What I Have Learned Since Being Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

I knew it was just a matter of time before I would be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Since the passing of my mom almost a year ago, I had turned to my favorite thing to do when dealing with stress - EAT. There are those of us who don't eat when we are stressed and those that love to eat when we are stressed. You don't even have to be hungry to eat. You just want to eat and it's usually not a craving for a cucumber, you crave something sweet, like things with lots of sugar. You would think by now, at age 55, I would have figured out a better way!!! Anyways, I went and saw my primary care doctor back in January of this year. After taking a look at my lab "numbers" she said, "your triglyceride number is still high and it's been high for five years, what are we waiting for? I'm putting you on Metformin." I love my doctor, she is also kind of like a mental health therapist. She is the one that diagnosed me with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and put me on two medications which have made a HUGE difference in my life. I still have occasional anxiety attacks, but not nearly as much as I used to. My doctor never gets rude about my weight. She more gently "suggests" what I should do. We all make New Year's Resolutions, right? Mine was to avoid things with tons of sugar. I have watched my dad have numerous health issues from not controlling his Type 2 Diabetes. He had a massive stroke a handful of years ago, 100% caused by uncontrolled blood sugar. He has been hospitalized a few times because his blood sugar has been too high or too low. He has also had numerous problems with his eyes caused by the Diabetes. My brother and I both separately had a "heart-to-heart" talk with our father that we really wanted him to be around for a while and we encouraged him to eat healthier. I can now relate to what he goes through having Diabetes, so I bring it up about once or twice a week when I talk to him. A few symptoms I noticed in the years prior to being diagnosed, was extreme exhaustion; always thirsty and if I don't eat some kind of protein for breakfast, in the late morning, I started sweating and feeling like I was going to pass out (it's happened a few times in the Kroger while I was shopping). I had always chalked that up to the multitude of medications I take for my Anxiety and Congestive Heart Failure. I discovered after being on a vacation last week and getting lots of rest and drinking TONS of water, I came back refreshed with a lot more energy! I ate really healthy on our vacation (lots of fruit and veggies), did multiple laps in the pool, walked more than I have been, had a boiled egg for breakfast everyday and NO desserts. Diabetes is a very serious disease. I have a vision that has stuck with me for over 20 years. I went to a viewing of my great-uncle on my dad's side of the family. He had lost both of his legs to Diabetes. Whenever I even get a thought of wanting ice cream, cake or anything with tons of sugar, I just think of that. Maybe that's morbid, but I certainly don't want to loose any of my limbs. I have lots more I want to do with my life. I survived Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer and live everyday with positivity. Coming face-to-face with my own mortality waiting those two weeks to see if my cancer had spread in March of 2017 was just about one of the most stressful things I have ever encountered in my entire life, because it was totally out of my control. I pride myself on always being in control. Watching what I eat is in my control. My advice to others if that if you feel run-down, exhausted and always thirsty, ask your doctor to do some simple lab work. It may just save your life.

Those "Steps" to Independence Can Be Hard

We are heading towards 600 orders for Dominic's business. Since our long-term goal for Baked Goods By Dominic is having a "brick-and-mortar" and hire those with disabilities, it is essential and imperative that I continue to teach him all parts of the business. Since I prompted Dominic for so many years for speech, he has become "prompt dependent." What that essentially means is that he will look at me for a prompt, like, "what do you do next?" I do that one a lot. Dominic has been going to a private speech therapist for over ten years and she reminds me often that Dominic usually will know the answer, if I am patient and wait for him. That has been a very hard habit to break! Dominic has an incredible memory, so I put it to the test this morning. I didn't write out the steps, I wanted to see how much he could do completely on his own. We have a customer picking up his order today, but the only thing that had been done is putting the cookies into t...

Why We Pursued Guardianship of our Son with Autism

Last Thursday morning, my husband, Dominic and I went to our county's Probate Court and had Dominic's Guardianship Hearing. My husband and I are Co-Guardians, and we were granted "Partial Guardianship," which means Dominic can make some of his own decisions (future educational and vocational placement options, what to wear and how he wants to spend his free time), but my husband and I will make his medical, health care, legal, contractual and major financial decisions. The subject of Guardianship in the disability "world" has been and continues to be a controversial and divisive topic. I was a panelist for an Autism Conference this past summer and presented on what it's like to have a child with Autism. Towards the end of my presentation, I mentioned that Dominic had just turned 18 and that we were going through the Guardianship process. When the attendees could ask questions, the first person that went up to the microphone started telling me that I was...

Presume Competence

Since we have traveled outside of the United States since Dominic was very small, we have had to get him a Children's Passport every five years. Since his current one expires in February of 2024 and he is now 19, we had to apply for an Adult Passport. I don't know why my husband and I picked Dominic's first day of school and Michigan State University moving in their students, but the appointment was yesterady at 3 p.m. We had gathered all of the documents needed and then went into a special room in the East Lansing Post Office just for Passports. The three of us sat down and the clerk asked Dominic his age. He said, "19." Since we were also getting his picture taken for the Passport, he went into a separate room, where she took a picture of him and then let him look at it to make sure he liked it (it will be his picture for the next 10 years)! He said he did, so he sat back down with us. The clerk filled out a bit more of the paperwork and then she let Dominic s...

bountifulplate

Search This Blog