Life with Diabetes

It's been about 2 months since I took the trip to the emergency room that lead to me finding out that I have Diabetes. Many changes were necessary for me to live with this life threatening condition ranging in various levels of difficulty. So for those interested here's the "two months later" blog on my health.

Most people thought the hardest adjustment I would make would be the sugar and carbs I eat. Not true! It's been easy for me to stay away from sweets for years, and after experiencing the consequences first hand, cutting back of breads and pastas was a no brainer. I actually went from having too high a blood sugar level to having too low of one. The balancing act is a bit weird, but manageable, and that leads me to my next adjustment.

With my blood sugar fluctuating I have very often had to deal with symptoms associated with low blood sugar. The ones that affect me the most deal with my mental state. I get irritable quick, depressed, and sometimes angry for no reason. At my worst I lose coordination. That being said I think it's wonderful when friends and families educate themselves on diabetes. They can then be supportive of your situation and give you space when needed. Unless, of course, if they're inconsiderate and unloving...

The biggest problem has been my eating schedule. Before, I used to skip meals or eat after both jobs, which lead to eating late at night, but I'm so active that if i was to not eat anything my blood sugar would easily fall into the danger zone. Keeping candy to adjust this is easy to do but I still need proper nourishment.

With proper nourishment comes eating smart. If you've read a previous blog I made, then you would know that I have recently been using fatsecret.com to track my calories and eat smarter. On top of that I have a regular exercise schedule that has been very fruitful. As of this posting I have lost a total of 16 more pounds in addition to the 30 lost from being in the hospital. 14 more and i'll reach my goal!

Overall, in conclusion I would say, "so far so good." But the X Factor that has been the biggest thorn in my side through all this has been STRESS! Trying to stay positive is hard, especially when everything seems to go wrong at once. My advice to anyone coping with diabetes is to avoid stress like the plauge. It will kill you. One of the best ways I take my mind of my problems is by writting/blogging (Maybe thats why I posted blogs 5 consecutive days versus the regular once a week schedule...)

Thanks so much for reading and I'll see ya' next blog!!

Time to be serious

Ok it's time to be 100% serious. Due to the previous week's events, I almost wasn't here to write this blog. To answer the question of what happened to me I post this blog for my readers, and friends to inform and educate.

Last week I was diagnosed with Diabetic ketoacidosis...

Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes. It results from a shortage of insulin; in response the body switches to burning fatty acids and producing acidic ketone bodies. This is, (as in my case,) sometimes the first symptom of previously undiagnosed diabetes, but it may also occur in known diabetics due to a variety of causes, such as illness or poor compliance with insulin therapy.

I dealt with vomiting, dehydration, deep gasping breathing, and confusion which are all typical symptoms. DKA is a medical emergency, and without treatment I could have died. Fortunately a swift trip to the ER made treatment possible.

Treatment involves intravenous fluids to correct dehydration, insulin to suppress the production of ketone bodies, treatment for any underlying causes such as infections, and close observation to prevent and identify complications. For me this involved a week long stay in the hospital.

I'm happy to say I'm home now, recovering and regaining the strength necessary to get back to work, but this could've been prevented.

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed and has been called a “Silent Killer.” People can exhibit noticeable symptoms such as frequent urination, blurred vision, excessive thirst, itchy skin and numbness or tingling in feet. Most individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes do not show these overt warning signs at the time that they develop the disease. These symptoms sometimes get ignored, I should know. I've NEVER had any health problems and I work a whole lot so I figured I was thirsty and exhausted because of it. I've never been used to eating a lot of sweets or soda, BUT, I do enjoy pasta which was a issue. The moral of the story is, don't take your health for granted.

Take the initiative and make sure this doesn't happen to you. The doctors don't know how long I've had diabetes. I could have been unknowingly controlling it for years.

Get tested! Just because you get blood work done during a doctors visit doesn't mean that your blood is being tested for diabetes. You have to request a HbA1c test. If your family has a history of diabetes than your doctor might suggest you get tested, but it's still up to you.

Feel free to leave a comment, and share this with any who are putting off going and getting tested. It's a matter of life of death.
Take care of yourself and see ya next blog...