My Diabetic Diagnosis Part 1

I was diagnosed with Diabetes in 1984 at the age of 10. I usually have a very good memory but part of the 80's is a bit of a blur. Maybe that happens to everyone who lived through the 80's, I am sure we all want to forget the shoulder pads, big hair days and leg warmers. You are probably thinking that I blanked it out because it was a bad time, but this I don't remember. Did I have the feeling of Why me? or this is the end, I really can't remember those emotions.

We moved to South Africa from Zimbabwe in 1983, My Mum, Dad and 2 sisters Karen and Tracey. Thank goodness we did as I don't think that my Diabetic story would have been so good if I had been diagnosed in Zimbabwe what with the rapidly declining health care and no medical advances, also the Diet Coke tasted disgusting there.

In 1984 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes , nothing  dramatic, I went to the doctor with thrush (The Lady type!) The GP was on the ball and sent me straight away for a Glucose tolerance test. My Mum I think was most effected by this, it hit her hard. As a Mother myself now, I can understand her reaction but at the time I was thinking - Who has this, me or you get over it. A bit harsh but I was only 10 (Sorry Mum). I don't think I had any other symptoms , thirsty or going to the toilet often,being the most common ones. I was however extremely thin. I saw a picture a few years ago taken of me on a family holiday back then. Wearing what looked like knickerbockers and I looked like I had anorexia.

The glucose tolerance test was terrible, having to down a glass of thick glucose drink. (I can think of better  things to down.) Then having your blood taken ,what felt like a million times. I think I cried often that day. The tests obviously came back positive and I was told to go see the best Diabetic Specialist around, Dr D, I do not see him now, I am sure he must of retired after he made a small fortune. He was working then out of the Rand Clinic (My GPS accidentally took me that route home some months ago and if you had to go there nowadays you would need danger insurance never mind a medical aid.) Dr D had (how would you put it?) a bedside manner of a mortician but I must emphasize that he was by far the best Endo.

He told me to come back in a months time. (I thought he had gone off his rocker.) He did explain the reason so maybe he was not so crazy, he told me my Diabetes is going to go on Honeymoon. (Do I or Do I not have Diabetes?) He told me that I still had Diabetes but it will go away for awhile and then come back to stay FOREVER! ( I still thought he was crazy, he had a crazy look in his eye but I can testify that he had that same crazy eye look every time I saw him for next 13 or so years.) This was especially true one time when I went to see him , I past his car in the parking lot and I noticed that the Merc Badge had been snapped right off, I asked him about it when I saw him and he frowned and said " Some guy stole it and is wearing it as a necklace." I was too scared then to laugh but I did after the appointment, in fact I am actually laughing right now while I type this.

I have broken this journey in to more than one post so you don't get tired of reading and then click on next.I appreciate that ADD can be a real problem. Part 2 of My Diabetic Diagnosis and more to follow.

I have to add these most important last few words. (Sorry if this sounds like a thank you speech at the Oscars.)
I have the best family ever, when it comes to my Diabetes and everything else as well:

Mum: Even though you fretted way too much about this I understand that you where only ever having my best interests at heart. Thanks for that.

Dad: You are my hero. You certainly coined the phrase " Manage It" in reference to my Diabetes.
Here is my new catch phrase but we need to add "as long as you MANAGE IT."

Karen: My sister , who still looks away when I inject myself. Love Ya.

Tracey: Do you remember a time when I was as sick as a dog with Nausea and I was very silly and did not inject because I was not eating anything (Duh), You took me to the hospital when my Blood sugar was way too high and I had Ketones. PS I still can't eat a Mike's Kitchen Stir fry. Love you.

Lets wrap it up with a dilemma Dracula would have encountered if he had been Diabetic:
Happy Halloween all and please don't eat the children's candy.


Another Halloween add on , please take a look at this Gauteng Photographer's Facebook page and the wonderful Halloween pictures she has taken, she has the most amazing talent.

https://www.facebook.com/livstirlingphotography?fref=photo

Bye for now

Kim

One of the Number one reasons I am sometimes successful with my Diabetic Management.

Today I have been married for 13 years to Mr P.

13 might be an unlucky number for some but my luck, truly did change then I met my one and only and he asked me to marry him.

Your 13th anniversary is supposed to be your Lace anniversary, well even if you could find lace boxers in South Africa I am sure Mr P. would not be very impressed with them, so I was thinking out the box and I was going to get him a pair of Dr. Martens as they have many "laces" but this would entail that I would have to go and visit Dr. Marten's flagship store in Rosebank oh so tempting. I bought my first pair of Dr.Marten's at Moolas in the centre of Jhb CBD being a student at the time I had to save quite hard in order to afford these. As the money stakes are not so flush at the moment I played it safe but will have to visit the Dr. Marten's store in Rosebank come bonus day for sure.

