Fall of 1995 I began my first year of teaching. I had a class of boys...special education..in Long Beach, CA. They wore me out! I worked from 6 -6, picked up some fast food and was in bed by 8 every night. I assumed my exhaustion was simply from demanding students. However, I soon realized there was another factor involved. In addition to always being tired, I was thirsty and hungry all the time. I specifically remember sending my students to the cafeteria to grab me some juice, milk and chocolate chip cookies. In the midst of it all, I was loosing significant amounts of weight. I was down to a size 1-2. The most drastic symptom came when I was driving one day and my right foot cramped up in pain and I had to used my left foot to get home.
I began talking to Chris' mom (who would eventually become my mother in law) about what was going on. She suggested I get checked for diabetes. She had a blood sugar monitor at the house since she was a nurse. She pricked my finger with a small needle and when the reading came back, my blood sugar was almost 500. Normal is 80 - 120. She immediately took me to the ER, where they officially diagnosed me with diabetes and prescribed pills.
When I was first diagnosed, I cried for about a week. I thought about other relatives who also had diabetes and lots of complications..loosing eyesight, limbs, having difficult pregnancies, etc. I was scared! However, many of my fears were lessened when Chris' mom began to educate me on how I could take control of the disease and not let it overtake me. Slowly, but surely, I began to feel empowered.
As I said before, initially I was on pills..which didn't work. Next, I took 3-5 shots daily for about 10 years and now..Fast forward to today, 15 years later, and I am now on an insulin pump. An insulin pump works like an actual pancreas because the insulin is slowly let into my system all day long. And if I need extra, I just press a button. It's a small pager like machine attached to my body through a small tubing which I can easily take off as needed. I absolutely love it and thank God for the invention.
One day when the family was in the car, my oldest son, Jahlel, saw me giving myself a shot and he said, "Mommy, I know you gave me my looks, because I look like you. But please don't give me that...pointing to the shots." In his 6 year old way, he was asking me to not pass on the diabetes. I almost started crying. Instead, I used it to fuel my efforts to take care of myself and make better health choices for my family as a whole...in meal planning, exercise, etc.
Each day with diabetes is a challenge. I just pray that I stay on the right path. Also, I hope I can be a support to other people with the disease.
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