Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dedene Nelson-Court on June 14, 2012 at 11:50am

I've read over some of your posts and I wish you all well. I've not had any complications except my eyesight changing, but I was diagnosed recently. But I'm crossing my fingers that I'll learn to be strict with myself right from the beginning. So far, my diet is going well, and I'm getting exercise. Now, if I can only get fitted for glasses....

Good luck all!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David (dns) on June 14, 2012 at 1:01pm

I was originally diagnosed because my vision started deteriorating. Once my blood sugar was down where it should be, my vision recovered completely. I would say the odds are strongly in your favor.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RobtJr60 on June 15, 2012 at 2:15am

Every fear that you can think of has gripped me since the day my doctor told me that I was diabetic. During my life I watched as my maternal grandmother lost her battle to diabetes. First, they removed a foot and eventually all her limbs. Slowly she became blind.

This fear has me to the point that I don't want to even believe I am diabetic. For now, I able to take pills and my blood glucose levels have seemed to stabilize since I added cinnamon to my daily intake. Still, my doctor has been telling me I need to take insulin. I don't believe him.

To me, insulin is the last step. There is no hope after you start taking insulin. You will take it until the day you die. In the event of a catastrophe, you are stuck. You have no way to control your b.g.l. Why does my doctor want me to take insulin injections when my A1C was 8.9 at my last check up which was in December of last year? Are the pharmaceutical companies paying him to prescribe insulin? There are people with higher A1C numbers and they don't take insulin shots. Also, there are other ways to bring that number down; more exercise and better diet. So, why does he want me to jump to the end stage?

Is this all part of my denial because I don't want to end up like my grandmother?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David (dns) on June 15, 2012 at 8:10am

RobtJr60,

You should read Dr. Bernstein's book. Not only would it be likely to ease your fears, but more importantly you would see that the so-called "normal" progression of this disease is not inevitable or necessary.

A very wise person once said on another topic, "Life is change. You don't have any choice about that. The choice you have is whether you manage change, or it manages you." D is similar. You don't have any choice about having it. What you do have is the ability to choose whether you control it, or it controls you. 70 or 80 years ago you really had no choice at all. Today you do.

I have known many type 1 diabetics, but there are two in particular that really relate to your experience. One, my wife's brother in law, was fearful and defiant and always did the abolute minimum. He ended up going pretty much the same route as your grandmother. The other was a good friend. He has always managed his D aggressively. He is now approaching 80 and still all there. And remember, these are type 1 -- far worse than what you and I have.

It sounds as if you don't have any vislble complications yet. So you still have time. You do have a choice.

Good luck, and remember that this community is full of people who have been down the same path ahead of you and who know, as no one else ever can, what you are dealing with.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RobtJr60 on June 20, 2012 at 1:06am

David,

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Just knowing another diabetic is a huge relief. I'll take your advice and read Dr. Bernstein's book and I'm going to be more active in this online community. It will help me feel less alienated and in helping others, if I can, I will become more blessed. Thanks again.

Robt.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David (dns) on June 20, 2012 at 8:31am

Robert,

You are most welcome. Being able to discuss issues with (or just talk to) others who are dealing with the same thing is a tremendous help -- that's what a support group is for.

And be sure to check out the special interest groups here at tuDiabetes. There is one specifically for followers of Dr. B's methods. And there are bound to be others that will be relevant to you as well.

David

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RobtJr60 on June 21, 2012 at 10:32pm

Thanks again, David. Emily did invite me when I first joined, but I was taken aback when she questioned if the picture that I had as a profile pic was really me. It was really me! Perhaps others post things that are false, but I'm very much an open book. I am on FB and I own "A Cowboy's Hope for a Cure" where I play "Boss". It's a FB page linked directly to my Robert Puchalski page, so by only using the name Boss, I am not doing anything illegal or underhanded. It's just that the enigmatic Boss can be something to everyone. People enjoy the character and play along. The site promotes childhood illnesses/sicknesses/diseases/disorders of children, but I also accept adults.

Diabetes is one of the illnesses I promote. However, there are few children with diabetes that promote their FB pages as such. I am linked to a few Diabetes organizations that are on FB and promote those sites.

I haven't had time to get out to purchase Dr. Bernstein's book yet. I'll do that this weekend. Reading a book is hard for me because I don't have the proper eye glasses. On the computer I can just enlarge the fonts. It's not that I don't have the money or insurance to get proper glasses, it's just another thing that I have been ignoring since 1999. That's when I got my first pair of eye glasses and I haven't been back to the eye doctor since. I guess I'm a chronic procrastinator.

With my new faith in this site, I'll be checking back more often. I recently found a whole bunch of welcome email on my page, so I have a lot of people to say hello to.

Hope to give you an update on my finishing the book.

God bless you and your family.

Robt.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Buckley83 on June 15, 2012 at 2:34am

17 years and not a single complication yet, well none that have been found.

I guess my biggest fear would be eyesight damage, or being stuck on dialysis or severe nerve damage. All have the power to significantly impact upon quality of life. I have trouble enough staying upbeat and fighting the good fight without all that going on the background...

:)

I also fear that if I did develop serious complication I would be much more inclined to give up on life. E.g if I was blind, had trouble walking and had to spend hours hooked up to machines to wash out my blood, I can't say that I would want to live like that??

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brian Wittman on June 15, 2012 at 8:18am

Thank you for asking, Emily!

My kidneys are kind of in question. That was the main factor in my getting my pump, so in a way, I am kind of glad it happened. I wanted a pump long before I was approved for one. It will be paid for in September!

Now, were you to ask about relationship complications attributed to diabetes, I could write a very long essay on that subject! For now, the short story is: "It's Complicated!"

Brian Wittman

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page