New member.. - Diabetes Message Board

WebWizard · 06-08-2003, 05:08 PM

Hello all. I stumbled across the board while doing a search on the Internet and stopped in to do some reading. I decided to join and perhaps get a better grasp on some issues that I'm going to be going through. My husband has been diagnosed with Type I Diabetes as of approximately 2+ weeks ago and it's been a total life change for us.

We discovered this through an odd series of changes that he had experienced. First it was severe weight loss - 40 lbs in 5 weeks. He'd always drank a lot of water anyway but this time, it got a little bit more intense so we didn't think anything about it at the time. His urination had picked up. He did go to the doctor and have blood work done. In between time, he had difficulty keeping things down as far as food. It had gotten so bad one weekend, that I actually had given him Boost Two of which he was able to keep down. On the third one, it came back up at that point it was off to the ER we went.

Within the first 10 minutes of our arrival they had him connected to an IV because he was so dehydrated. Diagnosis, diabetic ketosis - I think that's what they called it. Blood was drawn and it came back with a blood sugar level of 420, he was admitted into ICU without question. They said that had we not gotten there when we did he would have gone into a diabetic coma. Within the first day or so, he was diagnosed with Type I. He went through 7 bags of Saline, 2 of potassium and one with a combination of potassium and saline.

Now he's taking Novolog and Lantis. He's checking his blood sugar 9 times a day. The ironic thing of this all is we started eating right (healthy) and now Diabetes occurred. As they say, it can occur at any time. I just thank God that he's still with us and they were able to take care of him as quickly as they did. I actually wrote a thank you card to the ER doctor and nurses in the ICU staff for the great care they gave him. They deserved my great appreciation.

I'm starting to understand but still learning what this disease is all about but it's taking time. Yesterday it finally snapped and set in. I just sat here and cried because I didn't know what to do or what to say. I felt so helpless because it's not something that I can fix like I can usually do with everything else.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling on. Just looking for support and needed to get this off of my chest. Thanks for listening (reading)

Sue

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Do not follow the path, make a trail of your own and see where it takes you.

delrae4753 · 06-08-2003, 07:33 PM

I understand your frustration. What yuou need is to talk to a registered diabetic educator and to attend a diabetic class that will give you an insite on what this disease is all about it will be very scarry until you get this done if you hubby is still in the hospital talk to the social worker they can set this up if he is not in the hospital talk to his diabetic dr or pcp and they can set up these classes for you it is important that you get educated in this I was in the hospital last month with ecoli and discoved that my sugar on admission was 478 and it was very dangerous they set me up to talk to the diabetes educator who taught me to use the monitor and set up my class boy did the diabtetic class help me good luck and keep in touch........

WebWizard · 06-08-2003, 08:10 PM

Husband came home 5 days later after he got hydrated again and was stable with his insulin levels. The diabetic counselor he had visited with frequently taught him out to use the monitor for his blood sugar and he's doing just fine with it. There's a meeting scheduled for this week I believe. With him working at nights, it makes it difficult for the two of us to do much during the day but I think we'll try to make this one since we missed last week.

He's been able to drop the dosage on the insulin since his sugar has gone back to normal numbers very quickly. The last few times he's been taking it, the numbers he's been getting have been between 110-175 and for him that's normal compared to where he was.The other night when he did have something that had sugar in it, it actually read 202, we were kind of shocked it wasn't higher than that.

Nevertheless, he's doing good on his meds and on his diet like he's supposed to. I always ask questions about stuff too but that's just because I'm concerned. One day at a time.

Sue

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Do not follow the path, make a trail of your own and see where it takes you.

delrae4753 · 06-09-2003, 10:56 AM

sue if you can try to keep the sugars at 150 or less but no less than 100 thats the normal ranges on most people . sounds like you are on the right track go to that class ask lots of questions there is no question thats can't be answered.

jdog · 06-09-2003, 11:26 AM

Wiz -

Are you sure he was type I? It thought it might be type II since it's later in life. It sounds like you are doing the right things.

I also think the American Diabetes Association has a web site that you can find more information on if you so choose.

jdog