At first glance, there’s only one word to describe Wesley Tan - cool.

With his big frame, head shaved smooth and neatly-trimmed beard, 29-year-old Tan looks like a bouncer used to keeping out the riff-raff at the front of the house.

In actual fact, he works as a hype man, more comfortable at the back, by the DJ, whipping up crowd enthusiasm that takes a party from whatever to woo hoo!

What is a hype man, you ask? Think of your favourite music video, then think of a backing vocalist that cheers on and encourages the main singer with exclamations.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wesley Tan (@mc.sonorus)

A hype man brings energy to an event and lifts the spirits of everyone present.

And as one of only six or seven hype men in Singapore, by his estimation, it’s Tan’s responsibility to keep the party vibes going.

So if you swing by a hot nightclub one of these days, don’t be surprised if you see Wesley Tan exhorting you to make some noise and put your hands up.

But you may also be curious as to why Tan occasionally seems to be moving his phone towards a small device that is attached to his arm.

In addition to being a hype man and a pretty cool-looking dude, Tan also happens to be living with diabetes.

He manages his condition with the help of FreeStyle Libre, a device known as a continuous glucose monitor.

Image from FreeStyle Libre

It is a small sensor, about the size of a button pin, that one attaches to the back of their upper arm.

It uses a very thin filament that sits just under the skin, and it measures your glucose levels continuously throughout the day.

According to Tan, it’s a less painful and discomforting method to measure one’s glucose levels as compared to pricking a fingertip to draw blood.

“The thing about pricking our fingers to get our glucose levels is that over time, it really hurts to a point you're already wincing before the needle penetrates your skin,” Tan said.

He added that such a practice makes his fingertips “really sore”, even if he switches up the fingers that are pricked each time.

He also had to bring around his device and strips (to test the blood sample), which was inconvenient and possibly unhygienic.

However, Tan now uses FreeStyle Libre, which he attaches to the back of his arm.

He can scan it anytime throughout the day with the FreeStyle LibreLink app on his phone, allowing him to check 24-hour trends in his blood glucose levels.

“I can make dietary changes from these readings. For example, if I eat a bowl of noodles and my glucose levels rise too high, I will know to reduce the portion size in the future.

Not to mention, I am also able to know when I need to inject my insulin. This information is invaluable to me and has helped to better control my blood sugar.”

Why an injection?

Not being very familiar with how insulin is taken, I ask why it has to be injected, instead of taken orally, like with a pill.

Tan told me that insulin is produced by the pancreas, and oral medicines can only give the pancreas a “push”, if the pancreas is not able to naturally make insulin.

But in some cases, the pancreas cannot make insulin at all. So insulin has to be injected into the body.

“Everyone’s blood glucose control differs and it is up to the doctors to work with you to find out what medication works best for you,” he said.

How diabetes works

Prior to my conversation with Tan, I thought that everyone with diabetes had high glucose or blood sugar levels.

However, I learned that’s not the case for someone diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

In such cases, their pancreas either does not produce insulin, or insulin that isn’t effective enough.

“Just because I live with diabetes, it doesn't mean that my glucose levels are constantly high, it just gets higher when I consume certain types of food that are high in glucose as diabetes affects the way my body turns food into energy,” Tan explained.

With the use of continuous glucose monitoring devices like FreeStyle Libre, Tan is able to achieve good control of his glucose levels

The keyword is “moderation.” Tan says one of the “biggest myths” about the condition is that people living with diabetes must avoid foods high in sugar and calories for the rest of their lives.

“We do still enjoy desserts but of course we don't go overboard and have too much,” he said.

That being said, Tan did have to cut back on some of his favourite foods and make some changes to his diet in light of his condition.

“I used to really like sour gummies and refreshing sodas on a hot day. I used to also eat quite a bit more carbohydrates too, I mean who wouldn't love more rice with curry? But my palate has changed because of diabetes,” he said.

These days, he goes for sugar-free drinks and does not eat his favourite Banana Leaf Biryani as often as he used to.

Not contagious

Despite increasing awareness of diabetes, Tan recounted a “disaster date” he once had, where a woman he went out with for dinner reacted with shock when he revealed his condition.

For some reason, she thought that it was “contagious”, and it could spread to others.

This, of course, is absolutely not true. Diabetes is not contagious in any way, but it is possibly hereditary.

Tan noted that both his parents had the condition and advises people who are concerned about being at risk to get tested and speak to their doctor about it.

Otherwise, Tan doesn’t let his condition stop him from new experiences. He even went climbing in Malaysia at Maragang Hill, below the peak of Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah.

“The forest trail was 1.6km but there were very steep terrains and we had to make the climb at 2am in 12 degree darkness,” he recounted.

His friends, who were aware of his condition, told him to bring along additional electrolytic gels and sweets and energy bars, should his glucose levels drop during the climb.

“I also had my FreeStyle Libre on me and they constantly checked in with me to check my glucose levels every 15-20 minutes to ensure it did not get too low as the climb can be rather strenuous for me. Their support really went a long way for me as I would have completely underestimated the climb!”

Living with diabetes

Despite his condition, Tan said he is as normal as anyone else, and does not want to be treated differently or specially because of it.

The only difference between him and someone else is his body functions slightly differently when it comes to consuming food and drink, and he must do so in moderation.

As always, a bit of kindness and thoughtfulness goes a long way.

“If you have a friend who is living with diabetes, yes it's okay to ask them if certain food places or options are okay with them. But don't go out of your way or think of us as a burden just because we moderate what we consume,” Tan said.

I asked what Tan would like the public to know about the condition that they might not know. He explained that on some days, he would need a little more understanding.

“Our immune system is slightly affected, our wounds may not heal as quickly or properly so do understand if we do not share the same enthusiasm when it comes to an extreme activity.

There are days where I am unable to fall asleep due to diabetic reflux (where the acid in your stomach goes up your gullet).

We are all just trying to get by and make the most of what we can and what we have.

We even must consider our finances carefully as we do have to set aside more just for our medication and checkups.

So be understanding but don't be sympathetic because the last thing we need is sympathy. We need you to understand that we're doing the same things as you but we have to do it a little harder than you.”

However, thanks to using FreeStyle Libre, Tan is now much more careful about what he eats, and how much. He’s managed to lose 6kg ever since he started the continuous glucose monitor earlier this year, just by making informed decisions on his eating habits.

“My doctor once said, think of diabetes as rust. If we don't take care of it, it'll rust faster and your parts will break down much quicker than you think,” he said.

But with a good management plan and an easy-to-use continuous monitoring system, that breakdown won’t be coming anytime soon.

This is a sponsored article brought to you by Abbott.

Top images from Mothership and Wesley Tan