COLUMN: There is life after diabetes
It’s not everyone who can say they get to shoot up five times a day.
I like to say that to people sometimes to see what kind of a reaction I get. But the truth is, I would do some serious damage to my body if I didn’t.
Last March I was diagnosed with type I diabetes. What that means is that my pancreas no longer produces insulin. Without insulin, the cells of the body cannot receive the nutrients they need to produce energy. Most of the nutrients are expelled from the body and the cells basically starve to death.
I finally decided something was wrong when my roommates and I were at Disneyland for Spring Break. My appetite was very sporadic, my mood was swinging like a pendulum, I had an unquenchable thirst and my skin was so dry that no amount of lotion could tame it.
When we got back, I went into the student health center and explained my symptoms, they did a blood test and found my blood sugar level to be at 416, well over diabetic levels.
I was transferred to an internal medicine specialist in the valley and after undergoing more tests was diagnosed with diabetes.
Actually, I was very lucky. Going into the health center I already had a good idea that I was diabetic. About seven months before my diagnosis, my brother-in-law was also diagnosed with diabetes. His level was more than 800 and they wanted to keep him in the hospital overnight. After hearing his experience I knew the symptoms, and I was experiencing them all.
Most people don’t believe me when I tell them having diabetes has turned out to be a positive thing. For one, it has forced me to live a healthy lifestyle. You have to eat healthy, exercise and get enough sleep so you don’t aggravate the condition.
And of course the results of living a healthy lifestyle are you feel better, look better and live happier.
I did have to make a lot of lifestyle changes. Diabetics need to balance out the carbohydrates they eat with fats and proteins so the blood sugar level rises slower. And of course there are the insulin shots.
I do take five shots a day with two types of insulin. The first type I take around 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. and is a long-acting insulin, meaning it slowly mixes with my bloodstream to help regulate my blood sugar levels. The other kind is a fast acting insulin I take before meals to help keep my level in check when I eat.
When the diagnosis came back positive, the shots were the part I was the most worried about. I’ve always hated needles. But remarkably, I gave myself my first insulin shot, right in the stomach, and haven’t had a problem since.
The disease does have some drawbacks. I absolutely hate pricking my finger to test my blood sugar levels. This usually has to be done at least five times a day as well. I am a piano player and spend a lot of time on computers, which can be a problem at times with tender fingers.
Giving up sweets (especially chocolate) was hard at first, but the longer I go without them the easier it is. Now chocolate is a big treat I eat a bit of when my blood sugar is too low.
One of the hardest things about being a diabetic is maintaining a normal blood sugar level. Normal levels are between 80 and 120. If you go too high, you can stress out your body and its organs. If you go too low you could go into a coma. Scary, but not that hard to accomplish.
Maintaining a normal level includes eating right, measuring the amount of insulin you take and constantly monitoring your blood levels. With diabetes, prevention is more than half the battle.
Am I sorry I have it? Sometimes, but it’s a part of my life now. Giving myself shots is as normal as blowing my nose. It has been a big adjustment, but I live a normal life. Unless I tell people about it, they really have no clue. I’m more healthy and more happy. Who’d have guessed those would be side effects of a major diagnosis. Besides, I get to tell people I shoot up.
Jared Sterzer is the editor in chief at The Statesman. Comments can be sent to jwsterz@cc.usu.edu.