Eugene Plucinik, Jr.

January 1962, my Mother found that I had diabetes. She used a piece of Tes-Tape which turned almost black. Parents took me to an older country Doctor. He confirmed the diabetes Type 1 diagnosis, described it as Juvenile diabetes. He put me on a strict no carb diet and on repeated visits drilled in minimal to no carb eating. As the diabetes worsened, he told my parents and me not to expect me to live a month. Dad asked about insulin, but Doctor said they don’t give insulin to kids as there had been too many young deaths from low blood sugars. Saw the Doctor monthly, diabetes worse and worse. Doctor would draw a blood test monthly, and let us know the results the following month. Sugar was always 300-400 range, but followed the prescribed starvation diet. Two and one half years later, my parents found me passed out in the driveway. They got me to wake up, called the Doctor. Doctor said go to the hospital. The hospital doctors found blood sugar of 1275 plus full maxed diabetic ketoacidosis. The stated me on insulin. After a month in the hospital, I was allowed to go home. They gave me a more liberal diet that included some carbs, plus a strict insulin shot schedule. Insulin back then was U40 Globin Zinc plus Protamine Zinc. Found extremes of high sugar, then low sugar reactions due to hard exercise as a kid. Eventually insulins changed to U80 NPH plus U80 Regular Beef-Pork. I took an interest in diabetes and read every book I could find. In 1982, I became one of the early insulin pump users, an AutoSyringe by Travenol. That early pump used the regular insulin. Over the years have had multiples of pumps including Baxter Travenol, Baxter Eugly, multiple Disetronic pumps, Mini-Med and Medtronic pumps and early sensors. I now use a Tandem t-slim pump with Control IQ utilizing Dexcom G6 sensor. A world of difference from the old days of inadequate care to the tools we have today. In 1977, a Doctor found that I had proliferative diabetic retinopathy. New progress had been made in treating this disease with laser treatments to the blood vessels in the retina. From 1977-1979 multiple laser treatments, concluding with pan laser around the outer peripherals of both eyes. What started as experimental procedure, worked remarkably and the retinopathy is in total remission since 1984. I have good vision in both eyes and can still drive. Also, found out from the Doctor that performed the procedure, that previous to me and a few others, the procedure had only been done on rabbits in a lab in Florida. Also, remission had never been heard of for advanced proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes has taken its toll, slowing me down, forcing me to retire in 2023. Still, I do my best each day to stay on top of the demands of this life restricting disease. I also encourage everyone to make their diabetic care a full priority, not an after thought.