Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daena on October 16, 2007 at 3:16am

Hi everyone, I guess I'll start the ball rolling and introduce myself here.

I'm currently in uni (or college as most of you call it), majoring in Communication Studies. I'm planning to specialise in Public Relations from next fall onwards. I'm a T2 diabetic on Metformin and my numbers are pretty decent if I do say so myself. I'm (obviously) single, but am not dating at the moment though that's a possibility in the future. LOL. Yup. And other than obsessing about my diabetes, I like to do pilates, go shopping, play and listen to music, get trigger-happy with my camera and watch movies.

Looking forward to getting to know the rest of you in this group!

Permalink Reply by Emily Whiting on October 16, 2007 at 11:50pm

Hi Guys (and gals)

I am in college majoring in Nursing and EMT. I want to specialise in Endo. or Behavioral Health in Teens. I am in a insulin pump (minimed 722) and my numbers are ok I am not daiting at the moment but wont mind to have a special someone. I love photography, singing, listening to music, oh ans Daena said it SHOPPING!!!!

Permalink Reply by Karin on November 22, 2007 at 10:16am

So good to see some people talk in here. This is supposed to be a singles group....
So where is everyone?

Permalink Reply by Chuck Lin on July 14, 2008 at 8:30pm

Yeah, dating is pretty tough... maybe we can start a diabetic dating website. Maybe like dDate.com or something.

Permalink Reply by Phil Christian on July 16, 2008 at 10:20pm

So I know this isn't a dating forum. But wouldn't it be nice to be able to search by gender or age for friends who have or understand diabetic issues? Is there a way to do so in our members list?
Any 40-60 year old women in So Cal who are diabetics? It might be nice to date someone who doesn't ask about the "pager" on my belt. Even some one who knows I'm not text messaging the kids when I check the BG and administer the bolus before dinner. Sure it gives me the opportunity to describe what being diabetic means, but then they finish the date waiting for me to keel over or die before desert. Wouldn't it be nice to meet someone who deals with these issues on their own?
Bill Christian

Permalink Reply by Marcie Dutton on July 17, 2008 at 12:50pm

I know what you mean. Having to explain what my pump is and have all the questions that come with that is not a bad thing, but sometimes it is not the best time. I know that when I go to the hospital for something and they find out I have a pump, the nurses take turns coming in and finding out how I like it and how to use it. You would think by now they would know. It is the same way if I go out. I have been reminded to turn my phone off when I go to a movie. That's always nice. It would be very nice to meet someone my own age that understands what diabetes is all about and isn't afraid I am going to die or go to the hospital at any moment. Usually the diabetes discussion is the last date. Maybe a phone call or two after that, but nothing else. It's just not right. I would cry and whine, but I'm too old for that. lol Sorry I don't live in So Cal or we would have to get to know each other. I'm at least in the right age range. I live in So Utah. I would still like to get to know you if you don't mind just e-mailing and such. Are you game? ;-)

Smiles,
Marcie

Permalink Reply by Lisa on July 17, 2008 at 4:52pm

I'm another new one here. Yes, I am single and also not dating. I've been Type2 diabetic for 23 years total. Although I am now 46 and dealt with this a long time I took a "break" from control for a couple of years. I'm trying to get lined back out now. I find it's very hard to constantly be checking levels and figuring out what to eat in a basically non-diabetic world or is it just me? I am struggling to get back the structure I once had and know I need. Anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions? I'm not a person that "lives" on the computer, but I'm finding myself turning here to hear from other folks that probably have the same issues to consider and deal with.

Permalink Reply by sugarrbabie on July 22, 2008 at 7:19am

Hiya!
I am a Type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed at age 10 (almost 11 years ago!!) and have dealt with it all on my own =) I am currently a senior in college earning a degree in elementary ed. I love kids and hope one day to have my own. My day consists of getting up, going to work, coming home, going to sleep and getting up the following morning to do it all again! I just started on the Omnipod a week ago, and am loving it! I am fortunate enough to have people in my life who understand the needs of being diabetic. As for dating, I find it hard to find a guy anyhow. I can't even imagine finding one who is willing to deal with my diabetes.
I also love to sing, take photos, bowl, rollerblade, and play some basketball!
Looking forward to meeting you all....

