Diabetes and I

[Handy-Andy]

Over the last 4 or 5 month's I've been showing a few of the classic symptom's of diabetes and I've been putting them off as silly thought's nothing wrong with me but today my fears were realised I'm diabetic .

The symptom's I was showing were the raging thirst I could never quench one of the main sign's , going to the toilet more than usual , feeling lethargic and tied but feeling better after I had eaten .

Like I said I had been putting them off but last week I made an appointment to see the doctor today so he (just my luck) gave me a check up everything fine then the urine sample and yes it was abnormal only slightly but enough for me to be diabetic and causing me all these problem's . Now I've had some blood taken for a blood sugar count and to see what type of diabetes I have more than likely it's hypoglycaemia and I'm going back tomorrow to see the doctor again to find out more and to sort my treatment out luckily it's been caught early and hopefully I can keep it under control just with tablet's .

This has totally upset and freaked me out so firstly is there any lit members who are diabetic or experienced diabetes who are willing to talk to me to allay my fears you can e-mail me at andrew.h.1@ntlworld.com , AIM andyhtfc or ICQ 87294322 and secondly if any of ya have any of these symptom's go get then checked out you never know.

Anyway Thanks for reading
Andrew

 

[Nicole]

Andrew I'm so sorry you had to find this out. I know what your going through to a certain extent, My Dad has second stage Diabetes and controls his off tablets too, he found out about 10 - 11 years ago now and luckily is still controlling it on the Tablets.

If you want to talk you know where I am, and you better know that I'll always be here for you. You have my Email Addy and my AIM. I'll be on shortly babe.

I have this brilliant recipie that I really need to type out, I owe it to KillerMuffin too, so I'll pass it on to you too. I hope you like Muffins.

Good Luck Babe

 

[Expertise]

Once the shock wears off....

I found out I was diabetic a year ago. It scared the shit out of me.

It is initialy pretty devastating I realize. Huge lifestyle changes seem iminent. The nameless yet extremely negative possibilities. Its pretty fucking scary.

But it isn't actually that bad and I have been relatively lucky. Initialy mine was controlable with only diet and excercise. Which meant some changes but not huge or unmanageable ones. As of a month ago I started taking a couple pills (gluconorm) before meals which have made me feel even better, not that I was really suffering many ill effects to begin with.

I am not quite as "religouse" as I should be. I give myself a treat at least weekly and enjoy an occasional alchoholic beverage which, though it elevates my blood glucose, does not send it to levels that really cause concern for me or my physician.

Moderation in all things is suggested, and is some good advice. But Andy, everyone reacts differently. Follow your doctors advice and do a little GENTLE experimentation on your own to see what you can tolerate.

It is a dangerous disease but it is extremely controlable so don't sweat it yet my friend. I along with many other sufferers still lead very enjoyable and productive lives.

 

[Patryn]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't hypoglycemia the opposite of diabetes?

 

[teresafannin]

Hi Andy, I am sorry if it does turn out that you have diabetes, but it is a very manageable illness, as is hypoglycemia. My ex-husband has diabetes & while he has to take insulin shots, he does an awful lot. The 10 years we were married, he did all the Boy Scout stuff with my son, hiking, swimming, camping, canoing, etc. My brother in law is hypoglycemic & he also does everything he did before.The most important thing is to follow your diet & the other instructions that the doctor will give you. I know quite a few people with diabetes or hypoglycemia & they all live very full, active lives. Keep us posted on how you are doing, Take care, Teresa

[Edited by teresafannin on 10-09-2000 at 04:04 PM]

 

[Silverlily]

I too, am sorry to hear your news. My father has Type II diabetes and so far, has controlled it through diet and exercise. He does have to monitor his blood, but there haven't been any ill effects that I know of.

Good luck, when you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, stop and take some deep breaths. You don't have to let this beat you. (((HUGS)))

 

[Handy-Andy]

Nicole , Ta babe I wil take heart from your Dad and YYYEEEESSS I love muffin's

Expertise , Thanks mate for the reasurance I think thats all I really need . Like ya said it's the shock ARGH needle's and injection's but when you find out that it can be controlled with tablet's I feel a lot better.

Patryn , it's do with Low Blood Sugar . I'm not an expert on the subject yet.

Terrsa , Pleased to me ya and thanxs for the advice and about your ex and brother in law being still able to get on with there life's normally . Cheers

Kitten , that hug was needed thank you and here's one back * HUG*

 

[Sammyjo]

Hypoglycemia is a complication of diabetes. It occurs when blood sugar gets too low. Because the diabetic pancreas is not producing enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood intead of going to the body's cells.

