I'm an insulin-dependent Type I diabetic, and have lived with it for nearly 40 years. It's a tough disease to live with, but at age 48, my eyesight is still pretty good and all my body parts still function normally (with the obvious exception of my pancreas).

Without getting too personal, how many of you live with medical conditions that are treatable but not curable?

Juvenile-onset type I diabetes is more rare than the adult-onset type II, and has potentially much more dire long-term consequences.

Given my bad habits, I've been damn lucky.

Where's Dr. kahoosier when I need him? I don't know the prevalence of this disease in other parts of the world, but my family here in West Virginia USA carries that genetic time-bomb. It came from the paternal side, and one of my sisters inherited that defective gene, as did one of her kids. Thankfully, my daughter has so far exhibited no symptoms.

My wife is type 1, had it for 45 years now. Her doctor calls her his model patient, blood sugars always under control, she doesn't weigh more than 100 pounds sopping wet. But before glucometers, it was impossible to easily regulate blood sugars, as you well know.

My wife's eyesight is the only thing that's been seriously compromised. It's a bitch, but she's adapted. We have to pick our spots when we go to Stones shows, the B-stage is a dangerous place for her to be with her limited vision.

I trust your life has changed for the better with the new insulins these last few years. My wife no longer gets those awful nighttime crashing lows that used to scare the living bejesus out of me, things are so much smoother and predictable now.

Hang in there, friend...

Thanks, highanddry. I appreciate your response. Give your wife my best regards.

Believe me, I know about those nighttime lows, but haven't had a bad episode in the last couple of years. Mine usually happen in the morning hours, if I take too much time between my first injection and having breakfast. A couple of tarffic jams have given me some close calls. I've literally gotten lost in walking from the parking lot to the office because I was so out of it, and co-workers have had to force me to eat. It's a traumatic experience.

For those with no experience with the disease, low blood-sugar episodes are really nightmarish. You become detached from what's going on around you, are unable to speak, and not sure if what you see and hear is real. If untreated, after that is unconsciousness, then coma and a total body shutdown. You will die.

Without trying to sound too dramatic, I've literally been brought back from the dead a couple of times in an ER. Blood sugars in single digits. I wouldn't wish that type of shock to my worst enemy.

I'm by no means a model patient. I play it by feel, and my doctor wants to put me on the insulin pump. I've resisted it, since I've been taking injections all this time.

I'd like to keep in contact with you, if you wish. My e-mail is gehiggin@hotmail.com.

bassplayer617 Wrote:
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> I'm by no means a model patient. I play it by
> feel, and my doctor wants to put me on the insulin
> pump. I've resisted it, since I've been taking
> injections all this time.

My brother (he's a doctor now), have had it all his life. You better get the pump. It makes every day much better & easier. Before the pump, I had to save him from coma several times a week.

I'm a juvenile diabetic. 22 years old, had the disease for 8 years. Thankfully, have never had any of lows some of you all have had. Did have ketoacidosis once, but nothing all that bad. I too have resisted the pump, but probably will more seriously consider it after graduation. Anyone have any thoughts/experiences on it?

my ex was type 1.....she had some problems w/ her eye and needed laser treatments ...all the best to ya bro....oh my first cousin steve has had stage IV lung cancer for 5 years ..he does Chemo...and is doing very well he is like in the 10% of the people who servive!!!!
I took him for his last b-day to see the Stones at msg on 1-20......incredable show......he really liked it !! me too!! he was the first guy i smoked weed w/ when i was 16...he was like 28 at the time...plays banjo and is a really nice guy....

Not myself, but several friends. Please take care of yourselves.

My mother was a diabetic and took awful care of herself. Smoke and drank. When she drank she would go into those diabetic "reactions" that you speak of in the morning. It was terrible, and just like you said, she would be screaming and have no idea where she was. Trying to get her to drink the orange juice was a nightmare, sometimes she would throw it.

It was hard to have sympathy for her, because she only go them after drinking so it felt as if she was doing it to herself.

Take care of yourself, I wish my mom did. Whatever you're doing, it's not worth it.

I just re-read this. It sounds harsh when I say it was hard to have sympathy, but when it happens over and over, and you wake up to a screaming crazy woman, and you're just a kid, after a few years, you just kind of stop feeling sorry for her. Don't judge me too harshly for saying that. It's a typical response for children of addicted parents.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-04-27 05:15 by CindyC.

To the rest of the community, I apologize for taking such a somber tone, BUT, if we can help each other out, and support each other, then I'm all for it.


I had a feeling that I wasn't alone. This is great. Thanks, everyone, and to you, jfm.iii.. you're more than welcome to contact me via e-mail. Being a youngster, I'm sure you've had some trouble in making adjustments.

