[Focus man. Focus.]

Well not that I expect any sympathy but I thought I would share what has gone on in my life over the past couple of weeks with me. It all started on Feb 18th when I had a problem with my diabetes. It seems that the insulin that I was taking decided to go haywire. It shot my blood sugar levels sky high and then dropped me into a serious low. This in turn caused me to have a seizure, pass out and give me a serious concousion aswell as almost bite my tongue off. This happened on Feb 18th and I am only just starting to get my feet back on the ground.

I have been an insulin dependant diabetic since I was 18 years old but I never took it seriously, until now. After this happened on the 18th until yesterday I cannot remember anything. I have no memory of the past 2 and a half weeks. Talk about scary. I have been in and out of the hospital. I am now on 2 new kinds of insulin and all kinds of meds to get me back on my feet. Luckily I have my fiance Lindsey by my side to take care of me and protect me when I drop into a low blood sugar reaction.

This has really opened my eyes to the seriousness of this disease. I have lived with it for 15 years and really didn't care to much about it. My doctor always checked my A1C levels and said that I was doing a good job controling it so I never gave it much thought, Until now.

I don't want to bore you with all the the medical details but after all this I will not take my health for granted any more. This has truly been a long over due eye opener for me, and luckily I am now on the road to recovery. Thank goodness I live with Lindsey because if I didn't you would all be talking about me in the past tense.

The doctor has put a medical suspension on my drivers license until I get my new insulin and levels under control. Honestly I don't blame him. I haven't been myself lately, especialy with my memory loss. This has been the toughest time in my life that I have ever gone through. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

I won't bore you with any more of the gory details but I thought I would let you all know what is going on in my life as I have not been around I a while. If anyone wants any information on Diabetes I can help with some info or point you in the direction of some great reference material.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all around at a meet soon.

Your friend, Kevin.

[Scorpion]

Kevin...don't really know you, but dude, so glad you're getting better and you're through the bad bit without any apparent damage! My wife found out almost 2 years ago that she has diabetes. ATM, she's only on metaformin (sp) and controlling it by eating right...just about. But she could go on insulin at any time.

It's deadly serious....you're right about that. Take care of yourself, and definitely watch your levels. There is nothing so precious as life. And as for your other half...be thankful that she is who she is, for a lot of people wouldn't stay around to deal with it. Treasure her.

Scorp.

[NefCanuck]

Kevin,

Having my father being diagnosed with diabetes this past December and watching him deal with the changes in his lifestyle that he's had to make I can appreciate how this must be affecting you.

All I can say is stay positive, follow your doctors orders to the letter and you can turn this around. While diabetes cannot be cured yet, it can be controlled with proper medical care and patient effort.

NefCanuck

[torradan]

Wow man, take care of yourself, and I hope that everything gets under control. This is some serious business.

I hate this disease, and I've had to deal with this all of my life. Not personally, but both of my grandmothers had it, an aunt has it, and now my mom has jumped on the diabetes bandwagon a month or so ago.

I'm sure the doctor will get things all sorted out, and you'll be firing on all cylinders again soon. Sounds like you have a really good girl by your side too :)

Get better!
Todd

[ANTHONYD]

Kevin:

Glad to hear you're doing alright. Diabetes is one illness I know little about. Working in the field that I do, I see some pretty incredible things done medically. It's important that you take care of yourself, remain in a positve frame of mind and surrounding.

Trust your doctors and be patient.

Like I said before, glad to hear you're alright.

Now get yourself better so we can see you at the BBQ this summer!

[2001 ZTS]

Hey Kevin, been through it with my insulin dependent brother a number of times, attacks hospital after hospital the whole thing. He's had it a good long while too, since he was 16 and he's now 36.

The worst was when he switched to what ever he was using before, pig insulin I guess to the Humilin stuff. Know he's very active, fit and competes in canoe (olympic style canoes not back wood canoes). The diet is the key, as is measurement plus making sure those around you know what to do but I am sure you've taken care of that already not to mention making sure Lindsey knows what the signs are too.

