Diabetes is like having a pet monster that you can never re-home

Painting by Omar Rayyan

                                    

                                         Diaversary

     So, in honor of today which is my "diaversary” meaning the day I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I want to spread a bit of awareness about this disease. I was diagnosed just 2 days before earth day in 2009. My symptoms before diagnosis were: Losing 30 lbs. in a month or 2, bruising to the touch, drinking gallons of water a day, no appetite, ‘charlie horses’ all night from ankle to knee, lethargic/tired, and severe stomach pain, delusional, brain fog, generally not feeling like myself....(Some children are sent home with the "flu") Or other various non detrimental diagnosis without ever having their blood glucose tested, these kids/adults often die due to severe DKA (Diabetic  Keto Acidosis, AKA extremely elevated blood glucose level that sends your body into a coma). This also causes your blood to pool on the brain as it becomes thick like syrup, often resulting in brain damage and often death if not caught in time. 

      I was 20 years old and was finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel after leaving an extremely abusive relationship that drained the life from me for 4 years of my young life. After many years of dabbling with drugs to numb my pain and depression that drove me to the edge of suicide, I was finally starting to discover who and what I wanted to become. THEN….I got really sick. So sick I really did want to die, and in hindsight I was essentially dying.  I begged my mom to take me to the Walgreen’s clinic just to be checked out (I wasn’t covered by insurance). She reluctantly drove me there. I told her all of my symptoms as my mom waited outside. The nurse immediately jumped up and printed out a series of papers explaining Crohn’s disease, which is another very terrible disease that is incurable and very misunderstood. She ordered my mom to take me to the ER immediately!  

     Confused and shocked, we drove there in a daze. We waited in the ER for approx. 6 hours, possibly longer; all I know is that it felt like eternity. When I was taken back the male nurse scoffed and stated that I had no gun shot or stab wounds and that I was basically taking up space in the Exam room, to go home and make a doctor’s appointment.  I was dismayed, and stubborn me, refused. I demanded blood work, and answers. Once again he sneered and hesitantly said OK, but he doubted whether they would be able to figure it out then and there…WELL guess what, they did. If I hadn’t trusted my intuition, and what my body was screaming, I would be dead because of an ER nurse. I remember seeing the wood grain on the back of the door dance around making waves and telling my mom how weird it looked, she just giggled and soon the worry returned to her face.  I was headed for DKA (a coma) and as soon as the blood work came back (4 hours later) a squad of new nurses came barreling into my room with IV’s paperwork, pills, monitors…I said "WHAT in the world is going on?"  “You have diabetes Sarah” one of the nurses replied, “your blood sugar is over 800, the normal range is 80-120”. I think I actually started laughing out loud because I finally had an answer to this horrid madness, but then a few minutes later when the nurses started to trickle away I looked to my mom and said “what the hell is type 1 diabetes…what does that even mean?” She responded with tears and “I’m not really even sure honey, I love you and I’m sorry for not listening sooner” We cried together in silence in the cold white ER room.

     I was admitted and “monitored” for 48 hours around the clock (I think) while they came in and flushed out my veins with saline every 2-4 hours, blowing out vein after vein…my neck, head, shoulders and even my hair follicles began to ache from being flushed and poked so many times. My veins were bruising. They took so much blood from my body they had to take breaks and I was not allowed to eat or drink any liquids for those two whole days, nothing AT ALL. I was on an insulin drip IV, and remember telling the nurse that there was a cockroach in my room.  She came in and squashed it. A friend lent me her Ipod and I listened to music with the curtain drawn, alone, for those 2 days, crying all of my last tears.

     I was released and slowly began to understand just what had taken place. I was sent home with what looked like a year’s supply of needles, insulin vials, alcohol swabs, a test kit…I felt like I had lost myself, and I remember my dog Norma looking around worried, and sniffing at the medical supplies. Little did I know I would lose her too. That's for another time. I can't go that far down today, I just can’t bare it. So life went on, and I became numb, and the needle became my friend in this case. Things got a lot harder before they got better, but I somehow survived.  Just 1 day after my release was earth day and my best friend and I attended the local faire. We collected our free sapling tree to plant, and before leaving, a certain booth called to me, I felt drawn and pulled toward it like a magnet. I said, "Katerina, just give me a sec, one last stop" there was a banner above the table that read "School of Metaphysics" That one little stop changed the course of my entire life. 

  

     Today is a celebration of life, of changing, of growing, of wake-up calls...sometimes life shakes us up just enough to change our perspectives, and other times if you're me, you need a tornado...or two.  

     If you have children please watch for the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Educate yourself and if they EVER display any signs, demand blood work and proper medical care. Doctors are busy and may send you home with an antibiotic for a cold or flu, but you know yourself and your child better than anyone else. You know what is normal character and when something “is off”.

Some facts + myths: 

                                                                                      

    1.   Type 1 is caused by your own body attacking the beta cells in your pancreas, rendering you unable to produce your own insulin. Insulin is what regulates the body's blood sugar every single time you touch a piece of food to your tongue. Type 1’s must inject insulin 15-30 minutes before every meal, snack, or morsel of food, either by needle/syringe or an insulin pump.

    2.    This disease is incurable. No amount of walking, CrossFit, weight training, and cardio…blah blah blah…will ever reverse this disease. Neither will eating a special diet. You can greatly lower insulin usage by eating a very strict low carbohydrate diet called (ketogenic) a state in which your body uses fat for fuel rather than carbs, and was originally designed for children with epilepsy. 

    3.   Type 1 and type 2 are very different- You may know someone who has type 2 who takes pills, or some insulin, but this person can usually reverse the condition by taking part in more physical activity, and changing eating habits. Sometimes there are some deeper issues that are causing the insulin resistance.

    4.   Type 1's can be overweight and type 2’s can be normal or average weight…it isn’t always the case that type 1’s are “skinny” and type 2’s are overweight.

    5.   You don’t get diabetes from eating too much sugar…Certainly, anybody will benefit from eating less sugar...because it is not a nutrient-dense ingredient and causes inflammation in the body.

6  6. You can be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at any age!

    
    7.    Type 1 diabetes is not contagious. NOPE, not even a little.  

8  8. Type 1 diabetes is 24 hours a day 7 days a week for the entirety of one's life...We don't get breaks or vacations.

Hug a diabetic for me today!