Wednesday, January 25, 2006

A cure in 5 years

I don't know why, but I feel compelled to tell everyone my diagnosis story. I was diagnosed on October 3, 1988. I had all the usual symptoms, but the bed wetting was the most prominent. Before putting me to bed, my mom would put on a regular disposable diaper, a plastic liner and my pajamas. On my bed she would put a sheet, a plastic protector and a mattress liner. I would wet through it all every night. She took me to the doctor. He told me that he thought I probably had diabetes, but he didn't feel comfortable treating a child so young. He told my parents to go home,to avoid feeding me sugar, and to bring me to the hospital the next morning. He didn't realize how sick I really was. My parents could tell that I wasn't myself. Before I loved to talk. I virtually stopped talking. On the ride to the hospital, I said only one thing. I saw a billboard with a puppy on it. I raised my arm, pointed, and said "puppy." My mom still points out that billboard, even though the puppy is long gone. I spent a week in the hospital. My dad couldn't get away from his work on our family farm, so he would come every night. I would scream if my parents weren't in the room. The only time my mom could leave to eat, was when I was asleep and she was sure I wouldn't wake up. We were told the only was we could figure out how much insulin I needed, I had to eat a meal every 4 hours. This meant during the night as well. Although I don't remember it, I can't imagine waking up an almost 2 year old to eat a whole meal of hospital food in the middle of the night. My parents and I left the hospital a week later. My parents had entered the world of protein, fat, carbohydrate exchanges, insulin injections, finger pokes, and strict schedules. Technology has come a VERY long way since I was diagnosed. Blood glucose monitors now read in an amazing 5 seconds. There are amazing new insulins. No more must people deal with NPH, regular, lente and ultralente. The only insulin I haven't been on is lantus. It came out after I started on the pump. We now look forward to continuous glucose monitors. I can't wait to see what new technology they will come out with next. Oh, but wait, there will be a cure in 5 years, right?

2 comments:

Kerri. said...

I was diagnosed in 1986 (when I was six years old) and I remember the archaic meters and urine testing. The meal plans and peaking insulins. Ah, and the chaos of eating on a schedule, even if you weren't hungry.

Technology has come such a long way since we were little kids.

Five more years, Jen.

... well, maybe six.

Major Bedhead said...

Your story is very similar to my daughter's dx story. She was almost 3 when she was diagnosed in 1997 and had pretty much stopped walking and her speech had become almost unintelligble. She has no memory of life without diabetes.

I think I've fallen into the No Cure camp. Not quite, I'm still perched on the fence, but I've heard Five More Years for over eight years now and I'm just not buying it anymore.