I was the typical new diabetic who had gained excess
weight over the years and was pre-diabetic for 5 years or so. I have a strong
family history of diabetes. I had gone to the annual physical and learned that
I finally had become a diabetic. Amazingly, I actually did nothing about
it. My blood sugar (glucose) level was
only at 150 mg/dL. Why bother?
What it took for me to take control of my diabetes was a
simple thing that my HMO (health management organization) did. My HMO changed my physician. I was placed
with someone I now call the "little tyrant." He was new to me, but after checking me out
thoroughly, he sat me down and told me he wasn't going to allow me to continue
to accept having diabetes.
Essentially, here is what he said to me: "Having
diabetes is a choice. Right now, you are
at the beginning of diabetes. This is the time to start controlling it. This process started years ago because of
your lifestyle and eating habits. But today, you are seeing the first of a
series of things to come. Your blood
sugar is up, you are overweight, your blood pressure is up, and your vision is
changing. You can make changes and get
this problem totally controlled, or you can have it control you. If it controls
you, it can cause heart attacks. It can affect your sex life. It will damage
your internal organs, your sight, and your ability to touch and feel
things. You can control it, or it will
control you. You make your choice. I can help, but I have to know that you want
this. If you want my help, there will be
no excuses, and you will talk to me about everything. That is what I am here
for."
We talked longer than I've ever talked to any physician.
Slowly, I saw he was taking charge of arranging for my healthcare--and teaching
me to be in charge of my own health. He
gained my respect, and I dubbed him "the little tyrant."
My physician brought this illness into amazing clarity
for me. He sent me to the diabetic workshop at the hospital, started me on oral
medications, enlisted the services of my diabetes care team, and had me in the
office on a regular basis to check weight, blood pressure, and sugar levels. I
then made my rounds seeing the nutritionist, the lab techs, the diabetes
educators, the cardiologist, the ophthalmologist, the podiatrist... and anyone
else even remotely involved.
A year later, my weight is down--not normal--but down and
declining. My housemate is now my main support.
I've begun wearing a wristband health identifier, and my co-workers all
know I am diabetic. I no longer take blood sugar pills, but I still check my
blood sugar religiously before and after each meal, and can proudly say that my
A1C is at 5.2%. My physician now tells
me that I beat the odds.
After a year of receiving excellent medical care and
learning how to care for this condition, the worst thing happened. The HMO changed my doctor on me because my
physician felt he could offer more to others in another medical specialty.
The new physician is very laid back. He told me that I
could stop monitoring. Indeed! I was shocked.
On the way home, I thought to myself that, yes, I am now
a very different person from a year ago.
In this last year I'd followed the best advice that medical science has
to offer: I dieted, exercised, and learned how to eat to keep the bloods sugars
in the normal range (instead of simply just monitoring like most diabetics, I
learned how to eat instead).
I am now a very educated diabetic. I am aware diabetes is a self-controllable
condition, but because of a strong history of diabetes, I will never relax the
vigil. There are legions of us out there
who have beat diabetes early and improved our health. I am a diabetic who is well
controlled--nothing more, nothing less.
As a side note, now that I'm more proactive about my
health, I'm taking charge of my HMO this year, instead of it taking control of
me. I'm changing physicians!
Janice S, 55
Whittier, CA
134150