In a more general sense now that I am fit and healthy again I can attest to the benifits of taking care of oneself. (Now 185lbs from 235 and in same shape I was when I left the Navy a dozen years ago.) Its always worth doing and it doesnt have to be in an extreme "go to gym 8 days a week" thing either, far from.

[NOS2Go4Me]

Kevin,

I've gotta say that what you've said (typed?) has to be one of the scariest things I've heard in a long time. I couldn't really picture not remembering the last couple of weeks.

Stick with it. Now that you've gotten the docs involved, I'm sure they'll keep you on the straight and narrow once again.

Hopefully you can make it out a few times this summer. I don't think we've met, but I'd like to rectify that. :)

Take care.

[Focus man. Focus.]

Thanks for the support guys. I am getting better daily but I still have CRS (Can't Remember S#!t) LOL. I doubt I will ever remember what happened to me but from what Lindsey has told me I don't think I want to remember.

One thing that is a daily reminder of what happened to me is that when I had the seziure and fell is that when I hit the ground I dislocated my left shoulder. Aparently it took 4 doctors to get it back into place. They said it was the worst dislocation they had ever seen.

I am feeling better daily and hopefully soon I will be back on the road and back to work. Thank goodness my job has been very understanding to my current health issues. For those who don't know where I work I need to give them a plug. I work for Wakefield Canada. Wakefield does the distribution and marketing for Castrol Motor Oil here in Canada. So use Castrol, they have an excelent product and really know how to take care of their employees. Another bonus is that Castrol Syntec comes in 5W20, which we all need.

Thanks again guys and I hope to catch up with you all come spring. We will have to talk to Broli to see when Masiv Mondays start up again.

Kevin

[meford4u]

All the best to a fast recovery.

I too am a Diabetic (Type 2) and have to be diligent about what I eat and where my sugar levels are.

I used to blow it off until I passed out about a year ago. Nothing serious. But it was a real wakeup call.

Take care of yourself. This disease took my Uncle when he was just 47.

[focusracer]

Damn, that sucks. I've seen my mom and dad both go into diabetic shock and it pretty scary.

I'm the only one in my family that is not diabetic at this point. My mom has always been but just recently became insulin dependant. My sisters are both on Metformin. My dad went undiagnosed for about 8 yrs they figure. He's in brutal shape, suffer severe neuropathy (sp?) which is damage to the nerve endings in the extremities. His feet are like pins and needles all the time. When he was diagnosed they put him on a few different meds in pill form that never seemed to work and is now on insulin shots. It's kind of brutal because he claims to not understand it all. He uses the insulin to control his blood sugars but has not changed his eating habits. He eats like a horse, doesn't do anything, eats junk food and sweets, takes a shot to counteract the amount of sugars he's intaking etc. I don't if it's just ignorance, if he really can't grasp the concept of it all (I've explain how it all works countless times) or if he just doesn't give a damn.

I've seen my family all become type 2 adult onset diabetics and it's motivation for me to be the one in my family who is not the fat one and not the one on all kinds of meds for everything from heart problems to cholesterol to diabetes.

One of the biggest problems in our society is eating habits. I used to suffer from hypoglycamia which is often a side effect of diabetes but can also be caused by not eating properly. I used to eat 2 big meals a day. Lunch and Dinner. I never ate breakfast, sometimes wouldn't have lunch until 1 or 2 in the afternoon and then have dinner at 7 or 8. My body would go into starvation mode and begin slowing down, sometimes to the point of shutting down. Now I eat 6-8 small meals a day, my metabolism has sped up, fat is dropping (in tune with exercise as well) and I'm not as bad with being tired and worn down and rarely feel hungry.

[darkpuppet]

And another thing.. even for those of you that "don't" have it... if you experience any of the following symptoms or meet any of the following criteria, please get checked out by your doctor..

Symptoms of type 1:

Increased thirst
Increased urination
Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting

Symptoms of type 2:

Increased thirst
Increased urination
Increased appetite
Fatigue
Blurred vision
Slow-healing infections
Impotence in men

or if you meet the following criteria..

A parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
Obesity
Age greater than 45 years
Some ethnic groups (particularly African-Americans and Hispanic Americans)
Gestational diabetes or delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
High blood pressure
High blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat molecule)
High blood cholesterol level

Seriously... this is not something that goes away if you try to ignore it.

I lost a good friend several years ago due to going undiagnosed.. he came down with the flu and was one of those guys that drank sports drinks like they were water... the flu agravated his undiagnosed diabetes, and the sports drinks killed him.

diabetes doesn't just kill you, it destroys your body... there's no coming back once you go beyond a certain point...

Kevin, I'm glad everything's alright with you (considering..), take care of yourself, I'm glad your story has a happy ending. :)

[Focus man. Focus.]

Well I think I am getting better and I start remembering things for a while and then out of nowhere I can't remember what day it is or what I was supposed to be doing. I go back to the neurologist tomorrow so hopefully he can shed some light on what is going on upstaris. I am at a loss as to what is going on with me. This has to be the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. Lindsey can ask me to get her something. I walk out of the room and forget where I was going and what I was supposed to be getting. She says that I am getting better everyday, but I have yet to see or feel any improvement. Time will tell I guess.

[torradan]

Well see what the doc says! Maybe that bump to the noggin jumbled up some gray matter that just needs to heal itself. Just sit tight and let them poke and prod you. You'll be right as rain soon enough.

And, at least you HAVE an excuse. :) I sometimes walk out of the room to go after something, and totally forget what it was I was going to do. Then I stand there wondering why I'm there, at a total loss. And I don't even have any problems.

[darkpuppet]

Focus man, Focus.,Mar 8 2007, 09:21 PM Wrote:...
Lindsey can ask me to get her something.  I walk out of the room and forget where I was going and what I was supposed to be getting.....  [right][snapback]229411[/snapback][/right]

um, that's me pretty much every day. I wonder if I have brain damage..

don't sweat it too much man.. my buddy knocked out his short term memory for 2 months after he split a full face helmet in two on the pavement in BC... it did come back eventually tho.

It's amazing too.. the guy was fully concious after the accident, and 4 hours into his examination at the hospital (they had to pop his shoulder back in and all that fun stuff), he sat up, still fully awake, and exclaimed, "whoa.. we're in a hospital, something bad must have happened"...

and even with the short term memory, one day he didn't have it, the next he suddenly did. The mind is a weird thing man.. but it has the ability to recover, so I'm sure your situation is only temporary!

[2001 ZTS]

darkpuppet,Mar 9 2007, 09:13 AM Wrote:

Focus man, Focus.,Mar 8 2007, 09:21 PM Wrote:...
Lindsey can ask me to get her something.  I walk out of the room and forget where I was going and what I was supposed to be getting.....  [right][snapback]229411[/snapback][/right]

um, that's me pretty much every day. I wonder if I have brain damage..

[right][snapback]229471[/snapback][/right]

Thats just age, happens to the best of us! :lol:

[Focus man. Focus.]

2001 ZTS,Mar 9 2007, 10:25 AM Wrote:Thats just age, happens to the best of us! :lol:
[right][snapback]229497[/snapback][/right]

:lol: But I am not as old as you. I am just 32. I am not going to blame it on age yet.

Plus my Neurologist says Um......??

What were we talking about???

[darkpuppet]

Focus man, Focus.,Mar 9 2007, 03:31 PM Wrote::lol: But I am not as old as you.  I am just 32.  I am not going to blame it on age yet. 

Plus my Neurologist says Um......?? 

What were we talking about???
[right][snapback]229540[/snapback][/right]

wow, you're old...

[Focus man. Focus.]

darkpuppet,Mar 9 2007, 02:44 PM Wrote:

Focus man, Focus.,Mar 9 2007, 03:31 PM Wrote::lol: But I am not as old as you.  I am just 32.  I am not going to blame it on age yet. 

Plus my Neurologist says Um......?? 

What were we talking about???
[right][snapback]229540[/snapback][/right]

wow, you're old...
[right][snapback]229541[/snapback][/right]

I am not old, I am experienced. :D