the body either does not produce enough or ignores insulin. The job of insulin is to carry the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can result the cell’s energy will decrease and over time can affect the eyes, nerves and kidneys.
“I was told that my condition was extremely serious,” said Freberg. “There was some concern that irreparable damage may have been done and my future was uncertain.”
In May 1999, Freberg had reoccurring symptoms that made each day harder than the day before. He felt dizzy all the time, and had to stop every few minutes while walking a few blocks. Freberg lost feeling in his feet and wouldn’t realize if he had injured his toes and showed signs of gout. At this point, Freberg said he weighed about 420 lbs. “As one older mother once told me, having gout is like giving birth through your toe,” said Freberg. “Obviously, avoiding gout is also something that also can be controlled by diet.”
According the American Diabetes Association’s web site, the common symptoms for diabetes include: frequent urination, excessive thirst, increase of fatigue and blurry vision. Freberg also experienced gout and lost feeling in his feet. He said that the circulation was so bad, that his toenails turned black with dried blood. By the end of the day at the emergency room, Freberg’s blood sugar level had dropped down to 300 but was still a serious concern.
While going on insulin and other medications for diabetes, Freberg asked what he could do to be able to get off insulin and the response from doctors was to lose 100 lbs. With determination, Freberg began a crusade to lose weight and be given a second chance at life.
Freberg went on the American Diabetic Association’s web site and looked at some of the suggestions for different diets. The web site suggested that diabetics stay on a no fat diet, lean meat choices, and have large amount of vegetables.
When finding out this, Freberg realized that he had to change his diet dramatically and would miss all the food that he loved. No more chocolate and red meat.
“My diet was pretty tough in the beginning. Eating as much cauliflower as I do has its side effects,” said Freberg. “ Even though it has been difficult to change, it has been worth it to feel better.”
The American Diabetes Association also suggests adding physical activity as part of the road to recovery. Some of the exercises that they suggest include aerobic activity, strength training, and flexibility exercises. With the suggestion from the web site, Freberg added exercise to his program by walking a couple of miles each day.
With exercise and the change of diet, Freberg said that he was dropping weight like crazy. At the beginning, he said that he would drop 10 lbs a week. In over seven months, Freberg dropped 180 lbs and went down from a 46 pants size to a 34. With the positive results of his weight loss, Freberg was completely off his insulin and medication at this point.
“Losing weight each week was extremely exciting,” said Freberg. “The only problem with losing so much weight is that women began to demand my secret.”
From his experience with weight loss and fighting diabetes, Freberg said that having a healthier diet may be hard to start, but it’s well worth the effort for having a better life.
“For the small amount
of pain that changing to a low or non-fat diet may
cause, the benefits of not being on insulin or other diabetic drugs is
wonderful,” said Freberg. “Having nearly gone to the great beyond, avoiding the
pain
associated with diabetes with a proper diet is well worth the effort.”
For further information on diabetes, please go to the American Diabetes Associations web site http://www.diabetes.org. To find out more information about Roger Freberg’s diet and exercise plan, you can go to http://www.frebergsports.com/Rogermain.htm.
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American Diabetes Association Web Site
http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp
http://www.frebersports.com/Rogermain.htm
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