Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler plays in the “Mile-High City.” But he was higher than usual last season.
How high? A normally functioning body’s glucose level is generally between 70 and 150 mg. But Cutler says that as he lay gasping in his apartment, trying to recapture some modicum of energy after his morning workouts in January and February, his glucose levels were probably “in the 500s and 600s.” He would sleep from 2 to 6 p.m., eat dinner, and then go back to sleep for the night.
Cutler had all the classic signs of diabetes. In addition to the weight loss and lack of energy, he experienced frequent urination and constant thirst.
When he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in mid-April, it was a relief. “I was just glad for a diagnosis,” Cutler says. “Not knowing what was wrong was much scarier.”
The 6-foot-3 Cutler, who will soon be outfitted with an insulin pump, began dropping weight in October. He ultimately lost 32 pounds, down to 202 by the time he was diagnosed. Routine blood tests required of players in the National Football League revealed that his glucose levels were about five times higher than normal.
Cutler is far from the first football player to get diabetes. Former Broncos defensive end Mike Sinclair, former Vikings and Cowboys quarterback Wade Wilson, and former Titans defensive backs Tony George and Mike Echols all continued to play in the NFL after being diagnosed with diabetes. The list of professional athletes with diabetes includes tennis great Billy Jean King, former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr., golfers Kelli Kuehne and Michelle McGann, and basketball player Adam Morrison of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Cutler, 25, told Diabetes Health he feels a crisis was narrowly averted. “I’ve talked to a lot of people and read stories, and the way many of them find out is they go into a coma for two, three days,” said Cutler, who has regained 18 pounds since his diagnosis. “I’m fortunate nothing critical happened.”
Cutler says he’s radically altered his diet from the days when he ate “anything and everything.”
“It’s a big adjustment,” he said. “You’re 25 years old, you’re used to eating whatever you want, doing whatever you want. If you want to go out to lunch, go ahead and go. Now, you’re counting carbs and eating healthier and injecting insulin at the table. You’ve got to have your insulin, your needles, your glucose meter…yeah, it’s a big change. But it’s something you have to deal with.”
Now he’s working with doctors to make sure he can play to his potential on game days without putting himself at risk. He’ll wear an insulin pump in practices and warm-ups to keep his glucose levels normal. Then he’ll take the device off for the games, closely monitoring his glucose levels and drinking Gatorade if his BGs start dropping.
“The more knowledge I get, the more I will be able to manage [my diabetes],” Cutler told ABC News.
Cutler does admit to being a little overwhelmed with all of the information he’s had to take in about diabetes and its ramifications if left uncontrolled.
“It’s a lot to get that news and realize I’m going to have to completely change my life,” Cutler says. “It’s not something that’s going to go away. It’s something I’m going to have to deal with my entire life, and I’ve got to come to grips with that.”
He says he initially feared his career would be over, but doctors put that fear to rest quickly.
“The first thing they said to me [was], ‘It’s going to affect your lifestyle a little bit, but you’ll be able to continue to play football,’” Cutler says.
Cutler, the eleventh pick in the 2006 draft, threw for nearly 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, but the Broncos missed the playoffs for a second straight year. It was obvious as the season wore on that his arm strength was not what it used to be.
“I’m not going to blame it on diabetes, but thinking back, there were some throws that didn’t have a lot on them,” Cutler says. “I was able to go out and perform, but I just wasn’t that energetic. I was tired. After the games, I was completely wiped out. Some games I didn’t do a whole lot. There was something wrong.”
Today, the third-year quarterback says he feels terrific, and he’s eager to get into practices to see how his body reacts. He wants fans to know he’s going to be fine.
“I’m feeling a hundred times better,” Cutler says. “It’s hard to explain what it feels like when your levels are at 400, 500. You don’t have energy, you don’t really want to do anything, you sleep a lot. It’s tough to deal with.”
Now Cutler is taking up the diabetes cause. He’s appeared on the Today Show, chatting with Al Roker before the weather forecast, and he let cameras trail him for a segment about diabetes on the NFL Network. He’s also planning a golf tournament in Parker, Colorado, to raise money for juvenile diabetes, among several causes.
“I’m blessed to have a [public] profile where I can actually do something to promote awareness about the disease that I have,” Cutler says. “Not many people are in that position.”
Story from: Diabetes Health
