Starting Over at 59

Getting old sucks. If I’m being honest I’ve been “getting old” since I was 40. At 40 I tore and had surgically repaired my right meniscus. Due to an astigmatism, a had to start wearing glasses. Then the coup de grace, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and…. Diabetes.

So now I’m 40 with Type 2 Diabetes. I wasn’t surprised. I’ was a walking risk factor – black male, seriously over weight with family history.

For almost 20 years I’ve attempted to manage the diabetes with medication alone, rather than make significant diet and exercise changes, with mixed results.

At my heaviest I was 350 (at 6’2”). But the diabetes was getting more difficult to manage the older I got.

I love good food and drink. Fortunately (or unfortunately) many of my jobs afforded me the opportunity to travel and entertain clients and/or staff.

Diets didn’t work, or at least not for long. And exercising really wasn’t an option for me. With the arthritis and neuropathy getting worse, not better something drastic had to be done.

In the year between two rotator cuff reconstructions, I had bariatric surgery. Gastric Sleeve to be specific. This is when they remove 3/4 of your stomach to force you to eat less.

It worked. At least at first. I lost 80lbs in the first 6mos. Easy peasy. but I missed eating and drinking. Like any good dyslexic, I figured a way to still enjoy my indulgences. I just had to limit the portion sizes, and I’d be good. Yeah, OK. If my ability to portion control wasn’t a problem, I wouldn’t have needed the surgery in the first place. Then there was the side effect of eating anything you wanted…. Google “dumping syndrome” when you get a chance.

My weight fluctuated up and down by 50 lbs over a 3-4 years span. Naturally my diabetes didn’t get markedly better either. Eventually, I was prescribed Ozempic – for the Diabetes. But I also helped me to reduce the weight.

Fast forward to 2023. I’m down to 240, low enough to have the knee replacement surgery I’d been putting off. Through rehab, trying to be conscious of portion sizes (if not food quality) and the Ozepic, I’ve been able to maintain for nearly 2 years. As of Nov 2025 I’m holding at 235. And frankly I’m probably holding 15-20 lbs in loose skin from the weight loss still…

With no FT job, (healthcare benefits) it’s difficult for me to continue my medication regiment as consistent as I have. I’ve not had the Ozepic or several other meds in nearly 2 mos. I’ve also not seen my Endo specialist since last November.

I need to look into Medicare. I need something less expensive than what I’ve been paying as an independent consumer.