My Blog

Hi everyone! I thought I'd share my story about my diabetes with everyone. I hope no one minds.

 

I was diagnosed 4 years ago. Here is how it happened. I didn't have a regular doctor. I am from IN originally and now live in FL. For reasons that are a whole other story I lived my first year or maybe two (I kind of block that period out and have a hard time remembering much about it) that I lived here, I was homeless and lived with my now ex-boyfriend mostly on the streets with no food half the time. Then I met my wonderful husband and father to our beautiful 9 year old daughter (also related to the my life on the streets story). Anyway so I never had bothered to get a doctor even after I was no longer homeless. So let's skip ahead so this doesn't get *too* long lol. So one day (for weeks! but it started one day) I was just in so much pain I was screaming it was awful. I couldn't sleep, I was constantly throwing up cuz the pain was so bad, it was awful, and I was *still* going to work (which made my husband mad) Finally him and my best on-line friend convinced me to to a doctor. So I went to a walk-in clinic and the doctor there said I had shingles and gave me medication. So I took it and the pain went away, then about 3 weeks later, it came back, so back I went they said shingles again but refused to give me pain meds this time. He said it will go away I don't need meds.

 

So... I was talking to my co-worker and superisor about it and she said I need a "real" doctor cuz sounds like the walk in clinic doesn't know what they're doing. So she gave me her doctor's name and told me to try him. This is the best thing I ever did! I went to him and he wanted to do blood work. He said he didn't think I had shingles because it should have gone away after the first time then if that's what it was. He also said "So second time you go back?" (I'm talking like him, he's Indian, Dr. Patel- and anytime he gives me a referral they are also a Dr. Patel lol) "So second time you go back? Doctor say shingles and just send you away nothing for pain?" Anyway so also before he started the blood work he said "Do you have problems with blood work?" I said "Yes, I am terrified of needles and I always get sick and feel like I'm going to pass out." He said "Would you like me to bring my assistant in to hold your hand?" Wow! That's when I knew I had found the right doctor and what I'll be saying further on will further prove it. I took him up on the offer and that was my first "pain free" blood work experience. But I feel sorry for the poor girl he sent in to me, I really squeezed her hand hard during it! lol So he said he'd call with the results.

 

So next time he calls me and when I came in he said I had a kidney stone. Now I'll never if I ever really had shingles but anyway he said I had a kidney stone and referred me to a urologist. I ended up needing outpatient surgery to remove that. To this day I still don't know if I *ever* had shingles or if it was always the kidney stone causing me such agony.

 

So anyway they also did more lab work and then I forgot what but it came back I had something else (I know in the end I ended up having high blood pressure, the kidney stone, high cholesterol, and then diabetes) So by the time it got to diabetes, my doctor said "Do you know what you're like? You're like a person that takes the car in for a tune up and then all of a sudden they say 'your brakes are bad, you need oil'" lol So anyway I had type II and he said right now I could just do diet and exercise and he put me on meds. I was on Metformin and I forgot now if I was on two or three different ones because shortly after my diagnosis something very traumtic happened in my life that lasted for two years (some of you of course know that whole story and for those that do I want to apologize again for my endless non diabetes related posts during that time I was just in such a bad point and seriously thought of ending it all sometimes that I was reaching out to keep my sanity) Anyway because of this, I finally got so depressed and couldn

t focure I just stopped all care. Stopped my meds, quit going to my doctor. I just didn't care anymore. Anyway, the traumtic thing in brief had to do with my daughter and hubby and a counselor I was seeing and my best on-line friend told me I *need* to get myself better for her sake if nothing else.

 

So... I composed a letter to my doctor (by now I hadn't been managing my diabetes for 6 months to a year I can't remember for sure now)- did this by letter cuz I was too scared to do it by phone- explaining the situation and asking if I could come back.

 

He had his office call me and schedule an appointment. When I came in, he wasn't happy with me. He took my sugar right there and it was 495! He was ready to put me in the hospital (and I'm terrified of them too!), I covinced him to wait. He finally compromised he said I could go home drink lots of fluids and he gave me a prescription for Metformin and siad come back the next day and if it wasn't lowered I'd have to go to the hospital. It was lowered it was still high but lowered enough he said I didn't have to go. He said "I understand this is a hard time for you but you can't say to h**** with it and stop everything." And every appointment he would ask me how the situation was going. He's very good and caring.

 

Anyway this was when I finally realized I have a serious disease and I have to manage it- before that I was still eating whatever I felt like the only concession I made to having diabetes was I drank diet soda instead of regular.

 

Well finally even though I was taking care of myself, the meds just wouldn't help I was always running high and my doctor tried several different meds and doses finally he said there was nothing left to try (the only one taht worked cost me $200 even with my insurance! I sure couldn't pay that every month!) and I was going to have to go on insulin,

 

I cried for two days. I'm scared of needles! So he had me come in for 2 days (once even my hubby came in case he ever had to do it) to teach me how to inject myself. So for 2 days I injected myself there. And it wasn't as bad as I thought.

 

Only I also have no eye/hand coordination (when I was in kid I even had to have therapy for it when I see things my hand doesn't go to where the thing I'm seeing is it's embarrasing but because of it when we go out and stuff I have to have my husband cut my food) so injecting can be hard and it's really hard with that. So then I heard about the insulin pen and asked my doctor if he'd consider that. He did and my injections are so easy now.

 

And... I joined Weight Watchers because I am also overweight and my sugar levels started being much better ever since. So yes I have diabetes, but I learned to take it seriously and now I am managing it pretty well. Sometimes too well cuz I have had some scary low experiences.

 

So for anyone still with me, sorry that got so long, I just wanted to share and I hope no one minded.

Well... Now I shared so much that I have to get ready for work. I work 8am-3pm today. Then I get to do one of my favorite things after, go spend some time at the library cuz some of my books are due today and out of renewals. But that's fine I'm done anyway.

 

Everyone else have a great day! For those that know the rest of my story, thank you for being there for me even when I got annoying and you wished I'd go away already! lol