I hope we can expand this a bit, and include others who suffer from chronic diseases and long-term debilitating health problems.

Please refrain from making light of this or ridiculing the idea. Something good could come from it.

Mine usually happen in the morning hours,
> if I take too much time between my first injection
> and having breakfast. A couple of tarffic jams
> have given me some close calls. I've literally
> gotten lost in walking from the parking lot to the
> office because I was so out of it, and co-workers
> have had to force me to eat. It's a traumatic
> experience.
>

Dude, I have walked many miles in your shoes, and I know exactly what you are talking about.

As a fellow diabetic, you are my BROTHER!

I once had a similar situation, where I took my a.m. injection, and then there was a holdup with in getting breakfast, in of all places, a fast-food restaurant. I bottomed out, and they had to call the paramedics.

Since then, I never inject before a meal until the food is right in front of me.

Also, I always carry glucose tablets with me wherever I go. EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME.

Anytime I'm about to drive somewhere in the car, I TEST MYSELF FIRST. A low blood sugar can feel like you've had a couple of drinks. Diabetics who aren't responsible drivers will someday screw it up for the rest of us. I don't want to lose my right to drive on account of some careless jerk.

Take care of yourself. Good luck to you.

loog droog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

Anytime I'm about to drive somewhere in the car, I TEST MYSELF FIRST. A low blood sugar can feel like you've had a couple of drinks. Diabetics who aren't responsible drivers will someday screw it up for the rest of us. I don't want to lose my right to drive on account of some careless jerk.

Hi loog,

You are right about how it seems like they are slightly drunk. I never thought about the driving situation though. That's great that you are responsible enough to do that, for yourself and others.

loogdroog, thanks so much for posting. Look, folks, we're not freaks who go nuts when our blood sugar is out of whack. We usually know when something is going wrong, especially when driving.

I once had to pull over into the parking lot of the downtown post office, which is just across the street from where I work. I KNEW I had to stop. I wouldn't even get out of the car -- a postal worker knocked on my window, and I managed to say , "diabetic!" -- the paramedics had to get me out, and put me in the ambulance -- after they pumped me with glucose, I made it across the street and reported to the office.

People, this stuff occasionally happens -- thankfully, it is VERY rare, so don't be panicking and asking your congressmen to take away our licenses LOL.

What you SHOULD be doing is asking for a few hundred million dollars in foreign subsidies to be diverted towards finding a cure for diabetes --

bassplayer617 Wrote:
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We usually know when
> something is going wrong, especially when driving.
>

The longer you have diabetes, the less aware you are that your sugar is getting low. I don't get the same symptoms that I used to when the blood sugar drops. It can sneak up on you.

Your story about being in the car is not a good one. All I can tell you my friend is, before you get in that car, TEST YOUSELF!

My feeling is, if I kill myself on account of being stupid, that's my tough luck.
,
But I couldn't live with myself, if, on account of being an irresponsible diabetic behind the wheel of a car, I killed somebody else.

Do you have an emergency glucagon kit? This is what paramedics have. It's a little box with a syringe and glucose to inject, in case you are so far gone that you can't take juice or soda or candy or whatever by mouth.

You should be able to get a script for it from your MD. Have one at home and work, let people know where you keep it and instruct them how it works in case you ever need it.

And hopefully you never will.

Take care, bro.

my mother's been a sufferer for over 30 years. It's been an education for me to watch her deal with it. Her father died of complications from it. I'm at high risk, genetically.

i suspect she's been suffering since the day you were born . . .

that's another matter altogether, though....

Unfortunately my brother was a diabetic and passed away two years ago due to complications through diabetes as he had suffered since he was 14 years of age & was in & out of hospital around every two _ three months, but he would never take time off work unless it was physically impossible to do so, i know my brother & i have the thought when is it going to happen to us as its passed through other members of our family.

One nice thought about my brother when i took him to bristol to see the stones and how much he enjoyed it.

I'm addicted to insulin since I was 13. Being 27 now, I have never (knock on wood) had any major or even noticable complications. I realise now, it's been more than half my life by now.

I do not use a pump since using injections 4/day does not come as an obstacle for me and I have a feeling a pump would limit my freedom. I don't know exactly though, since blood values (knock on wood again) remain good, I'm not making it into my everyday worry. Furthermore I hate to bother others with it. Many people in my direct work/leisure environment are not aware of my diabetes and it helps them from being preoccupied.

I hate it when things become problematic in everyday life, because it will be because of things that to everyone (myself included really) seem peanuts, like planning your food, drink and energy patterns during 5 hour rock events on the field! Will they allow me to bring food/drink in? And if they don't, will I be able to reach food in time, and find my spot back without missing too much of the show? I hate leaving my spot, so it's careful planning indeed.

