It happened again today. This makes the third time this week. However, it is always worse when it happens first thing in the morning. Whenever John sleeps later than I have, I know that something is wrong. We usually go about day to day without any problems with John’s diabetes. But, every once in a while we get a reminder of how serious diabetes can be.

John is always active, but he has been especially more so lately. He is running much these days and gearing up for basketball season.

I thought maybe he was just tired, so I let him sleep. Even after I got out of the shower he was still asleep. I then heard our six year old calling me from his room. “Mommy, why isn’t Daddy up yet?”, he asked (Jonathan is always up at 6 am and will keep John company during his morning work outs). Jonathan went into our bedroom and I could hear him talking to John. He came out to the kitchen and said, “Mommy, I need the thermometer, Daddy is not acting right”. I knew right then that it was his blood sugar. I felt guilty for not having tried to wake him up earlier. I walked into the bedroom and John looked at me with a glazed look and said “Wheww! Wheww!”. He sounded like a college boy who had just come in from drinking all night. I went to go get juice. Yes, you should check your blood glucose first to see what it is before you treat it. However, when John is hypoglycemic, this is almost impossible to do as he will often refuse. Because I did not get a response from him, I knew it was truly low. Right around this time our four year old daughter woke up ready to eat (as usual!). Jonathan took over and gave John a juice box. All the while, John is still in bed yelling, “Whew! Whew!”. Jonathan is quite confused but thinks it is funny. “Daddy says he doesn’t know who I am, I keep asking him and he won’t answer me”. I used this as a teaching moment for Jonathan and told him what to do if this happens when I am not around: “If he does not answer you, call 911. If he can still talk to you, give him some juice. If he won’t drink it, call 911.”

Diabetes makes me so angry sometimes. You cannot reason with John when his BG is low. I’m lucky if I can get him to drink juice, forget about getting him to eat something or take glucose tabs (by the way-4 glucose tabs is the best treatment for hypoglycemia). He will often spit out or spill what I give him. This makes me even more scared and angry because I know that if we don’t get any carb in his body that he will lose consciousness. I have even in the past had to forcibly squeeze glucose gel into his mouth. But it is nearly impossible to hold down someone who is 50 pounds heavier than you are and is fighting you because he does not understand what you are trying to do to him. We do keep Glucagon in the house (and this I recommend for all people with diabetes). However, the only way I could use this would be if he were totally passed out as I can’t imagine trying to give him an injection if he were fighting me. Fortunately, we have never had to use the Glucagon but we do keep it in the house and take it with us whenever we travel.

John eventually came around, got up and was able to make his own breakfast and get to work. I knew he did not feel well, though he would not admit to it. He always talks about how hypoglycemia is a horrible start to your day-similar to a hangover. He will usually have a headache all day.

The best thing for us to do is to try to prevent this from happening again. Hypoglycemia is one of the biggest risks of tight blood glucose control. Checking blood sugar prior to bedtime and having a bedtime snack of at least 1 protein and 1 carb if your blood sugar is under 100mg/dl before you go to bed is always a good idea if you have had an especially active day.

~Angie

A follow-up to the initial diabetes post and how life has improved since being diagnosed……… 

Looking back over the past 16 years since being diagnosed with diabetes much has changed in my life.  I have lost both my mother and my youngest sister to cancer.  I have seen my parents struggle with a failing business.  I have seen them overcome great personal tragedy.  I have also seen much joy & happiness, such as completion of my Master’s Degree, getting married and most especially, the birth of our two children.  One thing that has not changed over the years, however, is my desire to beat diabetes.  To never let it slow me down.  I have a number of stories related to diabetes.  One thing I like to do is keep track of some of the unique places I have given myself insulin injections.  The list is long and distinguished.  I have done it at Mile High Stadium in Denver during the World Youth Day services with Pope John Paul II.  I’ve done it in the Rocky Mountains, the Wasatch Mountains, the San Juan Mountain range, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Bitterroot Mountain ranges, and the Adirondacks.  I’ve done it in Glacier National Park, the island of Kauai, and in Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive.  I’ve done it in San Diego at the Super Bowl, in Atlanta at the Peach Bowl, in Jacksonville at the Gator Bowl and numerous times in Charlottesville at Scott Stadium during UVa games. I’ve also done it with Mickey & Friends at Disney World, numerous golf courses, beaches, restaurants, planes, trains & automobiles.  Heck, I’ve even done it at a strip club! (I was the designated driver on that adventure!)

