It's coming up on 12 years since my diagnosis. I'm a fifth, or maybe sixth, generation diabetic. I've known about the disease and the likelyhood of my becoming one of the epidemic in this country for many years. A close high school friend was diagnosed as a child so I feel I'm one of the luckier ones since I was well into my 20's when the news was given to me. With my family history, I knew it would be only a matter of time until I was diagnosed with it. I just wasn't ready for it so soon, but then, I don't believe anyone is ever ready for that type of information.
During the winter of 1996, I starting losing weight even though I was eating more than I had ever before. I was thirsty all the time, yet had to go on the hour, every hour. This was definitely interfering with my sleep. I start having gum problems and tingling in my hands and feet. I called my mom to ask if she knew what the main symptoms were since her brother was the one from her generation to have it. Turns out I had 4 of the top 5 on the list. Off to the doctor for the test. By the end of January 1997, I had been diagnosed as a Type II diabetic. Exercise and diet control were all that were needed to keep it under control, at least that's how it started.
No comments:
Post a Comment