Every cloud...

You know, I'm a few weeks into it now and I must say that a Type 1 diagnosis isn't all bad. Sure, it's a serious condition and can lead to major complications, particularly if undiagnosed or not managed properly and of course it's also a life-long condition and a way of living from which there's no respite. However, there's another side to the equation. For a start, many of the complications associated with Diabetes are common problems that are also experienced by a great number of people who have never been diagnosed with the condition. On top of this is the fact that the chances of these complications arising are greatly reduced when one is sensible and takes all the necessary steps to manage the condition properly.

But what I think is most positive about a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes is the fact that it is a life-altering event from which there is no return. A bit of a paradox really.

Before I received my diagnosis I wasn't exceptionally unhealthy but I was at a stage in life where I was on the verge of an unhealthy middle age and subsequent old age, with a high risk of developing any one or more of a variety of conditions such as heart disease, blood pressure, cancer or, ironically, type 2 diabetes. I was a non-smoking, moderate drinking 39 year old but my lifestyle was in need of change. My diet, while not the stuff of your typical 'You Are What You Eat' candidate, was in need of improvement and exercise was something that had barely even made it on to my bucket list! My daily routine also left a bit to be desired. Skipped meals, eating on the hop, dinner often at an unearthly hour and frequently from a Dr Oetker frozen pizza box. Too much coffee, too little water and five a day was an aspiration rather than a reality.

Diagnosis diabetes however and all's changed, changed utterly. You could say I've diabetes has set me off on my own personal Operation Transformation!

I've become a proud MAMIL (middle aged man in Lycra), the hi-vis running shirt, ball-hugging pants and gel-soled trainers forming part of my daily wardrobe. My routine has become almost regimental, if a little predictable at times. Oatmeal, fruit and wholemeal bread are my new best breakfast buddies. Meals aren't skipped, I don't eat while rushing to the next destination and the frozen pizzas remain, well, frozen. I still have a somewhat unhealthy relationship with coffee but I'm also enjoying a passionate affair with my mistress water, one that sees us get together on up to six or seven occasions a day! A loss of around 10lbs has seen my fledgling middle-aged spread replaced by leaner, slightly meaner machine!

So while my diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes has resulted in my being a bit more susceptible to certain conditions, it has also put me firmly on the track to good health and will ultimately mean that I am less at risk of developing a raft of other serious conditions.

I'll settle for that.