The silent threat of prediabetes: Weld County launches new program as diabetes cases rise

By Dan England

Rachael Aswege had a pain in her side. She was one of the lucky ones. Most people with prediabetes don’t know they have the condition until it progresses into the full-blown disease. Symptoms, such as the dull, annoying pain Aswege had in her side, are rare.  

She’s one of a growing number of people with diabetic conditions in Weld County, said Kelly Martinez, public health communications manager for the county’s health department. According to the 2022 Weld County Community Health Survey, 11.4% of Weld residents reported having diabetes, up from 10.1% in 2019. 

Rachael Aswege was diagnosed with prediabetes. To stave off diabetes, she signed up for a Heart of Weld diabetes class, run by the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment. Courtesy photo.

“Most people find out through their doctor after a checkup,” Martinez said.

Catching prediabetes early is crucial in order to stave off diabetes, a condition that can cause serious health problems, early death and an average of $20,000 in medical expenses per year, or three times the number for those without it. 

This is why Martinez is helping to lead an awareness campaign and a class full of others with the condition to teach them about their diets, exercise and other ways to keep diabetes from developing. 

Aswege was confused by her diagnosis after she went to the doctor for the pain in her side, which turned out to be her liver. She worked out twice a day, watched what she ate and was not considered overweight by her doctors. She knew of an aunt who recently died of dementia, a condition exacerbated by her diabetes, in her 60s, but she never took care of herself. Her aunt worked 18 hours a day, ate poorly and drank a liter of Mountain Dew every day to stay awake, according to a cousin. 

Hearing the diagnosis didn’t scare Aswege as much as make her determined to stop it. 

“I was like, ’nuh huh, no way,’” Aswege said. “I’m not going on meds. What do I have to do?”

A class run by students

The Heart of Weld diabetes class isn’t like algebra, with lectures and math homework. It’s a class guided by Martinez but run by students such as Aswege, all of them prediabetic and looking for ways to prevent the condition from blooming into the disease.

This keeps the class entertaining and more relatable, Martinez said, since they are all going through the same thing together. That is also key, given that the class can be about as much fun as algebra: They’re usually talking about cutting yummy things to eat out of their diets and replacing them with healthy recipes.

“They trade tips and recipes,” Martinez said. “It’s conversational. You know that you’ve got someone in the class who will keep you accountable until the next week.”

The class is a year long and follows a similar model of classes around the country, with tips on how to fit 150 minutes of exercise a week into their lives, eating right and how to monitor blood sugar. It’s the only one in the area that is free and offered in Spanish.

Those Spanish classes are attended by, well, Spanish speakers, which is important, Martinez said, because those classes are tailored to cultural differences, including diet. Teachers and classmates can help each other better as a result. 

“It’s not just the language that’s different in those classes,” Martinez said. “It’s the culture.” 

Michelle Francies helps teach the classes with Martinez. She teaches the Spanish classes and knows modifications specific to traditional Mexican dishes. She sees both people who eat poorly and develop diabetic conditions and people who are at their ideal weight but have a family history of the disease. 

Aswege does have diabetes in her family, which is always a bugaboo, just like it is with cancer or cholesterol. Aswege also works for the county in IT, a stressful job. But she and her doctor believe COVID-19 triggered her condition more than anything else. 

The COVID was severe, Aswege said. She was out for three weeks. When she finally felt better, the pain in her side developed. 

It’s rare for patients to have early warnings like the kind Aswege experienced, although those with prediabetes can develop symptoms that those with full-blown diabetes experience, such as blurred vision and a seemingly incurable thirst. Doctors typically do blood work that can detect prediabetes at an annual appointment, but patients should advocate for themselves and ask for it if their doctor doesn’t schedule lab work, Francies said. She also said patients who do experience unusual symptoms should go to their doctor right away. 

“If they’re feeling anything wonky, or if they have any family history,” Francies said, “you need to make sure the blood test is getting done.”

The health department also does screenings all over Weld County on certain weekends to target those who don’t have health insurance and may not have regular checkups. 

Eating healthy is harder than it seems

Aswege, as it turns out, was not eating as healthy as she thought. She had to learn how to read labels, recognize good fats from bad fats and watch her sodium. She discovered that a lot of food contains sugar, which is bad for a person with elevated sugar in her blood, the true definition of prediabetes. Because life is not fair, even fruit, which she enjoys and is considered healthy in most diets, can cause problems for her because it is high in sugar. 

“Even whole wheat bread isn’t always good for me,” she said and sighed.

She figured out that many of us don’t get enough protein or veggies in our diet, and she’s learned how to change that. She misses bread, pasta and especially pizza, although she can have it occasionally with a thin crust and veggies for toppings. 

She used to miss alcohol, but not as much anymore. 

“I did at first, but I know how bad it is for you now,” Aswege said. “Is it worth it to have that beer or whiskey, or can you push through it?”

She learned through the class how to live without it hurting too much. So far, she’s staved off diabetes, with the help of her classmates. She calls some of them friends. 

“Everyone is struggling with the same thing,” Aswege said. “I have my ups and downs. I have more good days than bad.” 

She not only bonded with her classmates. She bonded with her family. She talks to her cousin, the daughter of her aunt who chugged Mountain Dew, often about sticking to the program. And she found another partner in the struggle: her mother. 

There was diabetes in Aswege’s family, but they didn’t talk about it among themselves until recently. Her mother is 71, but both she and Aswege’s father are improving their health, even working out every day at the Senior Center. They do cardio and even lift weights. 

Aswege now has an army to help her avoid a rough disease.

“Mom is of the same mindset I am, that we are not getting diabetic,” Aswege said, “and we will do everything we need to do to keep from getting there.”