My new life

[Booger]

I guess I should introduce myself, so here goes...

Last friday I started feeling very ill right after taking my GMAT test to get into business school. I ended up in the hospital early Saturday morning. Of course I almost fainted from disbelief when the docs told me that I have type I diabetes. I'm an active 21 year old without a single diabetic on either side of the family.

I finally got out of the hospital yesterday and am trying my best to pick up the pieces of my life. I figure talking with other diabetics (I don't know that I've ever even met another one) is a good place to start.


-Kris

[David76]

Dear Kris,
Welcome to the forum! I think you'll find this to be a great place to get information, support, and some good laughs (check Chit Chat). By the way, what was your initial blood sugar reading upon diagnosis? I was diagnosed when I was 2 years old, so I don't remember most of the details, but I know I didn't like the shots! Eventually, though, I got used to it, and now, like you, I'm a student pursuing a graduate degree. Probably the best advice I can give you as you adjust to a new lifestyle is to try to have patience with yourself and the spirit of curiosity you might find in a scientist or business leader tinkering with different strategies to see what works best. Aside from that, lots of social support is great, and you know you can find that here :) Finally, if you're looking for more information, I highly recommend reading the Diabetes Cure by Dr. Richard Bernstein (a type 1 diabetic also).
Best wishes to you, and I hope you keep us up to date on the GMAT results!
Cheers,
David

[HeatherP]

Welcome Kris. I was dx'd when I was 24, but knew what I had as I'd grown up w/ a diabetic mother. Didn't save me much in the way of initial hysteria, though. That was a long time ago. I'm sure that you're probably overwhelmed with info and questions, so I encourage you to read and ask away. I hope that you are able to square things away and get on with college life. Regardless of whether you have an easy or tough time of it, know that here you should always feel comfortable here, even if you just need to blow off steam - we all need to vent our fustration from time to time. Hope you'll visit often and make some new friends!

Nice to meet you,
HeatherP

[Harold]

Welcome to the Forum Kris, and thanks for the intro. We seem to have had a recent surge of people in their late teens and early twentys showing up with type 1.

[MarkMunday]

Hello Kris,

I became diabetic in similar circumstances to yours. It was after writing final year B.com exams at the age of 21. No family background or any apparent cause.

That was 27 years ago. And I am still going strong, without any complications. Welcome to the club!

Cheers,

Mark

[Littlebit63_99]

Welcome Kris,

I was diagnosed at 6 and can remember well being your age and in college......I was able to work part time...school full time and take care of two little girls.......have patience like David said......and learn as much as you can.

Welcome to our forum!!!!

Liz

[nantomsuethom]

Kris,

Welcome to the form!! I am not a diabetic but my 11 year old son,Thomas, is. He was diagnosed 1 year ago. Just like you we have no history of diabetes on either side of the family, so it just blew us away. It took a few months for the "fogginess" to go away but now it is a part of our life and we do the best we can.

This is a great place to be for info and support.

Nancy

[am1977]

Hey-Welcome~ :)

This is a great group and I hope to see you visitin often.

I am a Type 1 too, diagnosed at 24, just about 2.5 years ago. It can be very overwhelming at first. I know that's how I felt. I didn't know where to begin. I think what helped me was learning about the disease and visiting supportive forums like this one on the web. Just being able to communicate with someone who can relate and understands my experiences has helped me so much. At times, it's easy to feel alone with this diease...but you have to remember that you are not. There are many, many out there who go through the same things 24/7. Yes, there are tough times, but somehow we do muddle through. Before you know it, you will see how much managing your diabetes becomes part of your daily routine.

I hope you will feel free to visit anytime. We look forward to learning more about you and hope you will get to know us too.

Take care,

Andrea

[PepsiLvr]

Hello and welcome. I was dxd Type 1 less than a year ago at the age of 24. The initial shock took a while to subside but I got used to it and now accept it as part of my everyday life. You have found an excellent place for support and good friends.

[zookeeper671]

Just wanted to add a BIG hello and welcome! :D

I was dxd T1, 11 months ago (October 2003) at the age of 32 (old fart age to have acquired T1).

You'll be ok. It's overwhelming at first and you may get hit with "info overload"... but it'll pass.

Hang in there. :)

[Shalyndria]

Hiya Kris (or should I call you Booger???!) and welcome to our not-so-humble home!!! :D ;) There's a box of kleenex around here somewhere just in case you decide you need some......

Although I'm sorry we had to meet because of this disease, I can assure you that you've found a wonderful support group in this gang. Everyone is friendly, helpful, and willing to offer a supportive shoulder (as it may be), and I'm sure you'll fit in great!

I am Type 1 for the past 13 years ( :eek: just checked the month, now I'm 13 and a half! ;) ) and like you have absolutely no history of Diabetes - either type - on either my paternal or fraternal side.

Happy posting!!
Shy

[Dewey]

Welcome Kris,

You've found a good forum, and many new friends that are supportive, friendly and helpful. :) Should you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Like you, I have no family history of Diabetes. I was diagnosed at age 9 <two weeks before my 10th birthday...:rolleyes: >.

