This is part of our Diabetes Stories series, where people living with diabetes share their personal journeys, challenges, and insights.
Hello! Who are you? And tell us a little bit more about your diabetes.
Hey everyone! My name is Dan Thrailkill. I’m 38 years old, and currently living in United States. I’ve been living with type 1 diabetes for 32 years.I was born and raised in South Carolina. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on January 13th, 1988, attended college in North Carolina, was a golf professional for 10 years, got married to my now husband in July 2013. I am in the process of adopting 2 kids through our local County Agency. We live on just over 4 acres in Woodstock, Georgia, participate in our local community in several ways, and attend church at Ebenezer UMC.
I was taught at an early age NOT to hide my diabetes thanks to my parents, my teachers, and all the friends I met at an early age at Camp Adam Fisher (South Carolina).
Back then, we were fortunate to have good health insurance; therefore, most of our hardships were emotional. Due to exponential increases in the cost of health insurance and healthcare in general, I would say financial strain is harder now, which causes emotional stress.
“Back in the day, we were fortunate to have a good health insurance.”
Your treatment
How do you treat your diabetes, did a lot change over the past years and are you able to manage it well?
I manage 99.9% of my treatment and, take advice from lots of diabetic type 1 (T1) friends and my medical team, and I have lots of support from my spouse.
I started pump therapy in 1994 and was a 100% pumper until around 2014. I now treat my T1 with mostly multiple daily injections (MDI), but I also go on and off of my Omnipod pump as needed. I have used and currently have a Dexcom G6 and an Eversense. I am currently only wearing the Eversense. I use Tresiba, Novolog/Humalog, and occasionally Levemir insulin to help with slow-absorbing carbs. Before I used NPH until 1994 (MDI), Humalog & Novolog (pump), and now Tresiba and mostly Novolog, but I also occasionally use Humalog. I have also tried Lantus, Levemir, Apidara, Toujeo, and Fiasp.
I quit smoking in 2005 and dedicated myself to learning more about diet and exercise. Other than taking insulin, learning how to cook, studying nutrition, and exercising 5 to 7 days per week have had the greatest positive effect on my diabetes other than taking insulin. When we welcomed 2 foster kids into our home last year, the stress of parenting 2 traumatized kids has added additional stress on my diabetes. But I am learning to adjust my lifestyle, not to lose my good control, and still have the kids as a top priority.
I know that I am in the top tier of diabetic care for my age and length of time with diabetes, but I always know that I can do more. There may be other (possibly) newer things to trial and error.
Can you recognize the symptoms of a low/high blood sugar? Do you test often and can you tell a bit more about your experiences with low blood sugar?
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Yes, I can recognize them. Shakiness, sweating, rapid heart rate, and occasionally confusion.When I am not on Eversense, I test myself 10+ times per day, and when I am on Eversense, I test myself around 3 to 4 times per day.
I treat my low blood sugars with a snack, normally a GluGel or similar, raisins, or gummies.
I have previously fainted due to low blood sugar, but not since College (1999-2003).
Food and diet
How does your diabetes affect your eating and do you find being on a diet restrictive?
Breakfast: Oatmeal with fixings around 6:15 am; Lunch is usually leftovers, a sandwich, or other healthy creations. In noon, I cook dinner every night, and we typically eat around 5:30 pm—I have lots of things that I like to cook, but it usually includes lots of veggies, rice, and quinoa. I have also been a vegan for around 2 years. As a snack, I love Peanut Butter, so anything with that, but I also eat a lot of Larabars, Complete Cookies, apples, bananas, and other fruits and veggies. There are also a lot of good vegan snack options.
I try to stick to my schedule, but I eat things just like any other normal T1D patient and bolus accordingly.
I drink a lot of water. I stopped counting a while back, but I know I get enough.
I don’t find being on a diet restrictive because I cook for myself and do not restrict anything that I know is healthy for my body.
I don’t get annoyed by people asking about my diet. I see this as an opportunity to educate someone who does not know what the hell they are talking about!
Do you believe that a plant based diet can improve diabetes? Did you ever experiment with this?
YES. I am currently plant-based and have seen good results.
Do you have a hard time eating out in a restaurant? And what are you thoughts on making this easier?
Sometimes, but not because of my diabetes. Mostly because many restaurants do not have Vegan-friendly options.
“I cook for myself and do not restrict anything that I know is healthy for my body.”
Exercise and work
Does your diabetes restrict you from exercise or your daily job?
Yes, I work out in the gym four to six days a week and occasionally run five or ten kilometers. I also run and play outside with my boys several days a week.
I am a consultant and adviser. We own our own business. Providing our own health insurance and dealing with the high cost of healthcare is encouraging me to go back to work for a larger company that can provide better benefits than we can obtain.
Final
Do you have any positive or negative effects because of your diabetes?
I attend camps for kids with diabetes as often as possible; it’s good for the diabetic soul, and I can still learn more.
The best part is having a better understanding of your body. The good and the bad. Also, many of my closest and best friends are diabetic. The hardest part is the financial burden.
What is the best advice that you can give to non-diabetics, new diagnosed diabetics and diabetics?
Do not be afraid to ask if you do not know. Every diabetic should be willing to share more to better inform the undereducated and/or ill-informed population.
There are no shortcuts. Give yourself time to absorb everything, and then get around as many other diabetics as you can and learn from them as regularly as you can.
#1: You are responsible for your disease, and your top priority must always be your health. #2: Everything is normal with diabetes, and trial and error is the only way to learn what works for you.
What would you ask the other diabetics?
At what age did you learn to be personally responsible for your diabetes?
Share your thoughts in the comments—I can’t wait to hear from you!
Ready to share your story with the world?
At Diabetic Me, we dive into the real-life stories of people living with diabetes, uncovering the challenges, triumphs, and everything in between. Through these powerful stories, we aim to shed light on what it truly means to live with diabetes, offering understanding, inspiration, and support.
If this story resonated with you, why not stay connected? Join our mailing list to discover more inspiring journeys.
Have a story of your own to share? We’d love to hear it! Your experience could be the next one to inspire others. Share your story.
Hey Ely Fornoville, I’m really inspired by your journey and how you’ve handled your diabetes with such a positive outlook. I’m studying social work and I’m curious, how do you manage the financial and emotional stress that comes with health care nowadays? Also, totally admire you for stepping up to adopt. What’s been the most rewarding part of that process for you?
great question Tasha.P, was wondering the same thing. hope we get an answer.
hey there, just wanted to say it’s super cool you’re open about your diabetes and not letting it hold you back. huge props for adopting kids, that’s really awesome. we should all do a bit more to help out in our communities, yeah? keep it up!
uh i dunno man, having good health insurance back in the day sounds cool but like now we all in the same boat. its like everyone gotta figure it out themselves.
i’m really impressed how you’re open about your health challenges and still stay positive. it’s not easy to deal with health insurance headaches and yet find time to cook healthy. it’s so important to listen to our bodies and feed it right. keep it up!
hey ely fornoville, its cool u got such a big property in woodstock. how you managing all that with the kiddos coming?
Yes, I wonder too. Do you have any help or how do you plan to balance everything?
lol, 4 acres is like a small park. gonna be epic for those kids, runnin around and stuff.