Diabetes Discipline

: Hey, my name is Aaron. Aaron, I'm Jeff Howard, nice to meet you.

Diagnosed with Type Two Diabetes twenty years ago, Jeff Howard is finally managing his disease successfully.

I'm making lots of changes in my life now. Unfortunately I waited too late to stop the long term damage done to my body as a result of the disease.

: So I can see the Charot's development.

He has fatigue, failing vision, and circulatory problems. A recent infection resulted in amputation of his middle toe.

For many diabetics it's the beginning of a trend. A little bit of your body amputated here, a little more later, a little more later.

Determined not to let that happen, Jeff is making some aggressive changes. He is consulting a physical therapist to strengthen his foot muscles and improve his gait so he can successfully exercise.

: I think I'll have the the salmon salad.

He's lost twenty pounds on a healthy new diet. Along with exercise, weight control is a must for diabetics. Being raised on rich Southern cooking, that's something that doesn't come easy for Jeff.

It is an insidious disease, which quietly consumes.

Jeff also tries to get enough rest and control his stress. Research shows stress can make blood sugars rise. And he'd like to make sure that others newly diagnosed hear his story and heed this advice.

Your life must change. It's going to whether you want it to or not. You can either fight the change and suffer the long term consequences and sometimes the short term consequences, or you can be a part of the change and aggressively and positively pursue those changes in lifestyle, which will prolong your life and health.

For WebMD, I'm Sandee LaMotte.