So I have told you about the diabetes. Yes, I am fortunate enough to have this lovely disease that wreaks havoc with your life. I was 19 when my mother found me in a semi-comatose state on my bathroom floor. She and Dad rushed me to the hospital where I was admitted for a 6 week stay. The first day was kind of a blur for me. Unfortunately, not for Mom. She was told that I was in bad shape. They tried over 20 times to put in an IV but I was so dehydrated they ended up putting in a subclavian IV into the heart. They did it with no anesthsia because they were afraid I wouldn't wake up. I can tell you it was incredibly painful. I remember looking at my Mom, standing in the window of the door watching me...and I remember our eyes locking when the procedure was going on. I never moved, never made a sound. My Mom said later that after they were done, she tried to take a step away from the door and she almost passed out. Dad was there to catch her. She said it was, and remains today, one of the worst moments of her life. There are a few other worst moments too, and most of them have me in the starring role. Poor Mom...she deserved so much better. Anyway, she slept at the hospital for a week, until the danger had passed. Then it was ok for her to go away and let others handle her daughter and teach her what she needed to know about the rest of her life. It was going to be up to me to take care of myself and as she put it, it was time for her to let go and let me learn to be independent again. And I did.

Anyway, the point of telling this horror story is to illustrate how close Mother and Daughter can be. My Mom is one of the strongest women I know and I am proud to be almost as tough as she is. She gave me the strength to learn how to manage my diabetes so I could manage my own life. She never wanted me to be dependant on her and for that I will always be grateful.

There was another time, about 23 years later, and about 5 years ago now, that reinforced our bond. I'll tell that story next time.

Ok, so this isn't starting out as well as I had hoped. It has been over two weeks since my last post. However, I wasn't expecting to blow my knee out a week ago either. I have been on the couch with great pain drugs and trying not to have to pee. The trek to the bathroom was a long one!!!! Anyway, I saw the surgeon yesterday and unfortunately, I have a torn meniscus which is usually a surgical fix. However, my Dr. was honest and said it is going to be the last resort. Due to the fact that I am chemically "immunosuppressed", surgery will be a nightmare. Well, at least I have that going for me. :-)


I have finally realized something that I never knew before today. I am have lost control of my own body. I used to be in charge but not any more. It just does whatever the hell it feels like whenever the hell it feels like it. Well, no more. I am taking back control of the ship!!! I have no idea how but dammit, I am doing it! *LOL*

So...how many of you have heard of Diabetes? Let me see a show of hands...yes, there are many hands up. What a shitty diseaese. I was blessed to join the club of type 1 diabetics when I was 19 years old. I am now 47. I found out recently that the original longevity timeline given to my parents at that point in time was maybe 5-10 years. I also was discovered to have Hashimoto's disease. Another Autoimmune disease. Things were pretty bad at the time and we were living in Louisiana, which has some of the WORST medical care known to man. However, we had to treat the issues so had my thyroid removed and started on treatment for diabetes. I got married two years later and moved to Denver, which has some of the best medical care and healthcare professionals in the world. It was amazing to me how much better I was, once I got some proper care and education.

If you have any links that you want to share for Diabetes care or treatment, please do so! I am always interested in what others know that I don't!!!