Terry Wendling

What is your name, age, and what type of diabetic are you?

My name is Terry Wendling. I am 77 years old and a Type Two Diabetic.

How old were you when you found out you had diabetes and if you remember, how much did you pay for your insulin?

I was diagnosed 8 years ago (2014) when I was 69 years old. It was after retirement that I found out that I was a type 2 diabetic. I was and still am taking Metformin and I co-paid $15, insurance paid the rest.

What is the best piece of advice that you would give to a new diabetic that has helped you throughout your journey? 

First of all, understand that you now have to live with it and the only way that I could ever get rid of it was by losing weight. Exercise as much as you can but I just had ankle surgery and it is challenging for me to do so. Be very particular about what you eat. Secondly, watch your weight; that is a huge part of it for me. To watch your weight, if you are a diabetic, you will want to eat protein to keep your blood sugar down but when you eat protein, it does not do much good to the outcome of losing weight so it is an issue. How I get around that is that I will sometimes have a protein shake for breakfast with a piece of fruit, orange or apple. For lunch, I might have a ham and cheese on a half piece of bread. For dinner, my wife, Janet and I will eat what we would normally eat but not extravagantly large (smaller portions).

How often do you check your blood sugar?

I check my blood sugar around three to four times a week. Fortunately, I am not a borderline insulin person. My blood sugar runs, my A1C at my last doctor's visit, was 7.1 which is equivalent to a blood sugar of 150. This blood sugar is average over the course of three months. Usually, if I check my blood sugar in the morning, my A1C would is around 6.9 which is equivalent to a blood sugar level of 152. This is before I have any food or pill. Now, since I just ate dinner, I had to take two Metformin pills. These pills help lower and regulate my blood sugar.

Have you always been on insulin or do you use oral medications? 

I take an oral medication called Metformin.

Do you have any side effects with the insulin you take?

The Metformin will tend to create diarrhea. Another side of Metformin was that it affected me psychologically. In 2014, when I took my trip to Florida, I was still in the process of working with Metformin and it affected me psychologically. I was not a good vacationer at the time because Metformin messed me up. This lasted, for me, a year and a half to get beyond that. I complained constantly to my PCP and I am not sure how serious he took it but now, since then, I am beyond the side effects and it does not affect me.

How has diabetes affected your daily lifestyle?

It makes me more mindful of my sugar intake. I am eating smaller amounts of sugar than I used to. I use artificial sugar, like Splenda in place of real sugar in cakes, cookies, etc. I also eat very little candy / chocolate. 

Do diabetics cause an inconvenience to your productivity on a daily basis? If so, how?

No, not really. When I was able to play golf, I would take an apple to the golf course and maybe a protein bar. I just adjusted so it does not affect my daily activities.

How has the cost of insulin changed over the years affected your lifestyle?

It has not really affected me very much because I am blessed with great insurance. It is very affordable and it really has not affected our lifestyle at all.

When you get your insulin / medication, do you buy in “bulk” or monthly due to your financial limitations?

I buy it in bulk and it comes in the mail.

Do you have insurance to help with the costs?  Has that benefit changed over time?

I have medicare and it has helped me greatly. I do not have to worry much about purchasing my Metformin.

Do you operate on a monthly budget?  Why or why not?

Yes, we do operate on a monthly budget. As a retiree on a fixed income / budget, you almost have to because your income is not going to change unless I were to go get a job but I do not plan on doing that so yes, I have to operate on a monthly budget.