What does this have to do with Diabetes you may asked , well really it has a lot to do with why I  achieve good results most of the time.

If I did not have the amazing supportive husband I have I do not think I would have the courage to run my blood sugar's as close to normal as possible. There is always the fear that you will be sleeping and go low so naturally you would run your Blood sugars slightly high in order to avoid this.

My husband has been through a lot with me being a Diabetic, really he deserves a medal or a long time service award.

I have listed a few awesome things he does:

• He will willingly eat the low GI diet I am on.

• He does not nag me or act as an extreme know all , I suppose he trusts my judgement.

• He will make me a snack in the middle of the night or any time if I tell him I am going low.

• He will force feed me Glucose powder if my sugar is low and risk getting his fingers bitten.

• He will try numerous times to wake me on low blood sugar mornings and endure verbal abuse until he decides on an alternative tactic.

• If needs be, he will call the paramedics in order to get me the much needed Dextrose, he will make the paramedics coffee , diligently remove the picture that hangs above our bed before the paramedics arrive so they can use the nail to hang the drip off, let them in and let them out and take me to the toilet when the drip has only had half an effect and I only have half the use of my legs.

 I think you have to be very strong to deal with a Diabetic most of the time and I do not for one minute underestimate how hard it can be to be a Diabetic's support person.

When I was young I went to a Diabetic Group day at the zoo all us kids where Diabetics and we where told by the leader to buddy up with some one in case something happens. I though back then ,why do I want to stay close to this person the whole day , nothing is going to happen to me. Now that I look back on it I can say I have definitely found my life long buddy in my husband , he has so many other awesome qualities but I have just mentioned the few Diabetic support related points.

Thank you for always being near for the last 13 years , my buddy.

Do you have an awesome Diabetic Support person or persons that you depend on?




Bye for Now

Kim

The Beginning

I wanted to start this blog in order to share my experiences of being a Diabetic and encourage other Diabetics to face the challenges one day at a time,as it is possible.

This is how I was inspired to start a Diabetic Blog.

On the 11th of October I was instructed by my CDE clinic to go to the lab and get my blood drawn for my 6 monthly HBA1C test. I always worry about these tests, you know the different scenarios that go through your head , what if it is a bad reading I have tried so hard I am not sure what else I can do. My husband shall we call him Mr P (I will have to work on this we might call him something else in future postings.) There is a blogger who calls her better half the Marlboro Man (Doesn't quite fit my man.) but I digress. Lets get back to the story shall we. Mr P said that I always do this and it is always fine , to which I replied it was higher last time. Why did he think I started Carb counting for my health. Well actually. 

I went to the lab though (by the way it was far better going to the lab I usually go to the doctors to get the blood taken but this time the nurse who takes the blood was off due to a death in the family so they requested I go to the lab) usually my vein literally runs away in fear but it was done so fast this time the vein didn't even have a chance to move.) Well done Lab vampire (I mean technician).

I had an appointment with Dr X on the 17th (Ha the appointment was at 2pm the lovely clinic lady phoned to make it earlier at 1:30, I saw Dr X at 2:30 really I kid you not.) I sat down in his office, after he told me about all his other admin problems , we came around to the reason I was there. He looks at me and says Ha I don't even have to open the file I remember it. (I think oh my God it was so high it is now etched into his brain!) He says that the Lab phoned him (Oh my God no) to ask if he was sure his patient was a Diabetic due to her perfect test results.(No you now are talking bull)  your reading was (he did then open the file I think he thought I would not believe him unless I saw it in black and white) 5.4 Yippee shoo and all the other reactions you feel when you ace a test.

He wanted to know after this how I do it , so he can give the recipe to all his other patients and they would all be that good. (I know this won't work , every Diabetic is different Doc you should know this after 7 + years of study.)

This is hence part of the reason I am attempting to write this blog. Not to be patronizing, or to kick your ass in order to achieve. (Although from past experience being a Diabetic I have definitely needed this, I am stubborn that way) Just to share what I go through and hear what you go through and maybe we will encourage each other to win, after all until there is a cure we pretty much have no other option. Maybe you will laugh, Maybe you will cry, Maybe you will be motivated. What ever it may be, lets join as a group to win the battle, good results are so rewarding.  

Oh the other reason I am doing this to be honest is because I did not have an answer to Dr X's question I was clueless so maybe I can take more notice of what good or bad Diabetic things I am doing and answer this puzzling question.

How do you end a blog post? Give me some suggestions please and nothing cheesy like Yours in Diabetes- Urgh.

I was thinking of ending with a hint on what's to come in the next post ..... to try and keep you interested but that would kill the spontaneity of my blog writing. Oh my gosh who am I kidding I am such a virgin Blogger.  

I am going to take you back in time over the next few posts so you can understand me better. So strap on your time machine safety belts we are going back to 1984.

Bye for now.

Kim