I use all of these experiences to show others with diabetes that it is not always a bad thing and to show them that with a little planning, anything is possible.  I strongly believe in the theory of leading by example.  I have tried the things that I encourage my clients to try.  I have made the changes that I encourage my clients to make.  I live a healthy lifestyle but also enjoy living.  My biggest reward comes when I let a client know that I have diabetes and they respond, “You don’t look like you have diabetes”.  That lets me know that I made the right decision in changing careers.

There are things I still fear about having diabetes.  The risk of developing complications is always going to be there.  My biggest fear now, is for my children.  One of the areas Angie & I discussed before starting a family was the risk of having children that may develop diabetes.  While most of my experiences have been positive, diabetes is still a dangerous condition.  The long term complications, the high cost of insurance coverage and just the high cost of management will always bring about some uncertainty.  Although there may soon be a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, the potential for my children to develop diabetes still scares me the most.  Our oldest, Jonathan, learns more about diabetes everyday.  He is beginning to understand the relationship between food, insulin exercise and blood sugar control.  Our youngest, Bayleigh, never hesitates to answer, “Yes!” when asked if she would like to check her blood sugar.  She has no fear!  They have become another reason to continue doing everything I can do to lead a healthy life.  There is no doubt that they are a major motivation for me.  If you have diabetes, find your motivation.  Do everything you can do to control it.  Don’t let it control you!  Life with diabetes is still life.  Live it!  Enjoy it!  Like my Mom used to always say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”.  Make today a good one.

~John

I cannot describe the disappointment I felt when I picked up the latest edition of Diabetes Vital and saw a picture of a woman with a baby bottle in her hand next to the caption, “Gestational Diabetes”. Women who have had diabetes during pregnancy need to be encouraged to breastfeed their newborns! Diabetes Vital is a quarterly physician-to-patient magazine that is distributed to physicians’ and diabetes educators’ offices nationwide. Why didn’t they post a photo of a mother breastfeeding her newborn infant? Talk about missed opportunities!!!

I was even more disappointed when I read the article and found absolutely no mention about how breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes in a mother who has had gestational diabetes. The stack of Diabetes Vital magazines that we received (two in our household since my husband and I are both Certified Diabetes Educators) went straight into the recycling bin. There is absolutely no way that we could hand out these magazines out to any of our diabetes clients (gestational or otherwise).

Children of women who have had diabetes during pregnancy inherit from their mother the risk of developing diabetes at some point in their lives. Research shows us that breastfeeding reduces the chance that the infant will ever develop diabetes. Research has also shown that women who have had gestational diabetes can reduce their own risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes through breastfeeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and continued, following the addition of solid foods, until they are at least 12 months old. Despite this, less than one in three American women are still breastfeeding their babies at six months of age. One of the main reasons why more women do not breastfeed or stop early is because of lack of support from family, health professionals or society as a whole. We need to do all we can to promote breastfeeding at every opportunity that arises.

This would have been an excellent opportunity to make a positive impact on a topic that many women struggle with. Had they used a photo of a mother breastfeeding her child next to the caption, “Gestational Diabetes”, I would have framed the issue and placed it on the wall for all of my clients to see. It’s a shame that the editors of this magazine let such a tremendous opportunity slip past!

