Nathan Freeling from Haunted Hotel is an intersex aroace gay trans man, and his variation is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) with androgen resistance and insulin resistance due to reactive hypoglycemia! He is epileptic and pre-diabetic, and pasta dishes (i.e. spaghetti) are his main safe food.

Requested by @tboy-vamp

Intersex flag-only and popular transmasc flag edits under the cut!

What we know is that I am insulin resistant. Which could turn into prediabetes, or even diabetes type 2 if we're not careful. What we don't know is if it's caused by PCOS or Hashimoto's. Could be either/or, or both, if I'm especially screwed.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot - we need to check if the nodules they found on my thyroïd are still behaving, or if they've turned cancerous. Fun times! 🫠

Al least my GP is overly polite. "Would you mind if I take a look at your height and weight, if you'd permit it?" Like wow.

So...now I've ordered two new bathing suits and looked at low impact workouts I can do at home because truth be told, I do not move enough (I know from my physio what's good for my back and what I should avoid). Plus I am going to make some changes to my diet - minor ones, at first, then we'll see how this works with the meds. I do have a referral for a dietician too, in case I want a full-blown plan, so I'll be doing some research in case of.

I feel like I have a solid plan. At the same time, I feel lile I'm losing my grip on reality as I'm panicking on the inside.

First the nerve damage diagnosis, now this.

Could’ve Been Wild, Could’ve Been Free #5 is the fifth in a perzine series about mental health, sobriety, and friendship. This issue also deals with the topic of physical health, as it chronicles my prediabetes diagnosis and the subsequent lifestyle changes I made. The zine is full color and handwritten, featuring scans of felt flowers and photobooth strips. It is available for $5 on my ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/s/89d6575b2a

Several months ago, one of my doctors noted that I'm at risk of cardiovascular disease, and earlier this week a blood test detected a high level of a1C in my system. The good news is that I could reverse it just by changing my diet and being more active.

Are you a "dire threat?"

Type 2 diabetes is primarily genetic (more so than type 1!), but there are multiple risk factors including age, weight, race, gender, and diet/lifestyle (source one) (source two).

The heritability of type 2 diabetes is estimated to be between 40-70% according to a twin study published in May of 2020 (source).