“The next day he said, ‘Buddy, your life has changed forever,’” recalls Sebring, now 69. “My glucose was really high, so he started taking three injections a day, and I was like that for many years.”

Prior to the diagnosis, Sebring had never heard of type 1 diabetes, which is typically diagnosed in children and young adults and occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar into them. starches and other foods for energy. Type 1 diabetes is managed with insulin, which at the time was only given by injection.

Sebring, who now lives in Sioux City, remembers injecting himself with insulin as a child using a syringe with a 26-gauge needle. He used the same needle over and over again. for a month, disinfect it with rubbing alcohol.

“Oh man, they hurt! He said of the injections. “The needles were dull. We were trying to sharpen them.

Thanks to advances in technology, diabetes is easier than ever to manage. Today, Sebring uses a compact, high-tech pump to deliver insulin to his body and monitors his blood sugar with a continuous glucose monitor, which works in conjunction with a small sensor inserted under the skin of his arm. Its provider, Molly Schooley, can review its data through a cloud-based reporting system and make the necessary changes.

“I could check it every day, but I usually only check it if (patients) call me or have any concerns during their appointments,” she said. “If they call with concerns you can check it and they don’t even have to come in. I can just log in, watch it and call them with changes.”

Schooley, Assistant Physician at Family Health Care of Siouxland – South Sioux City Clinic who specializes in Endocrinology, other physicians, ophthalmologists and dentists will discuss with patients the latest ways to manage diabetes and provide free health checkups during Family Health Care. of the Siouxland Diabetes Wellness Show on Saturday at Delta Hotels South Sioux City Riverfront.

According to a report released last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100 million American adults are currently living with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes, which can lead to major complications including lower limb amputation, advanced kidney failure, heart attack and stroke, was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2015.

The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, in which the body does not use insulin properly. Many people don’t know they have type 2 diabetes because they don’t have any symptoms.

While a person’s genetics play a role in the development of type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Schooley said a person’s diet, weight, and exercise are also factors in the development of diabetes. type 2 diabetes. Unlike type 1 diabetes, she said that healthy lifestyle changes can stop the progression of type 2 diabetes.

“With a healthy diet and lifestyle, you can alter the progression of the disease somewhat. If you catch it early in prediabetes, I think that’s when you can make the changes. more beneficial in preventing progression, ”she said. “Even if you are diagnosed with type 2, there is still a lot of time to change things.”

While some patients with type 2 diabetes will also benefit from continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, Schooley said that it is less common for people with type 2 to be on insulin. She said most of the recent advances in the treatment of type 2 diabetes have been in the area of ​​medication.

“Our old diabetes drugs caused weight gain or hypoglycemia. Many newer drugs have more beneficial side effects, such as weight loss, lowering blood pressure and controlling appetite,” he said. she declared.

Sebring urges anyone who suspects they may have diabetes to get checked out. The former Western Iowa Tech Community College math professor said he never let the disease hold him back.

“I have done everything that I ever wanted to do and I still do it. If I want to do something, I do it,” he said. “It’s not the best thing you can hear that you have (diabetes), but it could be a lot worse than that. The treatment is much better now than it was years ago.”