It was January 2003 and I was getting ready to move into my new place. But I didn't have the energy to pack any of the moving boxes and all I wanted to do was lay down immediately after getting home from work. I didn't realize that I was going through my pre-diabetes stage -- I just figured it was emotional stress.

About five months later, I started losing weight...A LOT of weight. I shed about 30 pounds in less than a month and it scared me. I also had a major thirst that couldn't be quenched plus frequent bathroom trips in the middle of the night that were abnormal for me. I did diligent research online and shortly discovered that these were main symptoms of pre-diabetes. I immediately made an appointment to see my doctor who dismissed the notion of me having diabetes. He said I didn't fit the profile; I was fit and heatlhy and not seen as a diabetes candidate.

Well I got tested and sure enough I had type 2 diabetes. My BS was over 400 and it took a couple of weeks before I got it down to under 200. The tingling in my fingers was probably the most disturbing part of the whole ordeal beccause it was a constant reminder that I had something very serious happening within my body. That and the fact that I was starving, I wouldn't allow myself to eat any carbs.

It took a few months of adjustment and a strong dedication to learning how to live with diabetes, but I was able to get my life back. I feel very lucky since I had warning signs and was able to catch it before it got worse. And I had an amazing support network of family and friends who I thank from the bottom of my heart for helping me along the way. I just hope I can support others during their time of discovery and lifelong fight against diabetes the same way my loved ones did for me.