Thanks for sharing. I'm glad your sight corrected itself!
Thanks for the response. I'm curious, when you were in the hospital for only a day....was that because of dehydration? I tried to ask my endo at what point do I loose the ability to fix it myself. Granted, cognitively I was out of it pretty quick. But had I caught it and my sugar was say..around 600. I would think as long as you can work that down there's no need for the ER or do I have that wrong? I'm not saying that's what happened with you just really curious about that. My doc said it's different for everybody, and every situation.
Glad to hear though you recovered well from those incidents. Thanks again for posting.
Thanks! Yeah, I finally got on my doc about finishing the paperwork for my CGM. The previous Dexcom transmitter battery was toast so I happen to be in between kits at the moment. Hoping to get on the Vibe pretty quick here.
Thanks Lilli. I think there's a LOT of trauma swimming around my dome from it :) I must say, this whole thread has helped a lot. I used to be scared about reading other peoples stories soon after DX. Even though I talk about it like walking around with a dark shadow following me...it's not really fear. More annoyance these days. But, it's not going anywhere so I'm trying not to go down too far in the rabbit hole. Thanks again!
Well put Tim. I love the Goodfellas...just never thought I'd be watching so many helicopters and tomato sauce in a day! Thanks for the response.
Such an eye-opener of a story Ryan, and thanks for going into so much detail, especially about how this kind of crept up on you so suddenly when you thought you were basically doing ok. Total sympathy from me too with the fact that this sh*t can just happen. I think the biggest takeaway for me is that aspect. You didn't do anything terrible, you just had a day or so of life-clutter and distractions which is what life is like for everybody a good deal of the time... only for us it can be effing FATAL. Which feels just more than a little insane and infuriating and your whole story nails the essential absurdity of this disease better than just about anything I've read
I'm still processing all you've put out there, but one thing I do know is what I'm going to say the next time someone remarks that having T1 is like having a second job. Yup, and not only that but it's a s*** job! Thanks for that one--I'm still laughing.
I just saw this and really appreciate your sharing your story Ryan. I have never been DKA, but close. I've gone to the ER twice for dehydration due to illness, and had ketones, but never got the full diagnosis nor ever was admitted past the ER.
Reading the post I have to admit I ran to the kitchen to check my #s as I've been running higher this week from a virus. Sure enough I'm 300 rather than 200 from a few hours ago. I did a site change this morning, had a bad site right away could tell and did it again. Testing 300 I questioned my site again. Sure enough I bled as soon as I removed it. I've been pumping for 12 years now and have so many issues with scar tissue or hitting capillary beds I often need 2 changes before I get a good spot and my control suffers.
Thanks again Ryan and all who are contributing to this thread. I needed to read this! as do so many I am sure.
Sorry that you had to go through that Ryan. You had so many overlapping events going on that day. I'm surprised that you could even function.
I've mentioned here before(many times) on similar threads about my one time DKA hospital adventure. Not sure if you read it, so I'll repeat.
I was unconscious through most of it, so I had to ask my Parents and Boyfriend(Hubby now) about it.
I was age 18, it was 1977. I was late for work and forgot to take my days Insulin. We had fast food for lunch and several pop since it was a hot summer day and the building water was yukky. I was very thirsty but my urine testing kit back then was unavailable at my apt. Later, I think I took my Lente Insulin after work, packed, got on the bus ride home to my Parents place. Slept on some Guys shoulder until the bus stopped and I got off, threw up then and hopped onto the next bus. I don't remember getting home but later that night getting up to throw up again. Realized I was in the back of my Parents car and I was throwing up yellow stuff and blood(TMI) into a white, plastic wash dish on the way to the hospital.
I don't remember having to go to the bathroom but I was asking for water but wasn't receiving any, so I climbed out of the railed bed and over my Mother somehow. I walked the halls until I found a water fountain. Then I collapsed.
Sometime later, I woke up to People talking. It was the Doctors telling my Parents that I wasn't going to make it. I passed out again.
I woke up again to see my Boyfriend beside my bed and holding my hand. I
was very tired, groggy and stiff. I was told that I had been in a Coma for 3 days.
Later that day, I was walking down the hall and one of the participating Doctors stopped to say Hi and mentioned that I was a Very Lucky Girl. This started Friday and I was back to work on Wednesday. I hadn't realized what I had been through, didn't have a clue about DKA back then. My blood glucose had been over 1200 mgs. Perhaps I'm one of those People who have a higher tolerance to high blood sugars. I used to be able to tolerate bad pains pretty good but now not as well as before. I don't think I had any other side effects as you and others have/had but thinking back, it may have been the beginning of my PDR.
Again, I'm sorry that this happened to you but with all you had going on, I'm not surprised. I truly hope that with time, therapy, meds and a positive attitude, you will be able to recover fully.
You had several MAJOR hardware failures at once.
The old Docs dont even bat and eye at BP = 180/50. But, it sounds like you were AWFUL sick. Maybe its taking a while for you body chemistry to settle out. I don't think many of us have had much ketoacidosis, so your perspective and experiences are really valuable.
