Funky D-Day: January 22, 2008

January 22, 2008 was indeed a very tough day for me. If you asked me a few weeks back, it would have been like any ordinary Tuesday. But this was not starting out like an ordinary Tuesday for me. An ordinary Tuesday that would definitely change my life as I knew it.

For the first time in six months, I had health insurance and I was looking forward to my yearly physical. I was also looking forward to seeing my new doctor, as my insurance is not taken by my former primary. Particularly, I was looking forward to this visit because for the first time in my life, I did not feel well at all. Over the last year or so, I felt funky, but not in a Bootsy Collins/George Clinton way. My anxiety and depression were spiraling out of control. I didn't feel the love, but also too, I was mad at the world - for no apparent reason. Therapy has helped me to cope with the psychological messes, but physically something did not feel right.

Enter my new doctor, Dr. T, as I will call him throughout the blog. I was excited, new doctor, routine physical, draw some blood and you're out. Since I was 25, that has how my routine physicals went. But, January 22nd, was a real funky day for me. I visited Dr. T at 9:00 AM and I was going to my grandmother's funeral later that afternoon. During our conversation, I explained to Dr. T the situation and that I wanted to keep the appointment. He smiled and asked me some more questions - do I get anxious, am I a smoker, do I consume alcoholic beverages, etc. He assessed my answers and then asked me if I was ever tested for diabetes. I said I never was and that with my family history I should. Dr. T called for an Accu-Check meter and the nurse pricked my finger to test my blood sugar.

WHAM!

264!

My blood sugar was 264. Normal blood sugar should be around 80 to 100. I panicked; I broke out in a sweat, nearly naked to the world. Of course that's rather uncomfortable, but what could I do in that situation. But in the back of my mind I was relieved. Now I know what's wrong. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.

Funky. Now what?

My plan with this blog is to document what I am going through and share my experiences. Given my family history, I ignored the warning signs. I brought this disease upon myself, as in our teens and 20s we feel indestructible. At 30, I just found out we are indeed. I also hope to encourage others who are going through similar experiences to share those with us as well.