~Angie

It’s tough to put into words my thoughts & feelings about something.  When it comes to your thoughts & feelings about a health condition that is chronic, those thoughts & feelings can change on a daily basis………..

    I was 24 years old when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in August of 1991.  Pretty old for someone to be diagnosed with what was then called “Juvenile Diabetes”.  I had not been feeling “right” for about a month or more prior to my diagnosis.  I was not really feeling bad, just not right.  At the time, I was managing my parents Hallmark Card shop.  My regular routine involved exercise, working, playing basketball & partying.  Although I had moved back in with my parents, younger brother & sister after graduating from college, I still had a lot of college still in me.

    In June or July of that year, I noticed that my workouts were becoming more & more difficult.  I seemed more tired than usual.  My energy level was not the same.  By the middle of July, I had stopped my exercise routine thinking that I needed rest from over-training.  I continued my other nightly activities, playing ball & midnight bike rides without noticing too much change.  Then, I started noticing that I was getting more & more frequent leg cramps that never fully went away.  I definitely remember my unquenchable thirst.  Next came the constant urination.  The peeing never stopped.  Even through the night.  Some nights, I did not wake up.  There’s something wrong with a 24 year old that starts to wet his bed again!

    At the time, though, I was not too focused on my own health.  My Mother was into her second year of radiation, chemotherapy & surgery to combat Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.   We were much more concerned with her than with me.  But, the seriousness of my condition came to light when I lost 10-15 pounds in the span of about 2 weeks.  My normal body weight has been around 155 to 160 pounds.  Losing 15 pounds is significant for a person my size, especially since I was not trying to lose weight.  I finally made a doctor’s appointment.  He ran some tests & collected some urine.  When he came in to see me, he told me that he had good news & bad news.  Being the optimist, I opted for the good news first.  With a straight face, he said, “Well, you are not pregnant.  But, I am 99.9% sure you have diabetes.”

    He wanted to confirm his suspicions so he sent me to have blood drawn at a lab & asked that I return home to wait for his call. About an hour or so later, he called to let me know that his initial diagnosis of Diabetes was correct.  Because the lab results for the blood glucose was over 1,000 mg/dl, he asked that I not drive anywhere.  He wanted me to check into the hospital.  At the time I was home alone, but promised to call him when somebody arrived back home.

    I was upset & scared.  I was not sure how this would affect me or my life.  I remember I started crying.  But right then, I made a promise to myself that I would never let anybody see me upset because of having diabetes.  I knew I had to be strong.  I made the commitment to attack it before it attacked me. 

    I spent three days in the hospital learning about all the diabetes self management guidelines.  The area that concerned me the most was the meal planning.  The dietitian that was consulted to work with me did not answer all of my questions.  She was adamant about avoiding certain foods.  She drilled me on giving up many of my favorite foods.  I could not buy into that.  The whole experience was not a positive one.  While lying in bed at the hospital, I realized that I had found my calling.  I wanted to become a Registered Dietitian.  I figured if I had to learn these new things, watch my diet & make lifestyle changes, I might as well get paid to do it.  More importantly though, I thought I could help other people better manage their diabetes.

    I returned to college in 1993 to begin work on a Master’s Degree.  While doing that, I had to take some prerequisite classes that I missed when getting a degree in Political Science.  The feeling of purpose & direction entered my life.  I have always maintained that had I not been diagnosed with diabetes, I would not be where I am today.  Diabetes changed my life in an overall positive direction.  Because of diabetes, I discovered new interests, new careers, new friends and a renewed purpose.  Because of diabetes, I met the woman that would become my wife and mother of our children.  Because of diabetes, I am a better person.  To me, diabetes is cool.  Yes, having diabetes still sucks, but you cope.  Sure it makes me different when comparing me to my peers, but when working with clients that have diabetes, it gives us something in common.  I know I may have viewed it differently had I been diagnosed with diabetes while still a child.  But for me, the diagnosis of diabetes saved my life!!

~John