Lex4153
06-26-2006, 10:19 AM
I'm new here, wanted to tell my story. I was diagnosed 10 yrs ago and was never able to care for my diabetes because of the misdiagnosis.
At 13 yrs old, I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. I was prescribed insulin and for a few years I tried earnestly to eat right, exercise, and take the shots. But my blood sugars never leveled. They were either too high or too low. Eventually, I gave up when I was about 16 or 17. I stopped treating my diabetes all together. I didn't touch a meter or needle for three years.
When I returned to the endocrinologist finally, scared that I was destroying my body, he was shocked to learn that I was alive and relatively well after not taking insulin for so long. He thought that I might be Type II because of that. He said if I were Type I, I should have been dead! But he didn't order any tests or try any oral meds. He said that if I had a hard enough time with insulin shots, oral meds would be even harder to control my diabetes with. I trusted him.
I started taking shots again, watching my diet, and taking blood sugar readings. But I eventually gave up again. I couldn't control my sugars, my appetite was immense, and my weight soared. I couldn't stop eating, which made me feel guilty, and to compensate I would take more insulin which made my appetite increase. It was a never ending cycle. I stopped taking the insulin again. I really felt better not taking it!
Eventually I went to visit my family doctor, a physician assistant actually. This was a few months ago. When I told her my story of how difficult my diabetes was, she immediately ordered some bloodwork done that would confirm what type of diabetic I was. The first test was inconclusive. The second took A LOT longer, but eventually I got the call that I was, indeed, TYPE II. I was happy but soooo angry. Happy because now I could finaly start treating my diabetes appropriately but angry that for ten years I had tried again and again to take care of myself and failed. My weight had shot up and I had just felt miserable the whole time. I always thought, "Well, maybe if I didn't eat so much" or "Maybe if I exercised more" I could have done better. "Maybe if I weren't so LAZY!" But all along it wasn't my fault. The docs had just assumed because I was 13 yrs old that I was Type I.
I started Glucophage (500 mg) right away and Byetta (5 ml). My blood sugars stayed the same, hovering around 250. But I dropped 15 lbs in six weeks without even trying. No eating differently, no exercising. It was a miracle worker. I'm hoping to lose another 5-10 lbs and I'll be slimmer than I've ever been.
Last week they upped my dosage of Byetta up to 10 ml. I instantly saw results. My blood sugar dropped from 250 to 126 the next morning!!!! I've been so deliriously happy that I finally found something that works TEN YEARS LATER! It's been so long.
Thank you for listening.
At 13 yrs old, I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. I was prescribed insulin and for a few years I tried earnestly to eat right, exercise, and take the shots. But my blood sugars never leveled. They were either too high or too low. Eventually, I gave up when I was about 16 or 17. I stopped treating my diabetes all together. I didn't touch a meter or needle for three years.
When I returned to the endocrinologist finally, scared that I was destroying my body, he was shocked to learn that I was alive and relatively well after not taking insulin for so long. He thought that I might be Type II because of that. He said if I were Type I, I should have been dead! But he didn't order any tests or try any oral meds. He said that if I had a hard enough time with insulin shots, oral meds would be even harder to control my diabetes with. I trusted him.
I started taking shots again, watching my diet, and taking blood sugar readings. But I eventually gave up again. I couldn't control my sugars, my appetite was immense, and my weight soared. I couldn't stop eating, which made me feel guilty, and to compensate I would take more insulin which made my appetite increase. It was a never ending cycle. I stopped taking the insulin again. I really felt better not taking it!
Eventually I went to visit my family doctor, a physician assistant actually. This was a few months ago. When I told her my story of how difficult my diabetes was, she immediately ordered some bloodwork done that would confirm what type of diabetic I was. The first test was inconclusive. The second took A LOT longer, but eventually I got the call that I was, indeed, TYPE II. I was happy but soooo angry. Happy because now I could finaly start treating my diabetes appropriately but angry that for ten years I had tried again and again to take care of myself and failed. My weight had shot up and I had just felt miserable the whole time. I always thought, "Well, maybe if I didn't eat so much" or "Maybe if I exercised more" I could have done better. "Maybe if I weren't so LAZY!" But all along it wasn't my fault. The docs had just assumed because I was 13 yrs old that I was Type I.
I started Glucophage (500 mg) right away and Byetta (5 ml). My blood sugars stayed the same, hovering around 250. But I dropped 15 lbs in six weeks without even trying. No eating differently, no exercising. It was a miracle worker. I'm hoping to lose another 5-10 lbs and I'll be slimmer than I've ever been.
Last week they upped my dosage of Byetta up to 10 ml. I instantly saw results. My blood sugar dropped from 250 to 126 the next morning!!!! I've been so deliriously happy that I finally found something that works TEN YEARS LATER! It's been so long.
Thank you for listening.