Diabetic doc out to show disease can't run his life

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 29, 2008 at 9:10 a.m.
Updated April 29, 2008 at 11:54 p.m.

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David Snodgrass will compete in Colorado Marathon.

David Snodgrass didn't run marathons before he got diabetes. But the Loveland family practitioner will run the Colorado Marathon on Sunday in Fort Collins, just to prove he can do it.

"It's my way of showing myself and others that diabetes doesn't have to stop you from accomplishing your goals in life," he said.

Snod- grass, 36, was hit one year ago with Type I diabetes, a form of the disease that usually begins in childhood. Tests showed possible genetic markers for the disease, but no one else in his family, including his three kids, has it.

Symptoms included thirst and irritability. Snodgrass also saw a sudden weight loss - 10 pounds in two weeks.

Diabetics are unable to maintain the right level of blood sugar because of a malfunctioning pancreas. Many correct the problem with doses of insulin.

Snodgrass, an Arizona native, has run shorter races, such as 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles. A marathon is 20 miles longer than that.

Maintaining the right sugar level during that kind of exercise is tricky. The danger is a sharp drop in blood sugar levels, bringing on sudden weakness and the shakes.

"Normally, the body would make these very fine adjustments to the amount of insulin that your body needs," Snod- grass said. "Whereas me, because I have to give myself insulin, I'm only estimating how much or how little insulin I need, and so a lot of times you'll mistakenly overshoot, and . . . your blood sugar will get low because you have a little too much insulin on board."

Snodgrass wears a device that maintains a constant insulin level. During the race, he'll also take glucose tablets to keep his blood sugar level in balance with the insulin level.

That's about 20 grams of glucose very 20 minutes.

Snodgrass has practiced medicine in Colorado for 10 years, including seven years in Loveland. He sees a lot of patients with diabetes.

"I tell them, don't let it slow you down," he said.

• April 29, 2008

  10:40 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Melissa writes:

  What an inspiration! I wish him the best of luck in completing the marathon.

• April 29, 2008

  2:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  psu96 writes:

  inspiration my ass... the kids who have it are an inspiration and don't have the luxuary of wearing a patch to maintain levels and compete in HS sports, band etc...

• April 29, 2008

  3:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dick_Tater writes:

  Did he really have to go shirtless for the photo?

  "Snodgrass also saw a sudden weight loss — 10 pounds in two weeks."

  Way to go. Now all our teenage girls are going to want type 1 diabetes.

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