I got a bit of bad news on Wednesday, when I was told I had been diagnosed with diabetes. It wasn't a shock as - using my enormous medical expertise :) - I had already diagnosed myself. For some time I have had an unquenchable thirst and other symptoms. Luckily it is Type 2, so I won't have to inject myself every day.
I went to see my doctor yesterday evening who told me that it "could be a blessing in disguise". I must admit I wondered about her sanity when she said that, but she may be right. To have it diagnosed at my age means I can beat it if I adopt the right diet and exercise routines and get my blood sugar levels down. This will "unfur" arteries and lessen the risk of heart or kidney problems in the future.
So I guess I am going to be harvesting lots of info about diabetes from various websites over the next few weeks and learning from other people about their experiences. My father was diagnosed with it seven years ago and my Godmother (the one who died in November) had it too. She had to inject herself twice a day and had been doing it since the 1960s. I am now going to have to take 10 pills a day for the foreseeable future. Even worse, I won't be able to drink Lemon Lucozade anymore!
I must admit I was rather shocked by the reaction of a couple of people I have told face to face. They seemed to equate it with being told that I had a terminal illness. I don't see it that way at all. I count myself very lucky. I've had 45 years of being totally healthy. In the last few weeks, a good friend of mine has been diagnosed with MS and another friend has been diagnosed with cancer. I'm the lucky one.
I debated whether to share this rather private information with you, my blogreaders, but I've done it because I want to learn from other people's experiences.