By the way, love your screen name! lol Does that mean you picked us? lol :D Enjoy the forum and again, welcome! :)

[Booger]

Wow. Thanks for the warm welcome.

David,
My blood sugar was 575 when I first checked into the hospital. I guess that's pretty high. I've ranged from about 100-160 over the past few days, so I'm slowly learning how to control this. I definitely think I'm going to go the pump route eventually as I want to stay as active as possible (it felt really good to get back on my bike yesterday), but right now lantus and my novolog pen are the treatments of choice.

One question -
I've been having fairly excrutiating pain in my shoulder/chest/right side of my abdomen at night. The pain tapers off during the day but comes back with a vengeance at night. I called my doctor, but I got the on call doc who told me to take advil and get over it. What are these pains? I'd love to get just one good night of sleep as I haven't had one since my episode.

Again, thanks for the words. I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys how hard this has been.

-Kris (or you can call me Booger..I dare you not to smile or laugh)

[Dewey]

Kris,

I don't mean to worry you, but you should certainly get that looked at and perhaps x-rayed or something to rule out anything...have you ever been injured in that area? Perhaps an old wound is acting up? I'm not really sure, and don't want to grasp at straws, but it is of great concern to me, as it shouldn't be taken lightly. By episode, do you mean your diagnosis of Diabetes? I'm sorry to ask all the questions, and maybe I'm paranoid, but I definitely would get it checked more thoroughly. <I know, I'm like a mother hen...LOL :rolleyes:>

[eevee]

Kris...
Your pancreas is situated in your abdomen behind you stomach on the right side of your body....what you describe sounds to me like an attack of pancreatitis.... check it out properly with a doctor, but it won't hurt for you to look it up on the web also....
Read up on T1 diabetes as well---I think you will find that very few T1s have a family history of the disease. T2s are much more likely..!

........Eve

[Brandi]

Wow, maybe there's some connection between exams and diabetes. :)

My husband was diagnosed at the age of 21. He hadn't felt well and couldn't make it through a final exam. His blood sugar was 498 when he went to the doctor.

That was 3 1/2 years ago, and it's still tough for him. He's technically Type 1 although he doesn't really fit the criteria for it. He has no family history of it. He played several sports growing up, and his doctors say that's probably why it didn't show up until college when he was less active.

[Booger]

Originally posted by Dewey
Kris,

I don't mean to worry you, but you should certainly get that looked at and perhaps x-rayed or something to rule out anything...have you ever been injured in that area? Perhaps an old wound is acting up? I'm not really sure, and don't want to grasp at straws, but it is of great concern to me, as it shouldn't be taken lightly. By episode, do you mean your diagnosis of Diabetes? I'm sorry to ask all the questions, and maybe I'm paranoid, but I definitely would get it checked more thoroughly. <I know, I'm like a mother hen...LOL :rolleyes:>


I'm certainly glad I took your advice and went to the hospital. They took chest x-rays that looked ok, so they sent me home with some vicotin. About an hour later I had excrutiating pain and trouble breathing. I went back again to find out I had a pulmonary embolism that came pretty close to killing me. After another week in the hospital, I'm out and will try yet again to resume my life. I need a vacation...


-Kris

[Dewey]

Kris,

I'm very sorry to hear you had a pulmonary embolism - that's extremely serious! :( But, I am glad that you went to the hospital. Sorry for suggesting unnecessary x-rays, but after dealing with a close friend who has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I tend to be way more skeptical of any pains that sound similar to what he experienced (he had major shooting pains in his left leg at night, and was popping Aleve like candy so he could sleep). He finally went to the doc, who (like a previous physical therapist he'd seen) thought it was just muscular pains from driving semi-trucks. However, the doc decided to x-ray to ensure it was nothing, and the next day, frantically called to inform him it was cancer (and to come home quickly for more extensive testing). As a result, I take almost Any complaints of physical pains seriously.

Glad to hear I helped some, and I hope you're on the road to recovery. Please get well soon, and hope that you can take that vacation you so desperately need. ;) :)

[David76]

Hey Kris,
Sorry to hear about the pulmonary embolism, but I'm glad you got it checked out and taken care of! While you're in the hospital, know you have a lot of positive thoughts going your way. Aside from that, I'm impressed you were able to get your blood sugars into the 100-160 range so quickly--that's fantastic!
Best wishes,
David

[jazzy1]

Hi Kris!
I'm new to the forum as well...but have been diabetic for most of my life! I can tell you this...it's a shock right now, and there IS a lot of info to take in. From all the diabetics that I know, it seems pretty common that you will go through a "rebellion" stage...some people call it denial. Just remember that diabetes is no longer the death sentence that it used to be years and years ago. You can control the disease...it doesn't have to control you. It will require a bit of a lifestyle adjustment, but as you can see, you're not alone...so don'e EVER feel that way!