‘Vision blurred, lost weight’: Wasim Akram reveals how he played with diabetes – Watch | Cricket News – Times of India

Wasim Akram, one of Pakistan’s biggest cricketers, has opened up about how he managed his profession whereas dwelling with diabetes. Diagnosed in 1997 on the peak of his enjoying days, Akram admitted the situation was initially a serious problem, each bodily and mentally. “I started losing weight. My vision was a bit blurred. I was thirsty all the time. I was urinating a lot, and my dad came up to me and I explained, ‘This is happening and I’m just not feeling better.’ He said, ‘Have your blood sugar test,’” Akram recalled. At the time, consciousness of diabetes was restricted. “I said, ‘What the heck is blood sugar?’ Those days in the ’90s, there was no awareness of diabetes at all. And then I went, had my blood test done. Usually, your diabetes normal like you guys is 100 and 110. Mine was 450. So obviously, I went to the specialist and he said, ‘You have to be on insulin straight away.’” The transition was not straightforward. “In those days, there weren’t disposable pens like we have now. You couldn’t just measure a thing, stick it, and walk on. Back then you had to carry vials with you and then big syringes on the side. So it was tough. The first two, three years were tough. It did affect my game mentally and physically.” Akram mentioned the assist of his late spouse, who was a psychologist, proved invaluable. “I said I have to ask the doctor only one thing. I said, ‘Look, will I be able to play cricket?’ He said, ‘Yes, if you control your levels.’ And it’s very difficult to control your levels when you’re traveling, and when you don’t have any awareness of what to eat, what not to eat, what to drink.” Adjusting to the calls for of worldwide cricket required fixed administration. “When I went to South Africa, I think when I joined the Pakistan team after being diagnosed, the first three, four weeks were very tough. Your sugar level drops as well when you’re diabetic, and you can feel it.” Over time, Akram developed coping strategies with the assistance of his teammates and match officers. “The whole team at the time helped. I used to give sweets to umpires just in case my sugar level dropped. A couple of tablets, get on with it. Usually it takes 15–20 minutes to recover, but I just got used to it.”

Now, greater than twenty years later, Akram says he has realized to reside with the situation.