Chris Matthews, talks about his diabetes



"I was basically ignoring the situation," said Matthews. "I was told I was diabetic, but I guess we all grew up with the [idea] that if you weren't actually taking insulin, you weren't diabetic." But the big meals and lack of exercise caught up with him, landing Matthews in the hospital with complications related to type 2. He realized it was time to make some big changes. Television Journalist Chris Matthews served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland in the 1960's.

Chris Matthews, talks about his diabetes

Playing Hardball with Type 2

Posted : Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:06:49 GMT

Author : American Diabetes Association

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It took a trip to the emergency room for Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball, to own up to his diabetes. In the December issue of the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) consumer magazine, Diabetes Forecast, Matthews talks about what it is like to work on a high profile television show while managing his condition -- and taking control of his health.

"I was basically ignoring the situation," said Matthews. "I was told I was diabetic, but I guess we all grew up with the [idea] that if you weren't actually taking insulin, you weren't diabetic." But the big meals and lack of exercise caught up with him, landing Matthews in the hospital with complications related to type 2. He realized it was time to make some big changes.

A major challenge, he says, has been figuring out what to eat. "It's harder because it's more complicated," says Matthews. "If I'm at a big event, some big celebrity dinner, I still have the dessert. I know I shouldn't but I check the blood sugar the next day and it doesn't have much of an impact if I limit myself to those situations." With a new perspective about how his day-to-day habits affect his diabetes, Matthews has been able to lose 30 pounds and get in control. "I stick to my diet and very small doses of insulin," said Matthews. He hopes to one day stop taking insulin and instead manage his condition through diet and exercise alone.

Matthews -- who has just published a new book, Life's a Campaign: What Politics has Taught Me about Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success -- says he has a renewed appreciation for doctors. "What people ought to be told about diabetes is that if they have it in the family or sense that they are on the road to it, they should go to their doctor and ask him what he thinks," says Matthews. "I have come to respect doctors a whole lot through this whole thing because they know what they are talking about and they are telling you to do something for your own good."

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: November, 2007; RPCV Chris Matthews (Swaziland); Figures; Peace Corps Swaziland; Directory of Swaziland RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Swaziland RPCVs; Journalism; Television; Medicine; Public Health

When this story was posted in December 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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