Conditions that lead to hypoglycemia in diabetics are taking too much insulin, missing or delaying meals, not eating enough food for the insulin to break down, very strenuous exercise, drinking too much alcohol, or combinations of these.

My father was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. I had gestational diabetes. These two things put me at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life. I hope anyone who has diabetes in their family will take precautions against developing it...I know I do everyday.

 

[ShynCarolina]

Hey there Handy,

Sorry to hear the news but I can tell you from personal experience that it is not as bad as you may think. I was diagnosed with type II in late Jan of this year. I also had the problems with thirst and frequent bathroom trips as well as both of my feet going numb. When the doctor told me I had diabetes I thought there would be nothing worse that I could have been told. Now, several months later, my blood sugar is under control and I am actually down 35 pounds from when I was diagnosed. I take Glucophage (diabetes medication) and Zestril (blood pressure) along with watching what I eat and trying to cut out lots of sweets. The Glucophage helps me process the glucose better and the zestril helps me keep my keep my blood pressure down to avoid any kidney problems.

Best advice I can give you is to take the time to get all the information you can. The hardest part that I had to get used to was doing the fingerpricks to test my blood sugar levels. The good thing is that most of the testers out there now use very little blood and it doesn't hurt at all (well, once you get used to it ). Use the info your doctor will give you, it may seem overwhelming at first so don't get discouraged. Also, there are several very good websites out there with information and recipes. One good place to start is http://www.diabetes.org (the American Diabetes Association).

If I can answer any questions you might have, feel free to write me. My email address is trheelbred@aol.com

Remember to think positive

 

[Cheyenne]

I had a cat that was diabetic, does that count?
Seriously, I learned to give him insulin shots that he needed every 12 hours and I rearranged my life so I could meet that schedule for him.

Until I learned to give the shots, I also thought diabetes would be really terrible to have (I have a somewhat close relative who has had diabetes since 1975 or so). But if I had to now, I think I could give myself or someone else shots without a problem. And if you're lucky, you'll never get so bad that you need them anyway. Do what your doctor tells you to do and read everything you can about diabetes on the Internet. Knowledge is power. Good luck!!

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

Good to see that so many of you know so much about Diabetes. Most of the patients in the low-income, poorly-educated population we see at our medical center don't even know the word "diabetes". Often to elicit a history of diabetes from them you have to use slang phrases. For example, I had this conversation the a few weeks ago with a patient I hadn't seen before:

Oliver: Has a doctor ever told you that you have diabetes?

Patient: Oh, no. I ain't got that.

Oliver: Well, your blood tests show that your blood sugar is high. Are you sure you don't have "the sugars"?

Patient: (nonchalantly) Oh, yeah, Doc. I got tha shoogas.

So needless to say, sometimes we're fighting an uphill battle. There are a lot of cool new treatments for diabetes coming out, though... islet cell transplants may actually not only free type 1 diabetics of taking insulin, but may completely cure them. Still under investigation, though.

Feel free to drop me an e-mail, Andy, if you have any questions.

And everybody should read Sammyjo's excellent concise post on diabetes. She speaks truth.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I feel for ya, really do. Just remember, though, that its not the end of your life. Nothing has really changed has it? You're still the same special wonderful you that you always were, you've just gone from being cheap to high maintenance. Is that a bad thing?

It helps to have a support base of people around you who will listen to you bitch moan and complain when you just want to beat the crap out of the fates that did this to you. It also helps to find someone who has been diagnosed with the diabetes as an adult, and had to change their life because of it. They are really the only people who can truly understand what you're going through, you would be surprised at how much easier it is to bear when you have someone who can say "yeah, I know what you mean man." and mean it.

The place inside of you that really matters is your attitude. It can make all the difference in the world. You can suffer or you can prosper by your attitude. If you refuse to let the diabetes get you down, and you are determined to be happy, then there is nothing the diabetes can do to you that you can't handle. Sure, there will be times you just can't stand it anymore, but don't let yourself get down.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy, and they don't know why I have it, in June of 99. Its an uncontrolled epilepsy, so I have lots of seizures. Its been a real challenge, and thats what I see it as. A challenge that I can overcome, beat, and succeed despite. It can't make me quit enjoying my life and my being alive. Don't let diabetes make you quit, cause you're special.