I haven't had kusmal respirations since diagnosis, but I have had pump failures that put me at a sustained 550. It kinda surprises me that you can even remember the event. I, like you, can get really panicky when my physiology is screwed up. Its traumatizing, to be sure. I once punched a nice cop in the face when he was trying to help. I can barley remember it, but I remember it. If a face mask makes you freak, you or your wife can hold the mask near your face so you don't feel sooo suffocated. Difficulty breathing makes me panic. It makes everyone panic. Two hardware failures at the same time is a really tough blow. All while trying to take care of a toddler and a three-legged dog and working full time! Your amazing!
I think your right that the Docs don't often emphasis the risks/side effects of using some of our high tech solutions. Hardware failures are really hard to diagnose, for me, in less than 12 hours. After 12 hours, one can be really, really sick. Most of the time, I never really know what went wrong. I only have suspicions.
I love your dog! We jokingly call my dog, a diabetic rescue dog, because if I am weak with low blood sugar and holding a candy bar, he knows I'm weak and will snatch it out of my hand. He's a real 'food shark,' and a bastard.
Any way you could cut cost-of-living and work part time for a while? Probably not with a toddler, eh? Your holding a real tough hand. Hats off to your wife, as well. I think the odds of having a pump and sensor failure at the same time again are low. You might have to pay real close attention to pump insertions for a while. Every few days, when that occurs, check. Check again. Check, check, check. You'll be OK. Sounds like everybodys gonna be OK. I'm glad your kid and your dog weren't sick.
i have Graves Disease and when i was 1st dx i was emaciated, my heart was pounding like a rocket ship taking off, i could barely walk down the street without becoming totally out of breath. my right eye bulged from out of the socket (which is very common with Graves),and everything i ate i threw up. i had radiation treatment, and it took about a year to go into remission. i was finally feeling better, when i started losing weight again, and very quickly. i was peeing every five to ten minutes, and i was ravenously hungry and thirsty (like i could drink a river). i called my endo, thinking that it was my Graves again, but he didnt even recognize the potential signs of D. i finally called my mother, who was a health practitioner for the City of NY, and she insisted that i must have D and to get my BG checked. i saw a PCP who did a finger stick and my BSs were in the very high 300s. he put me on some pills and told me to get a glucomitor.he explained to me about eating sugar, but i didnt understand what on earth he was talking about. so the next time i felt hungry, i ate a milkyway bar. (obviously i made a
mistake) the doctor told me that if my sugars remained high, i should call him day or night. it was all so confusing at the time. that same night, i woke from my sleep to go pee, and i fell out of bed with my legs completely numb. i couldnt stand up. i dragged myself up off the floor and tested my BS. i was over into the 400s. i wanted to call the Doctor, but felt too guilty to call anyone at that early hour of the morning. i waited until 6am, and then called. he told me to go directly to the ER and he would call ahead so they would be expecting me. as soon as i arrived at the hospital, blood was drawn and i was in DKA. they immediatley hooked me up to an IV, gave me a lg shot if insulin and waited. i was so confused and disoriented. hungry, thirsty, having to pee, throwing up. both legs completely numb, but hurting at the same time.what was awful was how long everything was taking. unfortunatly,it was a holiday (long) weekend, and most of the regular nurses and doctors were not available.i was dealing with interns and substitutes. my husband was crazy with fear. i was in the hospital for a week before they told me about having to give myself injections. i practiced on an orange, which seemed very simple at the time. it was quite a different story when it came down to having to inject myself. this was long before things like the pump and the CGM existed. they didnt even have the fancy insulins that they have now. there was only beef or pork Regular insulin and i had to learn all about eating around the timing of the insulin. it was all completely overwelming.
anyway, yrs later, i am on the pump and the Dexcom CGM (both of which i LOVE!!!!) and my A1c has lowered to a decent 6.5. this has taken SOOOO much work. but i do still have mistakes and catastrophies. i hate eating out in new restaurants b/c i cannot calculate the carbs. regular restaurants i go to, i order the same exact meal every time. i have learned to know how much insulin to bolus and i feel comfortable and can enjoy my meal. i still cannot figure out how much insulin i need to bolus for pizza, or how to do the correct dual bolus to account for the high fat of the cheese or the most likely sugared tomato sauce. it's just not worth the anxiety i get to eat it. i am hyper-critical of myself and my Deducator keeps reminding me "that i am NOT my number" experiment. however, i just get neurotic and anxious whenever i am out of my comfort zone.
i have many D friends who dont give a hoot about what they eat, despite being on both the pump and a CGM and having A1cs over 10. i dont get it. my uncle lost his foot and went blind from D. i refuse to be a victim and have that happen to me. so i work as hard as i can with what i got. i am constantly seeking info to better myself, and trying to be forgiving when i dont get it "right."
good luck to everyone of us. life can be a real bit-- with D. just love yourself as best you can and let go of all the rest.