When I was diagnosed this past year, October 2008; it was a pretty big shock - although as I look back, it probably shouldn’t have been.
As the Chief Financial Officer of a small pharmaceutical research company, I found myself under a lot of stress and pressure. Apply the current economic environment and enter the emergency room. I took myself there due to severe chest pains in and around my heart. Being in the medical field at the time, I was fortunate to know the ER doctor. After spending half my day and several tests later, I found that my heart was in great shape. Unfortunately I learned that I did have one major issue, I was a Type 2 Diabetic. A what? And what does that mean?
So after going through your basic education process, I began to realize that this diagnosis may very well have been a giant blessing in my life.
By catching it now, I have a fighting chance through diet, weight loss – which I’ve always wanted to do – and medication. Had I continued with my lifestyle I would have done more damage to my body and limited my options.
Yes stress can bring it on. Certainly beats a fatal coronary. Diet and exercise are very important in the beginning of the disease. I think also it is important to add insulin to the pot sooner rather than later to prevent your pancreas from dying completely. Once I does and you have some insulin resistance the disease becomes your worst nightmare. Best of luck.
I was just thinking about this very subject this morning - as I walked around a lake working out to Cardio Coach on my ipod. I couldn’t have done this back in February when I was diagnosed as a T2. I feel great and have a ton of gratitude for that change.
But is diabetes a blessing? Not really. And for me, it’s not analogous to the sword of Damocles either, because I don’t live in constant fear. Instead it’s a not so subtle reminder to stay balanced and keep my life in control. Even though I’ve made many positive changes, I can’t call it a blessing, because blessings don’t take your favorite foods from you. Lots of people can eat most anything and still control their blood sugar. Damn it, I’m not one of them.
I’m a T2 with no complications yet and I’m with you, Allen.
While I am not happy to be diabetic, I am grateful for the wake-up call and opportunity to make some badly needed lifestyle changes that for whatever reason I didn’t have the strength to make before dx. I know how lucky I am that my dx didn’t come with a life-altering event that could have had serious repercussions for my husband and son.
Like you, my dx a few months ago was by accident when I went to the dr for something that may or may not have been related to diabetes. Any diabetes symptoms I might have had were masked by the Adderall that I take for ADD. Dry mouth is a side effect of Adderall so I was constantly drinking water.
At dx I needed to loose about 40lbs and I am already down 20, I rediscovered my bike (even started riding to work), my family is eating better and more active due to the exercise we do every day and I am working less hours (got my priorities in order). Another totally unexpected benefit…food no longer has an emotional hold on me, now I eat simply because it is necessary. This was going on for several weeks before I became aware of the change.
Right now, I am determined to stay ahead of my diabetes and this website has been a huge help. I know in the years to come there will be many challenges and there will be times that remaining positive will be a struggle. Thanks for starting this discussion, there is so much suffering sometimes I feel guilty for the way I feel about my dx. It is nice to read that someone else feels the same way I do.
I didn’t look at it as a blessing for two years after my diagnosis. I just ignored it. I can’t say for sure what caused me to start taking this seriously, no big medical things happened, I just did. My grandmother died from complications of diabetes, and I wasn’t going to be like her, but that was way before my diagnosis.
Right now, I take it very seriously, and urge friends and family to do the same, at least take the tests. There is so much at stake here, for something that can be lived with, something that can prolong your life and the quality of your life. We all have to educate ourselves on our bodies and our body’s method of dealing with diabetes. This is definitely NOT rocket science or
a “one-size-fits-all” disease. Those two theories are top level in my mind. Because a friend might be able to eat such and such and not have any side effects, doesn’t mean it works for me; because one med works for a person, doesn’t mean that I am doing something wrong when the same med doesn’t work for me. This is a process of discovery, but one that I feel can save your life.
I was diagnosed Type 2 in 7/07 but now realize I am actually Type 1.5. I quit eating sugar fifteen years ago (due to an eating disorder) and became a vegetarian in 2002. I love to cook hourmet meals and love to eat healthy. When I was diagnosed I lost 40 pounds without trying (one of the ways I knew I was Type 1.5). I had good blood sugars for a bit over a year on oral meds and for better or worse didn’t do anything to change my lifestyle. The oral meds have stopped working and I am now on insulin and realize my healthy diet is not healthy for a diabetic and I have to cut down on carbs which is hard for a vegetarian to do. I didn’t want to make these changes; I was happy with how I ate and how I lived. Do I sound angry? I’m angry. Nope, not a blessing to me.