Edit: This does not mean I've never had any lows, on the contrary, although never too dramatic (i.e. never needed any help with them). These days I live on the edge of the low on purpose, which means I'm nibbling Dextro all the time. (I make adjustments with food rather than insulin). This keeps me safe from an abundance of highs which are far more risky on the long term. My doctor and I treat this self invented approach as a treatment. I realise though I'm a smart guy (sorry) and this is not an approach advisable to people who do not instinctively understand the mechanics of the disease and the interrelations with food, energy and medicine in all situations, or to those who do not completely feel and understand the signals of their bodies. Luckily (knock on wood nr. 3) I still do. (The medical world would bash me for even suggesting this approach, since actually it is far too risky ).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-04-27 13:07 by Limbostone.

My dad has type 2, but i'm a cancer survivor....

"It's Good To Be Here, It's Good To Be Anywhere"-Keith Richards

"Halloween Is Every Night Of My Life"-Keith Richards

"I Got The Sticky Fingers, For Some Girls"

My mother has Type 1 since I was born for 47 years ago, and I have Type 2,
but I don't think this is a Stones tread!
All of us is healty enough to see the Stones - so see you somewhere in europe this the summer!

All the best to all of you!

Per-Arne

My Grandad has diabetes, but that's it as far as my family’s concerned.

I myself have a muscular disorder down the right side of my body. It was caused by a brain bleed that occurred shortly after birth. The muscles down my right side are smaller and weaker, I can't move my toes on my right foot and I have a lack of dexterity in my right fingers. The condition isn't curable, but it can't get any worse either. I can still play guitar, though I play right handed, which is odd because I'm left handed!

good job, Big Al...learn to adapt.

Lukester Wrote:
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> good job, Big Al...learn to adapt.


Well, you have no choice! I've had it since birth, so I guess I don't know any different. About the guitar playing. There is no way I could play left handed. Playing right-handed just came more naturally for me. Knowing I’m left handed, when mates have found out I play guitar using a right handed one, they just presume I'm like Hendrix and play it upside down!

I was recently diagnosed with Type 2. I kind of freaked because I had been telling myself to "get it together", get healthy, or else. So when I found out I was so pissed at myself. But as it turns out I have it running thru the family - even those member who always appeared to be what I considered very healthy.
I read up on it and accepted my condition and began treatment. It took a couple a few months of trying medications to find the right one but I have i under control now. In fact, I am now worried about those drops you mentioned because the meds might be working too good.

bassplayer and everyone..what a great thread this is. Great that you posted it, and a great reaction from the board.
Diabetes - my grandmother had it, and a close friend also. He deals with it all admirably really - he's only 16, partially deaf, but none of it gets the better of him.
My daughter is 16 and suffers from Spina Bifida and Hydrocephulus. She had meningitis as a baby, and a brainbleed (stroke) at age 9. She was parylised down one side from it but gradually over time has recovered about 90% of her former self - she can walk again, and is the only example I ever need whenever I get a bit despondent about anything. She is a CHAMP!

whoa!!!....she is a champ...thanks for the perspective, scenearts

Lukester, perspective is the right word. My lady and I got a sharp lesson in what was and wasnt important when Charlie was born..I always said it was life-forming for her, and life-changing for us..never again did I feel the need to ask myself 'whats important'or 'whats my priority'..it all became crystal clear in next to no time at all.
best wishes to all here who battle illness, disabilities of all kinds.

My levels run high in the mornings but fall very low as the day progresses. All the other diabetics I talked to say that they have a hard time keeping theirs down as the day goes on. Does anybody else have this issue?

Just to keep it Stones releated... F*CKING STONES ROCK!!!

Sorry BV, I had to do it.

scenearts wrote:

> My daughter is 16 and suffers from Spina Bifida
> and Hydrocephulus. She had meningitis as a baby,
> and a brainbleed (stroke) at age 9. She was
> parylised down one side from it but gradually over
> time has recovered about 90% of her former self -
> she can walk again, and is the only example I ever
> need whenever I get a bit despondent about
> anything. She is a CHAMP!



What an inspiration she is! I got choked up reading this.

(raise glass) HERE'S TO CHARLIE!!!

Harlito,

Your issue sounds very much like one your doctor should be able to deal with (if you yourself are not thought capable of changing your regime). I suppose you visit a doctor or a diabetic counsellor regularly, let's say 3 times a year? Especially the highs are not situations you will want to keep stuck with structurally.

I was going to type some advise here but decided I shouldn't. Since I do not know your situation and profile accurately enough, it would be irresponsible.