I hadn't intended to put any of this down here, but enough of you have asked me about it that it's easier to do this way. Mainly...how did you get diabetes? And how did it happen so quickly? The simple answer--I was overweight, ate poorly, and didn't exercise. As to how--I'm not sure, but once I thought it was a possibility, I couldn't have done things more wrong to prevent it. Here it is, somewhat chronologically (and bulleted!!):
- Remember this HNT? I have heard from others that 'someone they knew' got diabetes after some sort of bodily trauma, such as breaking a leg. I don't know if my puking adventure triggered it, but I do know that I quit the Diet Coke cold turkey after that day, and the desire to drink the entire Missouri River started soon after.
- Early to mid-September...I started noticing that I really was drinking excessive amounts of water. On the plus side, my knees were feeling better. I figured the water was simply flushing out any toxins in me. And any good diet says you're supposed to drink lots of water. Unfortunately, it also led to getting up multiple times during the night to pee, which in turn was making me quite tired during the days (at least, that's what I thought was the problem).
- Around the 17th, I had S3 pick me up after delivering the equipment truck for the upcoming symphony concert. I mentioned to her about the thirst and the peeing, and she harassed me into promising to go see a doctor about it. I told her I'd do it as a bday present for her, but it would have to wait until after the concert.
- Concert on the 24th. By this time, the dryness in my mouth was getting out of control. I had to have a quart of water with me onstage to take a sip before playing. Because I had no spit. And my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth. And I was SO tired afterwards for the tear-down. Thank God I had a crew to help!
- Towards the end of the following week, I go to the county health co-op to see someone. The earliest they can get anyone to see me would be Thursday, Oct. 9th.
- The week of Oct. 5th...I work on Monday, but tell the boss I don't know how long I'll stay, because I'm exhausted, and a little light-headed. But it passes, and I finish out the day. Tuesday, I feel a little more exhausted, and call in sick. I spend the day mostly napping and peeing. I don't even feel like scoping out the Boobie-Thon site. I do get to the store to buy groceries and stock up with fruit juices. And ice cream. Because they sound like they'd taste really good. And they did! I also bought some Jolly Ranchers to suck on. If my dry, pasty mouth was going to taste as funky as it was, it might as well taste like those (please note the very sugary things I was consuming here...). My voice was also changing. Almost squeaky. And I came to the realization that I getting rid of far more liquid than I was putting in. I was pretty close to the understanding that I was not in a good way.
- Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much the same as Tuesday. Stay at home, nap, drink fruit juice and suck candies. But I did have a doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon, so off I went. After talking with the doctor, a nurse came in to test my blood sugar level. Where "normal" range is between 70 - 130, mine was at 473. Meaning that my body wasn't making enough insulin to allow the sugar in my blood to get to the blood cells. And there's another test that says it's been this way for awhile. Basically, all the sweet stuff over the prior few days was just too much for my system to handle. The doctor declared me to have type II diabetes, prescribed some oral meds, and sent me home. Along with a blood glucose meter.
- Friday rolls around, and I'm still totally exhausted. I call in sick again, and this time the girl who answered the phone at work could hardly recognize my voice. The rest of the day was spent in bed, rather in front of the TV. The phone rang a few times, but I ignored it. Until someone calls me 5-6 times in a row. It's my BIL3. I don't even know what time it is, though I imagine it's sometime after 5PM. He tells me he's coming over to take me to the hospital. I argue, but he's a physical therapist, so I figure he knows when I might need to go. Plus, I know that my sisters are with him, and there's no way they're going to let me get away with that. By this point, I've been peeing off and on all day, and hadn't had anything to eat since Wed. night (assuming they wanted a fasting level for the blood tests). He said I had the look of death. I don't know that I'd argue with that...
- My first 12 hours at the hospital are still a blur. I remember that I was too weak to even take my clothes off to get into one of those sexy hospital gowns. I remember that my eyes were shut the entire time in the ER because the lights were so bright (to me, anyway). I remember almost crying because my mouth was SO dry, and they wouldn't even give me an ice chip until they were done checking me out (and I would have married the very attractive nurse that gave me my first one on the way to ICU). I remember being poked and prodded once an hour that first night. I remember the smiling lab technician who came to draw blood at 5AM. Every single morning... With a smile on her face! That's just wrong.
So that's it. Still learning alot. I'll keep you posted! Thus ends my TMI~
Oh, one more thing! I have found a new appreciation for broccoli and cauliflower (though I'm sure it'll get old sometime down the road), and sugar-free Jello! Still working on liking whole wheat bread, though...
Another thing--I was so out of it during that last week that, for the first time in forever, I spaced out making my midnight call to Moose on her birthday. Good thing she's a forgiving soul!
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