Written and First Posted by Michael Barker, 2010…still very relevant!
You’re about fifty years old and you’ve been working in the back yard. It’s been
pretty hot so you’ve been drinking iced tea. Over the last week, you’ve been
kind of drinking too much tea and having to go to the bathroom at night so
you’ve been trying to cut back, but you have been thirsty.
You come back into house and stand in the kitchen
munching on a few teacakes. You’re thirsty, got to go to the bathroom and
you’re a bit woozy. You wait a little bit, probably a bit of blood pressure.
Suddenly, your wife pulls you into a chair and calls your name. You snap out of
it. You’re nauseous, weak and you’re having a hard time catching your breath.
911 is called and the next thing you know you’re in a hospital with all kinds
of tubes running out of you and they’re telling you you’re diabetic and you’re
in ketoacidosis.
Diabetes? You were at the doctor’s office six
months ago for your checkup but your blood sugar was fine. I mean, you were
having some problems with being stiff and tired but, let’s face it, fifty means
a certain amount of aches and pains.
A couple of days later you’re home and are taking
blood sugar readings and giving yourself insulin shots. You have to admit
you’re feeling better and your blood sugars are going down. The surprise is
that they keep going down and now after only a month or so from joining the
diabetic masses you are introduced to a new term - hypos.
The same dose of insulin that brought you down to
normal is now taking you to low blood sugars. This is just great. You almost go
into a coma from not having insulin and now you almost go into a coma from
having too much. The docs tell you to keep reducing the insulin till finally
they have to take you off insulin completely. They give you Metformin and tell
you to watch your diet and get some exercise and off you go.
Two months ago, you were a regular Joe then you
became a type 1 diabetic. Another month later, you’re off insulin and now you’re a type 2 diabetic. What next, type 3?
If you in any way fit this description, welcome to the world of Ketosis Prone Diabetes!
Pull up a chair and sit down because we have a lot to talk about.
Mike