Hello. My name is Roger. This will be my first blog entry on Tudiabetes. I have not used this site as much as I should but I am hoping that will change in the next while.
My Journey on this long road…
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on July 6, 2010. I was in the ER for 27 hours. I had walked in with the classical symptoms; thirsty, frequent urination, very, very tired. They took me in right away. They had tested my blood-sugars and found it to be ‘24’. The normal range of course being ‘5.0-7.0’. I was given low doses of insulin to gradually bring my blood-sugar back to normal. After all the tests and finally figuring out what was wrong, I was finally let out 10am the next day.
It was a frustrating year prior. I knew something was wrong. I always had this surreal feeling every day. The only time I would feel ‘normal’ was when I first got up. After the surreal feelings I slowly began to feel pain in my legs every now and then. At first I didn’t give it a second thought. I figured the feeling was normal as I was not running and playing my usual sport 3-4 times per week.
I also gained weight too which is never a good thing. at my most I was 235 lbs. My normal diet was Subway, Pizza, chicken, and the odd bowl of vegetables with coffee (double-double) and sometimes tea. Aside from not exercising anymore, I thought I was pretty healthy.
I remember back in May of 2009, I was driving and I got a weird headache. I pulled over and let it pass but wondered what it was? Stress from work and being out in the sun? Possibly. I began to worry. So much so, that I went to the doctor who checked me and said everything was normal but I wanted to be checked more and told him so. I was set up with an appointment to get my head checked. Everything was fine.
As the summer went on, I could feel my anxiety begin to act up. I had worked the night shift for a few years and had a lot of time to think. Too much time I suppose. Almost every second say during the summer, my anxiety began to act up and I began to have panic attacks after I had left work. I was going to the doctor at least once a week telling them I didn’t feel right and I couldn’t figure out what it was.
My stomach had been in pain every so often so they checked my stomach out. Nothing. After a few check-ups, the doctor had said it was just stress and I should try relax more. Well, I tried but that didn’t change anything.
I came to the conclusion that it was the years of working the night shift so it was time for a change. A day job had just come up and I successfully applied.
New day job. Ok, I can finally start to feel normal…so I thought. The surreal feeling just got worse the more I worked at this new job. It was always a surreal feeling followed by a panic attack and a trip to the ER or Walk-in Clinic. Every time, it was the same answer: Stress.
I remember that October 2009 I finally had a series of blood tests and a check up. Again everything came out normal. But I do remember one thing the doctor asked me just before my check-up ended. “Are you diabetic?” My answer was “I had never been diagnosed so I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Ok, well your sugars are a bit high so just try keep them low.” he said to me. “Ok.” I replied.
Right there, my whole issue could have been resolved. I understand doctors are under a lot of pressure. But had he just taken an extra moment to say “You know what? Let’s test for that and be sure” it would have saved me a year of symptoms and stress in not knowing what was wrong with me.
I was probably pre-diabetic for the past year up until that point. And after that meeting, nothing really had changed. I did start exercising and things got a little better but I was stressing out too much about this surreal feeling I always had. It eventually cost me my job.
Another 6 months would go by where my panic attacks would come and go but I did not always run to the ER or Walk-in.
I remember playing with my cell phone when my right hand thumb began to burn. That time I went to a different walk-in clinic and explained the usual symptoms. The doctor brushed off my questions of what could make my fingers feel like they are burning and again chalked everything up to stress.
Talk about frustration. I began to feel like I was never going to know what was wrong with me. I’ll admit that my spirits were low during that time. I was no longer working. I was listening to Anxiety CD’s and I began to have this feeling that the people in my life were beginning to think I was either crazy or just wanted attention.
Despite all that, I did my best to keep a positive attitude.
After a few months of doing nothing, I started looking for a new job and around May 2010, I got one. It was preceded by 6 weeks of training/ orientation. Basically sitting down for 6 hours a day and listening to lectures, etc. At least we were getting paid for it.
One thing I noticed during this time was I was always tired. No matter how much I rested, I was always tired and felt lazy through the day. it just never failed.
About 4 weeks into our training, I began to have blurry vision. I went to the eye doctor and told him about it. I got a new prescription for my glasses but that did not seem to resolve the problem. I went back to the eye doc’ and told him. He checked my eyes once more and gave me another stronger prescription.
After a day, this did not even suffice.
I made another appointment to see the Eye Doctor.
Slowly, along with my blurry vision, I had begun to get thirsty a lot. Nothing could quench my thirst…nothing. A week went by and I began to feel very low in energy. It was such a sick feeling. People told me to go to the doctors but I stubbornly refused, thinking that I would be diagnosed with ‘stress’ all over again. I held out another week.
Finally, I went to the ER and told them symptoms.
5 minutes went by and they called me name. “Type 1” I was told by the Diabetes doctor and “You will always be on the needle”…
That was a year ago. Today I am type 2… how did that happen? That’s my next blog.
-Roger™
The journey for some of us is long and hard. Mine was self inflicted. I hated doctors. In some ways I still do. But one thing about D I have to go to the doctor to get my insulin refills so I have to see them often now.
I exhibited the same symptoms as you as far as feeling like I never got enough sleep and constantly going to the bathroom. I new enough to know what it probably was. But I refused to go to the doctor. My complany physical caught it one year and then it was off to my doctor for a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT). Drink 16 oz of Kero syrup (what it looked and tasted like) then water every 15 mins. Draw blood and test urine every 15 mins. This went on for 3 hours. Now I guess they just diagnose with a fasting BG level or HbLC1.
You are in the right place now. You know what you have and you know what you need to do. All that is left is to do it. Everyone on this site will be here to help you. Stand tall…you can do it!!
Thanks for the encouragement ‘brokenpole’. I really appreciate it.