by Guy, a Virta Patient
My future before Virta was... I'll sum it up. I'm in this dressing room and it's got the three mirrors and I'm looking at myself thinking, "Who is this guy? Is that me?" Even though I tried eating less and walking up to three miles a day, I kept putting on weight and was having to buy clothes every six months. I just kept on thinking, "Come on, Guy. You go from a 44 to a 46 to a 48." I didn’t recognize myself anymore and it was depressing.
One morning I woke up feeling dizzy and really awful. My doctor suggested getting a little blood work done. When the results came back, my glucose was almost 300 mg/dL, and he said, "Guy, I think we've got a little problem." That’s when I found out that I had type 2 diabetes.
My doctor started me on some medications, but that didn’t get to the root of the problem, so my blood sugar continued to go up. Finally he said, "Guy, you've got to go on injections." I felt defeated and helpless. I didn’t want to go on the injections, but I also didn’t want to get an arm or leg amputated, lose my eyesight, or worse.
I started taking 20 milligrams of insulin. Then 25 milligrams. Then 30 milligrams. Finally, I was taking 35 milligrams of insulin every night! I hated injecting 35 units of insulin into me. Not only did it hurt, but it caused me to gain even more weight. It was also really expensive! I was paying almost $400 per month just on diabetes medications. My wife kept on saying, "Sweetheart, you really need to do something." But I didn’t know what to do. In my mind, I thought I was always going to have diabetes. I thought this was just me.
One day I received a company-wide email from JLL introducing Virta. That was the first time I’d heard of a treatment that could reverse type 2 diabetes. JLL also said they would pay for the entire cost Virta if I was eligible. It was almost like a Christmas present to me. I'm like, "You know what? They're paying for it. What do you got to lose?" I could get off my diabetes medications and lose weight. It seemed like an all around win-win. So I signed up for it.
After I applied for Virta, I got to speak with my enrollment advisor, who told me that I wouldn’t have to count calories or exercise on Virta. I had never heard of a treatment like this, but I was excited to start.
Within the first month of starting, my Virta doctor reduced my insulin down to 20 milligrams. Then a week later he reduced it down to 15 milligrams. Then one day he says, “Guy, don’t take insulin anymore.” It was like the Fourth of July. That was the proudest day of my life.
Before Virta I had never had a blood sugar reading under 100 mg/dL. In fact, it was almost a high-five moment if I could get my glucose under 280 mg/dL. After two months on Virta, I was getting blood glucose readings at 88 mg/dL, even though I wasn’t taking insulin anymore.
When I first started the Virta Treatment my A1C was 9.7%. My last labs show that it’s now 6.1%, which is below the diagnostic threshold for type 2 diabetes (6.5%). Can you believe that? In less than five months I no longer have diabetes–and I’m even off insulin! I've also lost almost 50 pounds. I'm almost the weight I was when we got married 25 years ago! It's unbelievable, and honestly it's been so easy.
I have so much more energy on Virta. When I get up in the morning I feel rested. Before Virta I woke up tired and was like, "Oh, no. I've got to go to work." And now it's like, "Let's go!" I’m also never hungry on Virta, even though I eat my favorite foods like eggs, cheese, and bacon every day.
The greatest thing that I found with the Virta treatment is the whole package. You have a team of professionals that are working with you, and they provide all the tools that you need to be successful. It's been the easiest treatment I've ever been on.
The biggest gift in my life is my daughter, the second biggest is Virta. I started Virta not knowing anything about it, and now I'm telling you, I'm living proof that the process works. After almost five months, my life has changed so much, my health has changed so much, it's been a fantastic experience, and all I can say is if it wasn't for Virta I wouldn't be where I'm at today. It’s given me hope and a new future, and now I’m going to be able to really get out and enjoy myself.
-Guy
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