First let me thank you all for your replies, however; based on some of them – I think I need to clarify my question. I am not suggesting that diabetes is a blessing, far from it. What I’m asking is if the timing of the diagnosis was a blessing.
For some of you it sounds like you may have already had a pretty good routine going. For those that did – I’m sorry its unfortunate and I think we all could understand how we would feel in that situation. (Not a blessing)
However for some of us who might not have been making the better choices (ie. ME), being diagnosed when I was, most likely saved me from additional complications. So for me and possibly those like me this timely diagnosis could be viewed as a blessing.
I was hoping this would spawn such a discussion, I think its great that we can share our experiences and thoughts about the disease that we share. Hopefully this discussion and the replies that follow will help some of us feel a little bit better knowing we are not alone in our experiences - regardless as to which side of the fence we’re on.
When I was diagnosed in 8/08, I considered it a blessing because I was certainly not making wise choices. The diagnoses started keeping me accountable. Now if I am doing everything right and end up having crappy numbers, I feel differently.
Overall, I still feel blessed due to the knowledge that I have gained on how food and exercise affects my sugars along with how living a stressful life can affect my numbers. Prior to being diagnosed, I had no clue that my numbers were affected by every aspect of my life.
I have a huge family history of T2 and at 45 years old was doing no preventative medicine of any type, no exercise, work too many hours at a high stress job, go to school, take care of my family and was about 50 lbs overweight. Like you, if I didn’t have a recipe for disaster…
In 2007 I ruptured multiple disks in my back and found myself in the hospital having emergency back surgery to allow me to keep walking. At the time I was admitted to the hospital the blood work revealed an A1c of 11.9
By no means do I consider the disease a blessing but in the last two years I have lost 30 lbs, started exercising regularly and improved my diet dramatically. My blood pressure and cholesterol are now under control and I feel like I have a fighting chance to live a long and healthy life. The diagnosis has allowed me to retake control of my life and taught me the value of preventative medicine.
I read back over this thread and realized how angry I am. I’m not apologizing for that, because it is just how I feel. But I do want to say, Allen and all, that I meant no disrespect to those of you who look on diabetes as a wake-up call. I think it’s great how people are able to turn their lives around and use diabetes to make positive changes in their lives. Many of us read both Type threads because there is stuff that is useful for us all, but it would be interesting to see the differences in response on this topic to Type 1’s (and 1.5’s) and Type 2’s.
Zoe, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Good for you for stepping up! One of the big differences between t1/t1.5 and t2 is to a certain degree many t2 could have slowed the progression of their disease with some preventative care or lifestyle changes. I am in that category. I feel lucky because the disease was caught before I had caused irreparable harm. If I had a different lifestyle would I still get the diseaes, probably but maybe it would have been much later in life. While those with t1/1.5 must maintain good diet and lifestyle, all of the lifestyle changes in the world will not prevent them from geting their disease. I am lucky and have been able to gain control of my life.
I hope you are able to channel your anger into strength and energy to to take the necessary steps to live a long and healthy life.
i wouldn’t call being diagnosed a blessing, but a relief.
the first day and half before i was diagnosed was THE WORST!
i had no energy at all, vomitting, drinking, and peeing.
and i was barely 73 pounds.
now i’ve gained about 20 pounds back in 4 months.
i couldn’t imagine how much worse it could get if my parents did take me to the hospital.
[i was told i was close to going into a coma]
i was glad i was there tho, cuz i felt better instantly once they started giving insulin through IV and stuff
getting my body back to normal
so basically, no finding out i have diabetes was not a blessing, but feeling better and finally know what was wrong was the blessing i guess
For many years, I have been plagued with heavy fatigue. I would fall asleep during work meetings, movies, even during chruch! I would do things like drink a Coke right before church or the meetings, and I would fall asleep! Then, I noticed a pattern of my being very sleepy after lunch.
Not eating lunch didn’t help. I’d drink a Dr. Pepper, and then the Sandman would visit me. In addition to the sleeping, I’d have a problem with constant urination. It got bed to where I could not drink anything before the first half of a movie, or I’d have to leave the theater right before the ending to relieve myself.
When I was diagnosed with Diebetes 2, I was relieved! I knew from my dad’s experience that Type 2 was better managed with proper eating, exercise, and medications. It explained why I’d fall asleep 30 minutes of drinking an energy drink.
I now do not fall asleep at meetings or church. I am more alert. I feel as though my diagnosis has given me a second chance to live a normal life.
