Cutler exhausted down the stretch

The Rocky

Published May 2, 2008 at 9:14 p.m.

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Photo by Ken Papaleo / The Rocky

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler discusses his diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes Friday at the team's Dove Valley headquarters. Experts say, if managed properly, the disease shouldn't affect Cutler's performance in the least.

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One thing Jay Cutler learned about diabetes before he was diagnosed with it was what it felt like to try to function with his blood sugar four or five times too high.

"Just an overall tiredness all the time," Cutler said.

On the field, he said that often meant feeling exhausted when he had expended little effort. It meant not being able to rebound between games, quarters or, sometimes, even plays.

"Those last couple games, if I'd scramble around a little bit, I'd be finished. I'd have trouble calling plays in the huddle," Cutler said.

After his weight bottomed out at 202 at season's end, Cutler said he's up to 220 now and working in the Broncos' offseason conditioning program to get his strength back.

"I'm not going to blame it on that, but thinking back on it, there was definitely some throws I didn't have a lot behind it," Cutler said. "I was able to go out and perform, I just wasn't as energetic."

Now what?

Cutler said he still is trying to figure out the best way to administer his insulin on a daily basis, including what he will do during games.

He said that after consulting with several doctors already, he most likely will wear an insulin pump during the day, including during practices, since there is no contact on a quarterback. Cutler said he is doing research on different types of machines, including one that is wireless, but that "the pump seems like the way to go."

He added he likely wouldn't wear a pump during games because "that's not really practical and you couldn't really pad it up," but that for three hours, he believes he can keep his blood sugar in check with drinks or snacks, or even an insulin shot if it is required.

He said he will test his blood sugar "maybe at halftime, between quarters, check to see where I'm at."

Dr. Michael McDermott, director of the endocrinology and diabetes practice at University of Colorado Hospital, concurred with Cutler's plan.

If the pump were to become dislodged during a game, there would be no way to produce insulin at all, he said.

If Type 1 diabetes is managed well, "It shouldn't affect a person's performance at all, and that includes professional athletes," McDermott said. "He should do just fine."

He said it

"I don't like doctors, I don't like the training room and I try to stay away from it as much as possible. I haven't really been seriously sick, I haven't really been seriously injured in my career, and I just felt like it was something I could deal with and, hopefully, it would go away and I could get back to being the player I was before."

Cutler, on why he didn't get a blood test before April to find out what was wrong.

"It's not going to go away. It's something I'm going to deal with the rest of my life, and you've got to come to grips with that."

Cutler, on dealing with Type 1 diabetes.

Have a plan

The Tennessee Titans training staff monitored two players with Type 1 diabetes through the 2002 season - Tony George and Mike Echols - and formed a checklist of things to do to help the players manage the disease and their performance on the field.

* Though both players had been diagnosed long before they got to the Titans and were proficient monitoring their blood sugar, the team's training staff boned up on how to check and monitor blood sugar. Glucose meters and testing kits also were purchased to have on hand if the players forgot theirs.

* The team made sure there always was insulin on hand. It kept a large supply in the training room, at the team hotel and at the stadium on game day. Since there are several kinds of insulin, including some that act more quickly than others, the team also made sure to have the type to fit each player's needs.

* The team stressed the importance that each player get into a daily rhythm during the season, a regimented schedule in terms of meal planning to help regulate blood sugar just before physical exertion. It also tried to aid the players in figuring out the impact that physical activity had on their blood-sugar levels.

* The team continued to monitor the players' eating habits.

* The team tried to learn the signs blood sugar was too high or too low. The training staff said mornings were often the most difficult for the players, who might skip breakfast because they feared being late to meetings. One of the players, whose blood sugar was out of kilter because of a skipped morning meal, had tried to drive in through the out gate at the practice facility without realizing it. The team got him something to eat, and he went through the remainder of the day without incident.

* Trainers stressed the importance of communication. They wanted players to realize how important it was to notify the staff when they started to feel the symptoms, rather than waiting too long.

Athletes with diabetes

Other pro athletes who dealt with diabetes during successful playing careers:

BASEBALL

Ty Cobb

Bill Gullickson

Dave Hollins

Catfish Hunter

Jackie Robinson

Ron Santo

David Wells

BASKETBALL

Chris Dudley

Walt Frazier

Adam Morrison

BOXING

Buster Douglas

Joe Frazier

Sugar Ray Robinson

FOOTBALL

Kenny Duckett

Mike Echols

Tony George

Jonathan Hayes

Jay Leeuwenburg

Art Shell

Mike Sinclair

Kendall Simmons

Wade Wilson

GOLF

Kelli Kuehne

Michelle McGann

Sherri Turner

Scott Verplank

Jo Ann Washam

HOCKEY

Nick Boynton

Bobby Clarke

Rick Dudley

SKIING

Kris Freeman

SNOWBOARDING

Sean Busby

SWIMMING

Gary Hall Jr.

TENNIS

Arthur Ashe

Billie Jean King

Ham Richardson

Bill Talbert

TRACK AND FIELD

Bob Beamon

Type 1 vs. Type 2

Type 1 diabetes, Cutler's form of the disease, occurs when the immune system becomes overactive against the person's own body, destroying the beta cells in the pancreas that are responsible for making insulin. Blood sugar goes sky high. One million to 2 million Americans have this form of the disease. Treatment: Insulin, usually three or four times a day, including at each meal - either via injections or an insulin pump under the skin.

Type 1 seems to be slightly more prevalent than in the past, and no one is sure why. It usually strikes children but can hit adults, too.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when a body fails to properly use insulin. Often, there is a relative scarcity of insulin, too. It often can be treated with a better diet, exercise, weight loss and oral medications.

Diabetes by the numbers

21 million Americans have a form of diabetes.

15,000 in the U.S. learn they have diabetes each week.

4.8 percent of Coloradans have diabetes, the lower ratio because the state is one of the leanest in the nation.

45 people with diabetes go blind every day.

8 people with diabetes every hour must have a foot, ankle or leg amputated to save their lives.

Sources: American Diabetes Association and the Endocrinology and Diabetes Practice at the University of Colorado Hospital; Colorado Health Department

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