“During the lockdown, people are already so stressed and mentally strained that being diagnosed with such a condition is just super difficult to cope with. I could not even think about making any changes in my life at that time but slowly, with the help of Dr. Rakesh and Zyla, I was able to make the necessary lifestyle changes.”

Mr. Sunny Pardeshi is a 37-year-old advocate living in Mumbai with his parents. When the entire world was fighting against the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Pardeshi was faced with a challenge of his own. He was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus during the lockdown and had no knowledge of how to deal with it.

“At first, I developed high blood pressure. I was dealing with that when within 2-3 months, I was diagnosed with diabetes during a regular check-up as well. It was a shock to me and I was so nervous. I didn’t have a family history of diabetes so I had no idea what to do about it. I just knew of it as the “sugar” disease and that I can never eat any kind of sugar again.”

Not having any knowledge about what diabetes meant, Mr. Pardeshi was dependent entirely on the doctors. His haemoglobin levels were also very low and so he was being treated for that first.

“I was taking medicines and was given some injections for my low Haemoglobin levels. Due to this treatment, my sugar levels rose drastically and my weight dropped 15-20 kgs. I was feeling so weak and tired. That was when I met Dr. Rakesh.”

Life saver

Through a lucky twist of fate, Mr. Pardeshi met Dr. Rakesh Sai and started his diabetes treatment with him.

“I was impressed by him from the very first day when he made me aware of this disorder. He started me with proper medications and also introduced me to Zyla to help me with the management of my lifestyle.”

As diabetes is very much dependent on food and physical activity apart from the medicines, Mr. Pardeshi was finding it difficult to figure those parts out especially during the lockdown when his schedule was completely different from normal days.

“Dr. Rakesh and team Zyla helped me to overcome this problem. They guided me everyday right from my diet plan, medicines, routine follow-ups along with diabetes count on regular intervals. The regular follow-up gave me confidence and also helped me in overcoming the diabetes issue. I really thank team Zyla and my doctor for their efforts.”

His progress so far

Currently, Mr Pardeshi’s day starts with a green tea and nuts after which he goes for a 45 minutes morning walk along with exercises. He goes to court for his work around 9-9:30 am and climbs a lot of stairs in the building while travelling from one courtroom to the other. As far as physical activity is concerned, he is doing the very best.

“I am a black belt in karate too. But once you grow up and get responsibilities, you lose track of what’s important for your body. I used to do a lot of yoga, surya namaskar and stretches but with the workload I could not manage to include them in my routine. Maybe I didn’t even feel like I had a reason to. But diabetes gave me a reason. It gave me a solid reason to exercise every day and eat healthily.”

Along with his entire family, he has consciously worked towards making healthier choices in life and tried to return back to the good habits he once followed.

The biggest support

His efforts have certainly not been in vain. He has managed to control his sugar levels and bring his fasting blood sugar down to around 120mg/dl. He aims to work on further improving his sugar levels and weight.

“In the beginning Diabetes and the associated stress was weighing me down. But today, I am feeling great.”

None of this would’ve been possible without his biggest supporters, his parents.

“My family is the backbone of my life. They were as disturbed as me when I got my diagnosis but it didn’t weaken them in the slightest. Instead, they supported me and helped me manage my situation. They have helped me adopt a healthier lifestyle by adopting one themselves. They eat the same diet as me and we all exercise together in the morning. This motivates me so much and keeps me going.”

It is definitely fun when you have another person to exercise and eat with so Mr Pardeshi is certainly on the right path!

His message to fellow diabetics

“Always follow the instruction given by your doctor and team Zyla. Replace excuses with effort, laziness with determination and everything else will fall into place. We get so carried away with our work life that we ignore our bodies’ signs. One must certainly make time for their health because if you don’t make time for wellness, you will have to make time for illness.”