Permalink Reply by Ian on July 25, 2008 at 10:58pm

Well, my second day as a member of the Tu community and already I'm going for the "big reveal". :)

First off, I'm semi-single; my estranged wife and I separated in February of this year. She moved to an apartment and I'm getting the house ready to sell. Hopefully it will be on the market within the next week or two.

Why is it taking so long to get onto the market, you ask?

Two weeks after my wife moved out, her father passed away. He was already quite ill when she left, suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and in stage 4 of organ failure of his liver. Her mom had died 21 years earlier, from breast cancer, and she has only one brother who she's never been close to. When she first talked about leaving me, she hoped that we could still be friends -- we've seen too many couples end up stuck in the legal system, that seems to serve no-one except the system itself. I wanted to keep things amiable, so supported her by being by her side at the funeral home visitations and the funeral/interment, and several days afterward. That took us into March.

We had a dog and a cat as pets. Our dog, Buddy, was 15 and our cat, Coco, was 16 years old. Both pets had stayed in the house with me. Buddy had started suffering from arthritic problems last fall, and really began to struggle as the spring approached. He couldn't go up any stairs without being carried, and soon needed to be carried down them as well. It was taking an increasing amount of my time just tending to him. By May it was clear that I needed to end his pain, so I made the appointment with the veterinarian and Buddy was euthanized mid-month while I held him, with my estranged wife also present.

A week later, my estranged wife told me she had just received confirmation that she had breast cancer. The results from a second mammogram, an ultrasound, and a needle biopsy had verified she had a small tumour in her right breast. Given her mom's history (see above), she was quote worried. Fortunately her doctor was able to get her scheduled for surgery 2 weeks later (for those of you unfamiliar with the Cdn medical system, that's actually quite a short wait in our "free" system). Again she looked to me for support, though she apologized for doing so after having left me. I couldn't have lived with myself if I'd turned away, so I spent time with her while she waited.

The surgery went very well, and a 2.2cm (=0.86 inch) tumour was removed, with a clear margin (excess tissue) around it (meaning there was no further spread), plus 5 sentinel lymph nodes that also came back clear (meaning there was no cancer in her lymph system), so no sign of metastasis! But the tumour biopsy indicated she had a rapid-growing form of cancer, so an aggressive course of chemotherapy was recommended to help ensure that any cancer seeds that might still be in her body would be denied a hospitable place to take root. The chemo would be followed by genetic hormone drugs and radiation, to round out the treatment.

The first chemo session occurred 3 weeks ago, and after 2 great days following the infusion, she was assaulted by side effects more awful than she had been warned of, or had prepared herself for. I was at her place every day after work, trying to help her get through each hour, for almost 5 days before she started to recover. As her medical oncologist wanted to pursue a "dose dense" form of treatment, which meant the chemo would be infused every 2 weeks instead of the more traditional 3 week frequency, there was less time to recover between treatments.

My wife seriously considered stopping any further chemo treatments, but I encourage her to go back and talk to her specialists about her reactions to see what options were available. They were genuinely concerned about her side effects, but our provincial medical system requires that she complete at least 4 sessions of chemotherapy in order that the cost of her genetic hormone drug (Herceptin) be covered. So they are modifying the strength of the chemo a bit (reduced by 15%) to get her through 3 more sessions, instead of 7 more (it sounds so much better psychologically, doesn't it?).

She had her second session on Tuesday this week and, so far (touch wood) her side effects have been much more tolerable. We also made an arrangement for her to stay at the house with me, rather than me having to go to her apartment.

All of this has caused a big distraction for me from getting the decluttering, and staging of the house finished off in order to get it listed. And then there's the search for a new place to live on my own, too. Would I rent for a year or two, or would I try to buy something smaller and stay in the housing market? I resolved the question last weekend when I found a nice 2-bedroom rental unit on the main floor of a triplexed house.

I can't believe the amount of change I've been going through the past few months, and it was just over a year ago that I learned that I had diabetes (which my wife said at the time she had no sympathy for me having, since I "could have avoided it if I'd eaten better and exercised more"...). My Life Stress Score nearly totals 400!

As much as I feel right about lending her my support, and my estranged wife expresses her sincere appreciation for it, she's still clear about all the plans she wants to pursue on her own once she's well again. And the whole point of this discussion group is to link up people who don't have a life partner, which pretty much sums up my situation in that I don't really have anyone to draw support from for myself in all of this.

Okay, so I've really gone way past my allotted 2 minutes to introduce myself. :)

Thanks for listening.

Permalink Reply by Chuck Lin on July 26, 2008 at 9:21am

I exercised and ate right, and still got the big D. I would say that I have a big surprise planned for everyone in this groupvery soon... working hard.... very soon.

Permalink Reply by Marcie Dutton on July 28, 2008 at 6:44pm

So sorry to hear of all the troubles you have had recently. This is a good place to find support. How is the diabetes doing with all the other stresses you are having? Remember that you have to take care of it so that you can be there for the others. I know you probably know that already and have been told a million times, but here's one more. I have breast cancer in my family and live in fear of it every day. (or at least once a week when I talk with my aunt who is recovering from it.) Going through the separation thing is hard enough on a person, but to have to deal with all this other too--you're a good man. Don't you forget that. I'm so glad you felt you could confide in us and I hope to be of support to you. If there is anything you need, you can reach me here or at my home e-mail. Just let me know if you need to talk. I lost my mother to colon cancer that was sudden and unexpected. She went in for a gall bladder removal and left being given 6 weeks to live. She fought the good fight and we had her for an extra 18 months. It was hard losing her though. I was very close to her and miss her all the time. Now my Dad has prostate cancer, but things are going pretty well. (according to the docs anyway.) I hope they caught it in time. He has radiation treatments for two months and then they wait and check in 3 months to see if they caught it soon enough. We're in the waiting game right now. So much for that--how are you doing personally? I would love to be available when you need to talk. Better get back to the homework though. It never ends it seems. lol Hear from you soon.

Smiles,
Marcie

Permalink Reply by Ian on July 29, 2008 at 7:29pm

Hi, Marcie. So nice to meet you! I'm going to reply to you more directly on your personal page so I don't tie up the thread here. :)

To answer your general question about how my D is doing, however, it's been mixed. I've really fallen off the wagon after the separation as far as daily bs testing and exercising. And though I've tried to watch my diet, it's been too tempting to grab an easy fast food meal on the way home from work one or two times a week (I try to justify it by getting the healthier choices like grilled chicken, or chili w/baked potato -- not the fatty burgers -- but, hey, I know who I'm kidding...).

The good news, though, is that I do try and get some exercise in 1-2 times a week, I seem to be maintaining my weight around 180 lbs (same as I was able to get down to from 202 lbs after being dx'd in May 2007) and, when I do test my bs first thing in the morning, it's coming in between 5.7 - 6.2 mmol/l (= 103 - 112 mg/dl). My last A1C was in January and it was about 6.5 (=117), and then I missed going for my 3 month check-in in April, but I was back today for July -- my results will be back to my Dr by end of this week or early next week. I'm taking my meds faithfully on a daily basis, and that's been the most help for me right now.

I know I need to be healthy to stay strong, or I won't be able to help myself get through this -- let alone anyone else either. It's just so easy to let a couple of things slip for a day here, and then two days there, and hope it doesn't come back to bite me. :)

Thanks for asking and caring.

Ian

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